Brief History of Armed Conflicts in Mindanao &Sulu

Noor LucmanPhilippine history in school textbooks tend toconfuse rather than enlighten. The startingpoint of Philippine history was 1899 known asthe Malolos Constitution, a political constructconceived by ilustrados who maintained filialand historical ties with Mother Spain. The 1896Katipunan Rebellion was not a Philippineinsurrection. It was a Katagalugan Insurrectionagainst Spain. Ka Andres Bonifacio did notconsider himself Filipino. This is probably whymore Filipinos are evasive when they areconfronted with historical issues on howPhilippines came about. They are as confusedabout details of their national heroes and thebattles that they lost against Spain and laterthe Americans. So I turned to our Salsila andhistory to understand why Mindanao history wasleft out in the narration of Philippine history.For starters, Philippines is a misnomer. It hasnothing to do with the origins of our ancienthistory. Mindanao history is as old as the

kingdom of Champa, a 2nd century kingdom in whatis now Vietnam. Development of human civilization in Mindanao &

Sulu came in three stages.In the early 11th century a known civilizationin Maguindanao, or Mintolang - Butuan, (Pd’uan orP’u-tuan) was described in the Sung Shi, Sunghistory, as a small country in the sea to theeast of Champa (Vietnam), farther than Ma’yi(Mindoro), with regular communications withChampa, but only rarely with China. The Kingdomof Champa (Chiem Tham) was founded in the 2ndcentury and lasted until the 17th century. Thepeaceful kingdom is one of many diverse kingdomsin East Asia protected by China in the 9th and10th century as a trading and commercialpartner.

The prosperity of Cham became a target ofinvasion by different armies in the regionincluding China. Mongols, Khmers of Angkor Vat,Dai Viet took turns in invading the remainingcities of the Cham. Angkor Vat was overrun by

Cham, a traditional enemy of the Khmers, in the12th century.The last Champa king Po Chen, moved his kingdomaway from the marauding Viet troops and hundredsof thousands of his subjects, mostly Muslims,trooped to coastal areas of what is nowKampuchea, Kelantan and Terrenganu. It was thefirst known mass Diaspora in the history ofIndochina. What remains of the ancient kingdom is a stripof land called Kompong Cham, a coastal regionin the southwestern part of Kampuchea with100,000 inhabitants known as Rohingyans. (Islamic-world.net)

The demise of Champa is a bitter lesson toMuslims in the Malay world, Bangsa Melayu. Theirfate could have been duplicated in Mindanao hadit not been of the dogged resistance of theSultanates against tremendous odds. Centuries ofconflicts in the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra wasalso a blessing. Islamization in East Asia brought civilizationto disparate tribes and communities in East Asiaamid the violence of European colonialism,seeking riches and gold in the region. Islamcarried with it terrible wars and resistance

against pagan tribes, evangelizing Spaniards andPortuguese who see in Islam a threat to theirgrand design of subjugation and enslavement ofEast Asians, particularly in the Malay world.Study of history in East Asia is intertwinedwith the development of organized nation-statesand Caliphates in the Middle East and Europe,and consequently the flowering of Islamiccivilizations from Menado, Sulawesi (Bugis) toAcheh, all the way down to Luzon and Mindanaothrough centuries of peaceful missionary work,and not by force.

It established the Sultanates of Maguindanao andSulu when Malay and Sumatran noblemen,missionaries and their followers took refuge inMindanao and Luzon to escape the depredationswrought by Portuguese colonizers and theirpuppets in the islands of Sumatera (Sumatra) andthe Malay Peninsula. By the time the Spaniardsset foot in Masawa (Masao, Masagua) in Butuan in1521, the Rajahs knew what to expect from thecolonizers. Tales of violence by Portugueseagainst the Malays are well known in theislands, through horrible stories narrated byrefugees from the stricken kingdoms and

principalities of Sumatra and Malay Peninsula.Rajah Kolambo of Butuan and his brother RajahSiaoi were diplomatic enough to tell FerdinandMagellan who reached Masawa in 1521 “that theyhave a lord” and there is no need for them toworship another god. As soon as provisions weregiven to the Spaniards, Magellan set sail toSugbu (Cebu) where fate awaits him.Another beleaguered city in Sumatra known asBentayan was transplanted in Ranao as Binidayan.Palembang, another kingdom in Sumatra, wastransplanted Mindanao. Kingdom of Pasay inSumatera prospered as a big settlement in Manila(Luzon). Most of the Johor nobility at the timewere either executed or have escaped the deathwarrants of Achehnese rulers, allies of Portugalat one point, by relocating to other parts ofEast Asia, establishing sultanates andprincipalities in the name of Islam. It followsthat the bloodline of Prophet Mohammed’s Ahlul Baytbe preserved despite the cruelty of foreigncolonialism and extreme depredations. Shi’ism wasthe favored spiritual orientation of theMindanao Sultanates with respect to Islamictheology, given their claims of affinity withthe bloodline of Prophet Mohammed’s genealogy.The first battle between the American colonial

forces and the nobles of Bayang (Ranao) in 1902was known as Battle of Padang Karbala, a reference tothe martyrdom of the Prophet’s grandsons inKarbala (Iraq). Temasek was renamed Singapore, a variant ofSinghapura, now a prosperous city-state in thesouthern tip of the Malay archipelago.

In our genealogy, legend has it that thecivilization of our forefathers in pre-Islamictimes under Madjapahit and Sri Vijayan Empiresemanated from the Kingdom of Butuan – Butuanunkalinan. Butuanons were said to be regularvisitors to China along with foreign traderslike the Arabs, Syrians, Tibetans, Uighors andSama. Sometime in March 17, 1001, King Kiling(O’ling or Ch’ling) of Butuan, the earliestknown kingdom in northern Mindanao sent tributemissions headed by Li-yihan and Jlaminan toChina but China singly recognized Champa insouthern Vietnam as its major trading partner.Back then, we call our rulers Rajah, Sri, Datu,Lakan or Simbaan, a variant of Simbahan whichmeans lord in ancient times. This title foundits way in the lexicon of Katagalugan, the Nationof Tagalogs, meaning Church or he who is

worshipped. Another Arabic word that is still Iuse up to this day is bahala, bahala na – acorruption of Beit Allah meaning House of Allah(God). In Luzon they chose their ruler byconsensus, ihalal, of which the root word is inArabic halal, to cleanse or he who is beyondquestion as an honest, brave and just leader. Inother words, clean. halal. Madjapahit Empireceased to exist when Mongol warlord Kublai Khaninvaded the island of Java in 13th century andkilled its king. (Marco Polo)In the event, this prosperous trade partnershiphas proven that Butuan enjoy a high level ofeconomic and political relations with otherkingdoms in East Asia. Regular contacts withMuslim traders from the Middle East have exposedthem to Islam, which is at the height of itseconomic and political power. (Greg Hontiveros) In1011, Sri Bata Shaja clinched a tradepartnership with China, the earliest recordedtrade mission from northern Mindanao. He sentone of his trusted men, Liyu-xie, bearing hismessage inscribed in gold tablet, assorted giftsof local varieties and a slave. The ChineseEmperor was impressed, probably impressed withsuch offerings, bestowed Liyu-xie with amilitary title and necessary symbolic regalia

such as flags, pennants symbolizing the grantingof an honor to a distant land. Butuan hademerged as a busy commercial port during theSung Period, when Butuan boats called Balanghaiwere capable of sailing beyond Mindanao shores.(William Henry Scott). Modern ocean going vessels known as joangga, prauor kara koa replaced the balanghai and barter tradein the region prospered. Moro settlements as faras Hongkong, the islands of Polillo, Masbate,Marinduque, Romblon and Mindoro became Moronaval bases. Barafa Shah Tengah of Sulu at theend of the 16th century was said to have been aButuanon himself. (Scott: Barangay 177) Against thebackdrop of this turbulent and glorious history,it is not true that Mindanao was a wildernesswhen Spain invited themselves as conquerors andintruders.

POWERPOINT

In 1310, an Arab missionary by the name of TuanMashaika Maqbalu died in Jolo. He was buried at MountDatu. He was revered as the founder of Sulu’s firstIslamic society. It was not known how he lived in Sulubut there was an active trading activity between Suluand the islands of Borneo, Indonesia and tradingsettlements along the Straits of Melaka (Malacca).Arab traders and missionaries are known to ply theregion around this time, spreading and preaching theKoran to the Malay natives.

1376 “Sometime in the last quarter of the 14thcentury” said historian Ambeth Ocampo, “Sheikh KarimulMakhdum Tuan Sharif Awliya, arrived in Buansa, Suluwith seven other Arab scholars or teachers.” Throughhistorical sources, oral tradition, local history orgenealogical calendar, the exact date was 1376 or 1380or thereabouts. Sheikh Makhdum (Ar. Makhtoum) builtthe first mosque in the Simunul islands, a strategicgateway to Mindanao & Sulu, a prosperous and powerfulisland, frequented by European and Asian mariners andsailors.

1407 Emperor Zhu Di (Yong-Lo), at one time expressedinterest in Luzon but Admiral Zheng He probably did notpursue the plan to seize the island except with Ko ChaLao, a Chinese warlord who organized Chinese resistanceagainst Spain in Luzon. In many of his major voyages,between 1421-1423, Zheng He always bypass Luzon (Liu-sung) in favor of other islands as though it has novalue. It was not even mentioned in his log books orin the inscriptions found in Chiang-su. This is verysignificant in the light of lack of materialschronicling the people of Luzon before 1521. Anotherversion known in Chinese writings as San-Pai-T’ai-Chien, Zheng He, a native of Yunan, was a Muslimadmiral and a favorite eunuch of Emperor Zhu Di. Withina period of 28 years (1405-1433) he led seven exploringexpeditions which discovered the Americas, 100 yearsbefore Columbus (Gavin Menzies) Through Zheng He, the MingDynasty flourished and maintained trade and diplomaticrelations with Asian and Arab Kings and Sultans. Hereached Lingayen (Luzon), Mindoro and Jolo in December,

1405-1406 and 1417. Admiral Zheng He, a Muslim eunuchand head of China’s Treasure Fleet under Ming EmperorZhu Di, proclaimed the Sultan of Melaka and gave noticeto the King of Siam that their days of exacting tributefrom Melaka is over.

The Sultanate was joined by other kingdoms in the MalayPeninsula, giving rise to an organized confederation ofIslamic Sultanates covering the islands of Sumatra,Sulawesi, Java and Borneo.

Consequently, Manila, Tondo, Mindanao & Sulu becamepart of this confederation of Sultanates governed bycommon attachment to Islam, geography and most of all,mercantile society. This civilization was anchored onorganized government, guided by laws backed by apowerful navy and ground army. A Mranao noble titleknown as “Ayunan Datu” (He whose wishes and commandsare followed) is believed to have originated from theword “Yunan” a region in China populated by Muslims.Admiral Zheng He is a Yunanese. At the height of thepower of the Chinese Treasure Fleet in East Asia, ZhengHe was known to have negotiated peaceful settlementsamong warring tribes in the Malay region. He pacified,among others, the conflict between the Sinhalese andTamils while in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), an importantseaport in the Indian Ocean. Few years after MingEmperor Zhu Di’s death in 1423, Zheng He retired inNanjing where he died of old age.

1417 Paduka Pahala, the Eastern King of Sulu, diedof illness at Te-chow (now Dezhou City in ShandongProvince, China) while on an official Royal State Visit

to Pekin, China during the Ming Dynasty whose emperorat that time was Zhu Di (Yong-le) who reigned from 1403to 1424. He was given a Royal Burial in Imperial China.In his eulogy, Emperor Zhu Di said: “He was a braveKing and Master of the East.” Diplomatic relationsbetween Mindanao and China prospered despite theSultan’s death.

In 1471, the great city of Vijaya was sacked by theViet troops. Vijaya was renamed Dong Duong, Da Nangwas the former Singhapura, Kauthara also fell and waslater renamed as NhaTrang in Khanh Hoa province.Amaravati is now the present-day Quang Nam province.

In 1433, Portugal launched the highly profitable slavetrade in the region, invading kingdoms and Sultanatesknown for their spices. From its major base in Goa(India) it attacked the Melaka sultanates, Acheh, Johorand other kingdoms in the archipelago causing massivedislocation of inhabitants, loss of property and lives.This practice was copied by other enterprising Europeancountries plying the islands searching for East Asiantreasures. Soon, merchants and raiders from Mindanaoentered the slave business, attacking Spanish enclavesin Luzon and Visayas in search of Spanish garrisons,bihags, or slaves, to be sold to British and Dutchcompanies, enemies of Spain, in exchange for guns andbullets. Rajah Baguinda established himself as leaderof the Tausogs, people of the current. He introducedthe use of modern weapons in his domain. Thisparticular period in East Asia was crucial in the sense

that Europeans are beginning to make itself felt in theislands.

In 1450, Sayed Abu Bakr, descendant of prophetMuhammad, joined Rajah Baguinda and married the Rajah’sdaughter, a nobility from Sumatra. (Scott, Barangay:178)

After the death of Raja Baguinda, Sayed Abu Bakr whogoes by the title Paduka Maharasi Maulana al Sultan ul-Hashim, founded the Sultanate of Sulu and took thetitle Sultan Sharif of Sulu. Political districts werecreated in Parang, Pansul, Lati, Gitung and Luuk, eachled by a Panglima or district leader.

The Sultanate, in its golden years, had a dominion overa large territory stretching as far as Surigao andparts of Borneo to the south. Ranao coastline(Kapatagan, Balabagan, Malabang and Picong) was part ofthe Sultanate of Maguindanao. Ramitan (Malabang) wasthe seat of Sultan Kudarat’s Sultanate.

In 1475, Sharif Kabungsuan aka Sharif Muhammad binAli (Bin Sharif Ali Zein al Abedin, Sultan ofMalaysia and descendant of Prophet Mohammed through hisdaughter Fatima Zohra) left Johor with heavily armedescorts and reached Malabang, literally means the first“grand” call to prayer, and in the course of hismissionary work, he married four noble women fromdifferent families in the lake and coastal regions,establishing the Sultanate of Maguindanao (Mindanao)and thereafter the four principalities of Ranao. (Forrest)According to Martel de Gayangos, a Spanish comptroller,Malabang and Lalabuan was a prosperous seaportfrequented by Arab, Malay, Dutch, French and British

traders. Previous to the arrival of Sharif Kabungsuan,two important Sharifs already reached Mindanao, namelySharifs Maraja and Awliya. (Sharif, also Sheriff, is atitle inherited from the Arabs accorded to the noblesand rulers whose bloodline can be traced to ProphetMuhammad. Sharif Maraja (Maradia) is the ancestor ofTabunaway and Mamalu, scions of Buayaan, Teduray andMaguindanaon clans).

1495 Treaty of Tordesillas. Partition of the World intoSpanish and Portuguese colonial empires. Luzon,Visayas, Mindanao & Sulu falls under the colonialdomain of Spain. Malay peninsula and Sumatra fallsunder the colonial dominion of Portugal.

1509 Ferdinand Magellan, also known by his Portuguesename as Fernao do Magalhaes reached the Malaccaislands, claiming a stake in the lucrative Spiceislands and ushering Europe’s Age of Discovery inAfrica and Asia. In September, a Portuguese expeditionwith four ships reached Malacca. According to Chinesechronicles in the early 15th century, Malacca was athriving seaport inhabited by Chinese and Malays ruledby fierce chieftains. (Menzies) One of the crews, ayouthful Ferdinand Magellan, was on apprenticeship as anavigator. A Muslim Chieftain ambushed the partykilling 60 Portuguese sailors, destroying one of thevessels.

The surviving party limped back to the ships andsailed away. Magellan was wounded. Magellan’s slaveEnrique, a mulatto, traveled with Magellan to Lisbon.

In 1513, he took part in the Portuguese campaignagainst the Moors, Moros in Africa. In this campaign,Magellan was pierced by an enemy lance in the leftknee, which caused him to limp for the rest of hislife. (S.Zaide:76)

1511 Alfonse d’Albuquerque, the Portuguese Viceroy ofIndia invaded Melaka (Malacca), forcing Malay andSumatran natives to take to the sea in hastilyorganized fleets. Their boats were scattered by storms.Some ended up in Borneo, some in Mindanao, Visayas andLuzon. Each boatload of refugees became the nucleus ofa new settlement. Earliest known map of the region wasmade by a Portuguese pilot Rodriguez, who works forAlbuquerque.

The earliest known information about Luzon, lusong, orliu’sung, meaning rice mortar in Chinese, was in 1513.An early explorer and cartographer Tome Pires referredto a nation called lucoes which could mean Ilokos: “Thelucoes are about ten days sail beyond Borneo. They arenearly all heathen, they have no king, but are ruled bygroups of elders. They are a robust people, littlethought of in Malacca.” He went on: “The Borneans go tothe land of lucoes to buy gold, and foodstuffs as well,and wax and honey, and they take the same merchandisefrom here as the Borneans take. They are almost onepeople they are a useful people, they are hard-working.” This trade attracted the Borneans to such anextent that they built a thriving settlement along theseacoast and banks of the Pasig river known today asManila and Tondo. A Rajanate was organized in Tondo and

Manila, whose leaders were chosen among the members ofthe Bruneian royalty. By the time Miguel Lopez deLegazpi set foot in Manila in 1567, there were 5,000Muslim families in Manila and Tondo ruled by RajahsSoliman, Matanda and Lakandula, the ancestor ofpowerful political clans in the Tagalog and Pampangospeaking regions.

Rajah Sultan Mansur of Tidore, a city-state inIndonesia, pledged allegiance to Spain by swearing on aKoran. According to other accounts, Magellan landed atMasao (not Limasawa island), in Northern Mindanao onMarch 28, 1521. (Zaide: 81) Pigafetta wrote: “… we sawapproaching two long boats, which they calledBalanghai, full of men, and in the larger boat wastheir king seated below an awning made of mats. Andwhen they came near the captain’s ship, the said slave(Enrique) spoke to that king, who understood him well.”Bahasa Melayu was lingua franca among the nobility in Malaylands including Mindanao and Visayas.

From that moment onwards, Enrique became the sole earsand voice of this band of explorers. Enrique quicklylearned the art of navigation which was very helpful inMagellan’s quest to find the undiscovered “rich islandseast of Malacca.” Magellan brought Enrique to India,Africa, Lisbon and Spain. (Quirino: 80)

Pigafetta, chronicler of Ferdinand Magellan, noted thatRajah Kulambo and his brother Rajah Siaui of Butuanwelcomed the foreigners with open arms. They werewined and dined by these rajahs. However, in the firstmass conducted by Magellan on March 31, 1521, these

two Rajahs from Mindanao attended the Eucharist butdid not offer the sacrifice.

1521 A Portuguese explorer Fernao do Magalhaes(Ferdinand Magellan) discovered Sugbu (Cebu) anddeclared the island a property of the King of Spain.Fernao do Magalhaes was killed by Rajah Lapu Lapu ofMactan, a Muslim warrior allied with the Sultan ofSulu, in that same year.

Instruction from the Spanish King to Ferdinand Magellanwas to “locate a Pacific passage to the Moluccas with authority toannex uncharted territories he should discover. If and when natives arefound in the new territories, Magellan will Hispanise and Christianisethem.”

In fact, 20 years after the death of Magellan, hischief pilot Villalobos Ginés de Mafra stayed for twomonths in Mazaua/Maçagua (Masao), time enough to becomesufficiently acquainted with the geographic situationwhich he encountered twice north and south of thestrait of Surigao. He recorded the following:

From the chief of Maçagua Ferdinand Magellan heard thatin a region named Butuan, located in the island ofMindanao, in its northern part, at a distance of 15leguas from Maçagua, much gold is found. (Antonio Blazquez,andDelgado Aguilera for the Spanish Royal Geographic Society, 1920. ArchivoGeneral de Indias, p. 199. Sevilla. Schreurs: 28)

An early Spanish expedition report made in 1523 by J.G.de Loaisa spoke of a big island called Mamgdanao(Magindanao). This was corrupted into Vendanao,Bendanao and later, Mindanao. The report was translatedinto different European languages which gave rise to

confusion and misinformation, one of which was thecontroversy between Mazaua (Masao) and Limasawa(Dimasawa), the first mass in Butuan

In 1564, Kota Batu and Johor Lama fell. The fort andtown were burned and plundered by powerful armies ofAcheh, a new kingdom in northern Sumatra, supported byMelaka Malays, Malabaris, Gujeratis and Turkishsoldiers. The Kingdom of Acheh ruled the Sumatera andthe Malay Peninsula until the Portuguese, using Goa(India) as a jumping point invaded these kingdoms.

In 1594, despite the difficulties of keeping their Vietenemies at bay, the King of Champa helped the Sultanof Johor resist the onslaughts of Portuguese incursionsinto the region and became embroiled in the bloodycolonial wars which pitted the Malay Sultans againsteach other and different foreign powers from the 15th upto the 17th century.

The defeat of Spanish Armada in 1588 by England led bySir Francis Drake broke the monopoly of Spain andPortugal in East Asia thus preserving Islam inSoutheast Asia. Great Britain, Netherlands and Francedid not share the evangelizing spirit of theconquistadores and their Age of Discovery. It is thenemesis of their new philosophy, an embodiment of theWestern Free World, a refinement of the Crusader spiritthat saw many debacles in the 12th century. The Mindanaoproblem continue to fester simply because the

Philippine Constitution is a reflection of this ancientconquistadores spirit, an issue that was leftunresolved in the post-colonial period after World WarII.

Between 1607 and 1676, the kingdom was ruled by KingIbrahimhe, married to a Malay princess, who ruled anarea covering parts of present-day Vietnam andKampuchea. It was a prosperous kingdom until theVietnamese under King Minh Mang annexed Champaterritories and drove the Muslims out of present-dayHo Chi Minh City (Saigon), provinces of Trang, PhanRang, PhanRi and PhanThiet.

It is worth noting that the names of these famouscities were adopted in some regions in present-dayMalaysia and the Philippines. The Kingdom of Pasay inSumatera (Sumatra) which was sacked by the Portuguesewas transplanted to Luzon. The origin of the Sanskritname Vijaya is thought to be the present-day Visayas inCentral Philippines. Indrapura could mean Indarapatra –a legendary folk hero in Maguindanao and Ranao whosemagical powers and brute strength is second to one.Cotabato, or Kota Batu (also Kotawato), could havebeen derived from the great fort in Johor which sawmany invasion forces, including the Portuguese. Thefort finally fell in 1586 when Portuguese commanderAntonio de Noronha overwhelmed 12,000 Malay defenders(Johor Malays, Minangkabaus from Naning and Rembau,Javanese, Terengganu Malays and allies from Sumatranstates of Indragiri and Kampar) and vanquished theresistance of Sultan Ali who died in exile in 1597. He

was succeeded by his son Alauddin Riayat Shah II whowas later captured and eventually executed by theAchehnese in 1614. (Zain)

Miguel Lopez de Legazpi was aware of Magellan’s fate in1521 at the hands of Mactan Chief Lapu Lapu but he washopeful that the natives might be persuaded to makepeace with the Castilians despite the treachery anddeception of Rajah Humabon: “afterward the two islandsMatan and Sebu made peace privately between themselves,and the inhabitants of Cebu killed many of theSpaniards of the same fleet, and drove the remainingfew away from their land.” Instead, this time around,he found himself in Cebu scavenging for food andpursuing the enemy for provisions. Legazpi wasastounded by the hostility of Cebuanos. He wrote:“They are the lightest and swiftest runners whom I haveever seen. When we entered the village, all the foodhad already been taken away.” Nevertheless, Rajah Tupasallowed him to build a temporary base in his dominionin 1565. Pagbuaya, the native chieftain of Panglaoisland Bohol then a prosperous settlement, arranged themeeting between Sikatuna and Legazpi. His interest wasto forge an alliance against the Sultan of Ternate whovowed to avenge the death of his ambassadors at thehands of Pagbuaya and his brother Dailisan. Pagbuayaconverted to Christianity and assigned his son PedroManuel Manook to join Adelantado’s conquests in thenorth, eventually settling down in Dapitan in early 17th

century. They fled Dapitan due to Moro attacks and

ended up in Bayug, a forested coastal area known in thearea as Ilian now Iligan- a Maranao word for “a watermeandering to the sea.” (Camilo P. Cabili, A Saga of NativeCourage, Philippine Herald Magazine, 12.26.64. xxx Mandulog riverdrains into this settlement, often battered by heavy floods andtyphoons. Bayug means “washed away” or “condemned” in Mranaodialect. Back then, according to Salsila and documents fromMomongn and the Sultanate of Baloi, Nonokn, Buruun, Timoga,Tominobo and the present-day coastal areas of Lanao del Nortewere prosperous Mranao communities under the Sultanates ofMadalum, Madamba, Uato and Baloi. Spain occupied Iligan from1891 to 1898 whereupon the US colonial army used Iligan in 1902as a staging point to attack the hinterlands of Ranao, the seatof powerful Mranao-Iranon Sultanates of Northern and CentralMindanao)

Tupas and Sikatuna of Cebu and Bohol respectively,Legazpi concluded his report by pleading to his Kingfor help. Normally a calm and confident man, he couldnot hide his apprehension:

“Aid should be sent as promptly as the necessity of our condition demands.For we shall have war not only with the natives of this and otherneighboring islands but, a thing of greater consequence .. we shall have towage war with many different nations and islands, who will aid thesepeople, and will side against us such as the Moros and other powerful andwell-armed people I beg His Majesty to send us aid with all promptness.”

The origins of Moro identity

Obviously, Miguel Lopez de Legazpi was apprehensivethat the powerful and well-organized Muslim sultanatesmight come and overwhelm his fledgling army. At the

time, a Spanish historian (intelligence agent) whoprobably visited Mindanao, observed of the Muslims:“In the villages, where they had ten or twelve chiefs,only one- the richest of them- was he whom all obeyed.When laws were to be enacted for governing thecommonwealth, the greatest chief, whom all the restobeyed, assembled in his own house all the other chiefsof the village, and when they had come, he made aspeech and the other chiefs approved what he ordained.This policy was not in vogue with the Pintados Visayans,because no one of them was willing to recognize anotheras his superior.”

Lakandula (Lakan Abdullah), a descendant of the King ofNamayan (there is a park in Mandaluyong calledNamayan), was awed by the firepower of the Spanishforces led by Goiti, and decided to be friends with thenewcomers rather than be destroyed. (Quirino: 121) Thefollowing year, Legazpi, a Basque, subdued RajaSolayman of Manila (Amanila) and Rajah Matanda(Old Chief) who is known as the “Prince of Luzon” andgrandson of Brunei’s Sultan Bolkieh Saripada. withoffers of friendship and founded the City ofManila on May 19, 1571. (Zaide: 90) According to Kadilauthor of The Muslim Migration, notes that the Spaniardsfound a sizable Muslim community in Manila. Theyput the Muslim population at 80,000 inhabitantscomprising men, women and children. Accordingly, theso-called intramuros is significant because the spotwhere Fort Santiago was built is an entry pointleading to the Rajanate of Tondo. The Spaniards calledthe natives Moros, owing to their allegiance to Islam

which ruled the Iberian peninsula for 700 years. Juande Salcedo also attacked a Batangas cotta in Balayanusing caracoas. Below is a quotation from Retana’sedition of “Sucesos delasislas Filipinas” by Antonio de Morga:

When they landed in Manila, the soldiers of Legaspi found on the samesite of the present Fort Santiago, key to the capital of Manila, a powerfulMuslim principality under Rajah Aceh Matanda who reigned in companywith a nephew Rajah Sulaiman.

Under the walls of this fort, a historical event, little appreciated but whichinfluenced our conquest, took place. It was there for the first time since theconquest of Granada that the Spaniards once more stood face to facewith the standards of the Prophet, both meeting after circling the globefrom opposite directions. As was inevitable, they met at the walls underartillery fire” and they continued to do so in Jolo, fighting a battle thatbegan on the borders of Guadalete. And if nothing should detract fromthat continuity, Legaspi called them Moros, a name they keep up to thistime and which regardless of their having nothing in common withthe Mauretanians, signified a community or religion shared with theSpanish Arabs.”

Between 1567 and up to the late 19th century saw manyfierce ground and naval battles between the natives ofMindanao and Spain, the former using caracoas, joanggasand praus to attack and destroy Spanish garrisons inLuzon and Visayas. In the 17th century, Capitan Laut

Boisan, father of Sultan Kudarat, and Rajah Sirongantook turns in invading Spanish settlements andgarrisons in Luzon and Visayas with the end in view toliberate the natives from the cruel Bishopric ofManila. One such naval attack required the assistanceof armies from Borneo, Sulu and Ranao numbering intheir thousands aboard joanggas and praus to drive awaySpaniards in Bicol and Visayas region. Watchtowerssprouted all over Luzon including Ilocos. Mindoro,Marinduque, Romblon, Masbate, Polillo islands were Moronaval bases until late in the 19th century.

1645 Kudarat-Lopez Peace Treaty, Samboangan(Zamboanga). One of the provisions of the treaty is toallow Jesuit missions in Samboangan (Fort Pilar),Tangub, Ozamis, Dabao, Cagayan de Oro, etc. to serveChristian faithful in their respective localities. Thisperiod was the Golden Age of Kudarat, according tohistorians. The Sultanate of Maguindanao has effectivecontrol over the whole of Kotawato (Cotabato), Ranao(Lanao), Sultanate of Davao, Misamis, Bukidnon andSibugay (Zamboanga). It had the most extensive dominionever held by a Maguindanao Sultan, a feat singularlyreserved to Sultan Dipatuan Muhammad Kudarat, known inhistory as “the greatest Maguindanao Sultan of alltime.” During his reign, he was able to collecttributes in Basilan, parts of the Visayas, and as faras the coast of Borneo. (Jubair :23) This peace treatylasted for several decades until his death in 1675. Hewas buried in Ramitan in what is now Picong (formelySultan Gumander) in Lanao del Sur.

1751 Privateer System, by the Bishopric of Manila, usingnatives of Luzon and Visayas to fight the Sultanates ofMindanao & Sulu

1842 Wilkes-Mohammed Treaty by US Navy Comdr. CharlesWilkes and Sultan Mohamed of Soolo (Sulu) The USgovernment was having trouble plying the Straits ofMelaka because of pirate attacks.

The first known US War on Terror, under US Pres. AndrewJackson, took place around this period when US Navygunboats attacked Qualla Bato in Malaysia, avenging thedeath of a US captain and several US sailors at thehands of Malay pirates. US Pres. Martin Van Burenordered the attack.

1897 Execution of Ka Andres Bonifacio, leader of theKatipunero/Magdiwang and Katagalugan Nation on orders byMagdalo leader Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. A number ofsignificant generals and political leaders includingGen. Antonio Luna were assassinated on orders ofMagdalo leadership.

1898 Treaty of Paris. Mindanao & Sulu was illegallyannexed by the US colonial government as part of theUS $20 million dollars paid to Spain for the Philippineislands.

1899 Signing of Bates-Kiram Peace Treaty by Gen. JohnC. Bates and Sultan Jamalul Kiram II of Sulu. Thisperiod coincides with the framing of MalolosConstitution, a perpetuation of Spanish coloniallegacy, declaring a Free and Independent Republic ofthe Philippines, contrary to the Katagalugan doctrine

of the Katipuneros which is purely democratic andagrarian in concept. Gen. Emilio Aquinaldo demanded thepayment of damages to his troops in Marahui who diedfighting the forces of Spanish Gov. Gen. Ramon Blancoin 1896. Emilio Aguinaldo never had a single followerin Ranao or any place in the Sultanates in Mindanao.(Dr. Mamitua Saber)

1900 Zamboanga was liberated by the combined armies ofthe Sultanates of Mindanao & Sulu. Partido Federalistawas organized in Luzon and Visayas by Howard Taft andGen. Arthur MacArthur.

1901 Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo surrendered to US colonialforces.

1902 First Moro-American War, Battle of Bayang (PadangKarbala). US Gen. William A. Kobbe estimated that thepopulation of Mindanao was broken down as follows:Moros, 500,000, Indonesians, 250,000 and otherChristianized natives, 250,000. This was the start ofthe 16-year Moro-American War, pitting US troopsagainst Datu Ampuan a Gaus of Ranao, Datu Ali ofMaguindanao and Panglima Hassan of Sulu.

1903 Moro Province was established with politicaljurisdiction separate and different from the apparatusgoverning the colonized Filipinos in Luzon and Visayas.Public Land Act No. 926, declaring all lands inMindanao & Sulu as US colonial domain, was enforced.

1905 US Mining Law in Mindanao was enacted.

1907 US Cadastral Act was enacted, depriving theMindanao natives of their ancestral domain.

1914 Abolition of the Moro Province and establishmentof the Department of Mindanao and Sulu. “Whereas it isthe desire of the Islands to promote the most rapidmoral, social, and political development of theinhabitants of said Department in order to accomplishtheir complete unification with other inhabitants ofother provinces of the Archipelago.”

1915 Kiram-Carpenter Agreement, ending the Moro-American War between the Sultanates and the UnitedStates colonial army. Hostilities between US troops andMoro fighters, led by Ampuan a Gaus, continue unabatedin many parts of Ranao.

1917 Bureau of Non Christian Tribes was established bythe US administrators in Mindanao.

1919 Public Land Act No. 2874 effectively putting theAncestral Domain of natives of Mindanao under US landlaws, similar to Homestead Act that deprived AmericanIndians of their homeland.

1920 Act No. 2878 formally abolishes the Department ofMindanao & Sulu.

1921 “Declaration of Rights and Purposes” addressed toUS Pres. Warren Harding signed by Mindanao Datus,Panglimas and Sultans requesting that in the event ofPhilippine independence, Muslims (in Mindanao & Sulu)be kept under American rule.

1926 Bacon Bill was filed in US Congress by Cong.Robert Bacon, separating Mindanao & Sulu from Luzon andVisayas. Dansalan Declaration was initiated by Datus,religious leaders and Sultans asking the US government

not to annex Mindanao & Sulu into the proposedPhilippine Republic for it will result in “endlesswars” between the Moros and the Filipinos.

1935 Establishment of the Philippine CommonwealthRepublic, outlawing the titles of Sultans in Mindanao &Sulu, sponsored by Pres. Manuel L. Quezon.

1938 Quirino-Recto Colonization Act provides for thecolonization of Mindanao & Sulu by Christian settlersfrom Luzon and Visayas through human settlementssponsored by the US and the Commonwealth Republic.Sen. Pres. Quezon offered Mindanao as haven forEuropean Jews fleeing NAZI persecution.

1939 Opening of Mindanao settlements through LagaoSettlement District under the National Land SettlementAdministration by Gen. Paulino Santos in Dadiangas, adomain of the Sultanate of Buayaan..

1942 Japanese Imperial government headed by PM HidekiTojo declared Mindanao and Sulu as SpecialAdministrative Region, separate from Luzon and Visayas.(Hiripin Kyokai, 1942) Sen. Alauya Adiong Alonto, Sec.Benigno Aquino Sr. and Pres. Jose P. Laurel sided withthe Japanese Imperial government.

1946 Philippines was declared independent by the UnitedStates. Pres. Manuel Roxas, architect of Ilonggo humansettlements in Mindanao, was sworn in as president ofthe new republic. He died of massive heart attack, twoyears later, inside a US military base and wasreplaced by Vice President Elpidio Quirino.

1948 Kamlon Rebellion broke out in Sulu.

Origins of Mindanao Conflict 1955-2013

1955 Bandung Non Aligned Conference, recognizingMuslims in Mindanao & Sulu as part of the IslamicUmmah. 1955- Bandung Non Aligned Conference inIndonesia hosted by Pres. Bong Sukarno took cognizanceto the state-sponsored discrimination against theMuslim minority in Mindanao in terms of education,economic-enhancing infrastructure projects, governmentemployment, etc.

The Conference took cognizance to the influx ofgovernment-sponsored Christian settlers in Mindanao,collected from different parts of Luzon and Visayas tochange the demographic status of people of Mindanao,originally inhabited by Muslims (Maranao-Iranons,Maguindanaoans, Tausog, Yakan, Samal, Badjao, Kalagan,etc.) and Lumad (13 tribes).

First wave of Christian settlers, under the 1938Quirino-Recto Colonization Act, came from the Huks ofLuzon, convicts from Visayas and Luzon. Pres. ManuelRoxas sponsored the migration of thousands of Ilonggosettlers from Visayas to Mindanao. Pres. Magsaysayundertook the massive settlement programs in 1955 whichsaw the Muslim population in Dadiangas, now Gen.Paulino Santos City, reduced to minority in the southCotabato region.

That same year, Egyptian Pres. Gamal Abdel Nasserpledged to grant state scholarships to hundreds ofyoung Mindanaoans through Sen. Domocao Alonto toeducate them in the field of military science(Nasserist 15 – Wahab Alonto, Sharief, Basman,

Sangcopan Malawani, Al Kamlian, et al), medicine (AliMackno, Ali Busran et al), engineering (PasayudMacarambon, etc.) and Islamic studies (Yusop Lucman,Shuaib Tumug, Hashim Salamat, Mahid Mutilan, BasherIdris, Omar Pasigan, Mochtar Abedin, etc.). Lanao wasdivided into two provinces in 1958 because of disparityin voting numbers. Christians always win in Lanaoelections.

In the interim, MSU, SPDA, CNI, LAC (Lumbatan),breeding stations, thousands of teachers andcommissioned officers, Mindeco electric company(Congressmen Rashid Lucman, Salipada Pendatun, SalihUtutalum and Mohammed Ali Dimaporo) were granted by thegovernment through due diligence and sustainedrepresentations by aggressive Muslim leaders inCongress. Kamlon Rebellion ended in Sulu after hepeacefully surrendered to the Philippine Constabulary.This was followed by Tawan Tawan Rebellion in Lanao.

1967 - Jabidah Massacre. Sen. Benigno Ninoy Aquino,Cavite Gov. Justiniano Montano, Cong. Salipada Pendatunand Cong. Rashid Lucman, exposed Marcos conspiracy tocreate chaos in Sabah. 60+ Muslim trainees wereexecuted by their AFP trainors headed by Col.Martelino. Jibin Arula survived. Ninoy Aquino exhortedthe Bangsa Moro people to take up arms against Marcosin a Marawi City mass rally.

1968 - Malaysian PM Tunku Abdel Rahman met with Cong.Rashid Lucman to recruit young Moro youths from majorclans to train in guerilla warfare and counter-insurgency in Malaysia (Top 90 – Duma Sani, NurMisuari,

Abul Alonto, Dimas Pundato, Jimmy Lucman, RonnieMalaguiok, et al) Bangsa Moro Liberation Organizationwas organized as an umbrella organization of all Moromovements and political clans (Loongs, Kalingalan,Ampatuans, Midtimbangs, Annis, Sinsuats, Biruars,Masturas, Mangudadatus, Matalams, Abubacars, Kamlians,Yassins, etc.), the 19 Royal Houses of Mindanao & Sulu,Ansar el Islam, Lawyer’s League, Muslim Association ofthe Philippines, Green Guards, Lam Alif, Bangsa Bai,Union of Islamic forces and Organizations, etc. toadvance the cause of Bangsa Moro freedom and autonomyin line with the national opposition under the LiberalParty.

1969 – Battle of Wao led by Malay-trained commanders.Bamer Sharif, the first Moro martyr, was killed in thebattle.

Gov. Udtog Matalam declared the formation of theMindanao Independence Movement. Battles betweenBlackshirts and AFP erupted in Buldon. Mayor BangonAratuc of Buldon denied maintaining an army of Blackshirts.

1970 - BMLO and Bangsa Moro Army trained 30,000+ youngMoros in guerilla warfare. Nur Misuari proposed theformation of MNLF but was rebuffed by the elders andorganizers of the Bangsa Moro Army- Blackshirts (JunMatalam, Jean Intan Yassin, Jun Macarambon, AlverAlonto, Otto Salahuddin et al). ConstitutionalConvention approved a proposal by Delegates RaulManglapus and Michael Mastura to grant autonomy to theMuslim regions in Mindanao.

1972 – Sultan Rashid Lucman bought 2,000 rifles fromFabrique Nationale in Belgium. It was consigned to SaudiArabia under King Faisal, a friend of Sultan Lucman..Salih Bouyasir, emissary of Pres. Muammar Khadaffy tothe leaders of the Bangsa Moro revolution was killed ina plane crash in Sinai.

A Letter of Instruction by Pres. Khadaffy addressed toCong. Rashid Lucman never reached the congressman. Itwas kept by Nur Misuari and the amount needed tojumpstart the guerilla war.

1973 Martial Law was declared by Pres. FerdinandMarcos, abolishing the Congress and the ConstitutionalConvention. Nur Misuari fled to Malaysia. Moro NationalLiberation Front was organized by Chairman Nur Misuari,Sabah State Minister Tun Mustapha with the assistanceof Libyan Foreign Minister Aly Trekky. Major politicalclans, Moro professionals and Islamic movementswithdrew support to the Bangsamoro revolution. NurMisuari, backed by Minister Tun Mustapha of Sabah andFM Aly Trekky, announced the establishment of the MoroNational Liberation Front against the wishes of the OldGuard, political clans, Royal Houses and Bangsa Moromovements. Tun Mustapha, a Tausog, envisioned aRepublic consisting of Mindanao, Sulu, Palawan andSabah. It was rejected by the political clans ofMindanao and Sulu. Tun Mustapha seized the Belgianrifles and money said to be in the amount of $2 millionUS dollars intended for BMLO Blackshirts anddistributed it among the MNLF commanders headed byChairman Misuari. The movement suffered a fatal

setback. Nur Misuari was expelled from Malaysia. TunMustapha reconciled with the Malaysian government.

1975 – Sultan Rashid Lucman was enthroned as ParamountSultan of Mindanao & Sulu by the 19 Royal Houses ofMindanao & Sulu. He demanded Self-rule for Muslims inMindanao which was rejected by the Marcos regime.

Sultan Rashid Lucman went on exile in Saudi Arabia,followed by Cong. Salipada Pendatun, Atty. MacapantunAbbas Jr. and other leaders in Mindanao and Sulu.Other leaders rejoined the government, denouncing NurMisuari as betrayer of the unity of the Bangsa Mororevolution.

1976 – Ustadj Salamat Hashim broke away from MNLFaccusing Misuari of communist leanings, corruption andsource of disunity among Bangsa Moro forces.

1977 – MILF was organized in Makkah. Dimas Pundato,vice chairman of the MNLF based in Sandakan (Sabah)broke away from Nur Misuari’s MNLF. Pundato formed theMNLF-Reformist Group.

1981 Ninoy Aquino met King Khaled of Saudi Arabia, thelatter pledging full support to Ninoy quest to solvethe Muslim problem in Mindanao. Prince Sultan binAbdulaziz, Dr. Saleh Jamjoom and Dr. Omar AbdullahNaseef also pledged support. The meeting was closelymonitored by the US and Philippine governments.

1982 Karachi Accord for Bangsa Moro Unity inaccordance with the demands of Muslim World League Sec.

Gen. Inamullah Khan, Mohammed Natsir, the OIC andSaudi Foreign Min. Prince Saud Al Faisal. Nur Misuarirejected the Covenant of Unity among Bangsa Morogroups.

1983 Ninoy was assassinated at the Manila InternationalAirport

1984 Sultan Rashid Lucman died in Riyadh

1985 – Norodin Lucman re-organized the BMLO-BMABlackshirts in preparation for the anticipated civilwar in Manila as a result of Ninoy Aquino’sassassination. Noor Lucman was chosen as ChiefCoordinator of Bangsa Moro Coordinating Commandcomposed of top commanders of the BMLO, MILF and MNLF.Misuari did not join the command, citing differenceswith the Aquinos. Gen. Salipada Pendatun died in a caraccident in Quezon City.

1986 – Pres. Ferdinand Marcos and family fled thePhilippines. Mrs. Corazon Aquino was proclaimedPresident. Nur Misuari was resurrected through ButzAquino and Aquilino Pimentel.

1987 MILF denounced the Cory Aquino government,destroyed Napocor lines in Lanao and Maguindanaoprovinces.

1989 – BMLO reconciled with the government when ARMMwas created by Pres. Cory Aquino. Noor Lucman wasdelisted in the Order of Battle as enemy of the state.

1996 – GRP-MNLF Final Peace Agreement, Nur Misuari wasappointed ARMM Governor.

1999 Pres. Joseph Erap Estrada declared All out Waragainst the MILF. Estrada was overthrown by Edsa II.Noor Lucman met with MILF Chairman Salamat Hashim andproposed that before MILF will agree to a generalceasefire, 1) Peace Talks should be held outside thejurisdiction of the Philippine government preferablyJeddah, the seat of the Organization of IslamicConference (OIC), 2) That a Third Party component beallowed to mediate in the Peace Talks, and 3) Call fora UN-sponsored Referendum in Mindanao and Sulu.Chairman Salamat agreed to transmit the proposal to theMILF Central Committee. I announced this Three-Pointproposal at a mass rally in Marawi City, sponsored byLacs Dalidig of IMERGG, Saksi IRF and Islamic civilsociety organizations on April, 1999. Malaysia wastasked by the OIC to act as mediator and Kuala Lumpurwas chosen as the venue for the Peace Talks.Consequently, Pres. Joseph Estrada rejected theproposal and went on to carry out his costly armyoffensives in Central Mindanao, leading to the armyoccupation of Camps Abubacar, Bushra and Radiamoda. TheMILF counter-attacked by resorting to a Mindanao-wideguerilla war against Pres. Joseph Estrada.

2000 Pres. Joseph Estrada was overthrown by PeoplePower II in Edsa. Noor Lucman was cited along with Gov.Chavit Singson, Sen. Teofisto Guingona and others inClub Filipino (Greenhills) as one of the Catalysts ofEdsa II. This gathering was organized by People’sConsultative Assembly and 82 other civil society groupsnationwide.

2002 – Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo attacked BuliokComplex, at the behest of AFP Chief of Staff Gen.Angelo Reyes. MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari was jailed forsubversion and corruption.

2004 MILF Chairman Hashim Salamat died after years oflingering illness. He was replaced by MILF ViceChairman Kagi Murad Ibrahim. Alim Abdul Aziz Mimbantaswas appointed Vice Chairman of MILF.

2008 – MOA AD was deemed unconstitutional by theSupreme Court. MILF commanders Umbra Kato, AlimPangalian and Abdullah Bravo Macapaar attacked militarycamps in Central Mindanao.

2010 – Pres. Benigno Noynoy Aquino was proclaimedpresident, pledging peace in Mindanao and stampingcorruption in the government, including ARMM. Aquinocalled for reform in ARMM.

2013 November - Noor Lucman outlined the Bangsamoro Basic Law as a basis to establish the Autonomous State of Bangsamoro.

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS IN ARMM AFTER THE INAUGURATION OFPRESIDENT BENIGNO AQUINO III

1. ANNOUNCEMENT OF MRS. TERESITA DELES AS SECRETARY OFTHE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT ON THE PEACE PROCESS(OPAPP) TASKED TO HANDLE THE PEACE PROCESS AND“MUSLIMS.”

2. MUSLIM BLOC IN CONGRESS DENOUNCE SEC. TERESITADELES.

CONG. TUPAY LOONG DECRIED THE NONIMPLEMENTATION OF

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9054 AS VIOLATION OF THECONSTITUTION

3. SENT A LETTER DATED 20 SEPTEMBER 2O11 TO SEC.TERESITA DELES RECOMMENDING THE POSTPONEMENT OF THEARMM ELECTION

4. PRES. AQUINO ANNOUNCED REFORMS IN MUSLIM MINDANAO.HE CALLED ON CONGRESS FOR THE POSTPONEMENT OF 2011 ARMMELECTION CITING AMONG OTHER REASONS THE FAILEDEXPERIMENT IN THE AUTONOMOUS REGION

5. CONGRESS PASSED A BILL DATED AUGUST, 2011POSTPONING THE ARMM ELECTIONS, SYNCHRONIZING IT WITHTHE MID TERM 2013 LOCAL AND NATIONAL ELECTION

6. PEACE TALKS BETWEEN THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT ANDMILF IS DEFERRED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

7. PRES. BENIGNO AQUINO AND THE MILF SIGNED FAB, 2012

8. PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT AND MILF AGREED ON WEALTH-SHARING, 2013

9. NATIONWIDE PROTEST AGAINST MASSIVE CORRUPTION INTHE SENATE AND THE AQUINO GOVERNMENT. POLITICAL IN-FIGHTING AMONG TOP POLITICAL LEADERS IN THE GOVERNMENTWILL DESTABILIZE MANILA - THE NERVE CENTER OF THEGOVERNMENT.

10. OUTBREAK OF WAR IN ZAMBOANGA CITY SEPTEMBER 2013,LEAVING THOUSANDS OF MUSLIM CIVILIANS, SOLDIERS,MUJAHIDEEN KILLED OR MISSING AND HOMELESS

11. DEVASTATION IN VISAYAS WROUGHT BY SUPER TYPHOONYOLANDA AND EARTHQUAKE IN BOHOL

12. SUPREME COURT DECLARED PDAF AS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

The society thus organized Must live under laws That would guide theireveryday life, Based on principles of righteousness and fair dealing.

(2:168)

2013 Bangsamoro Basic Law written by Noor Lucman wasapproved as a road map for peace in Mindanao & Sulu.The Basic Law is to strengthen the structures of theregional autonomy and maximize the potential for peacein Mindanao & Sulu through peaceful negotiations and inaccordance with the flexibilities of the Constitutioninherent in the RA 9054 and the Organic Act (RA 6734)establishing the autonomous government in MuslimMindanao. Framework Agreement and the Annexes onTransitional Arrangements and Modalities, RevenueGeneration and Wealth Sharing, and Power Sharing) willeventually find its way into the provisions of theBangsamoro Basic Law. “Executive Order No. 120, seriesof 2012, created the Transition Commission which istasked to conduct consultations with experts andstakeholders to aid them in coming up with actualprovisions for the draft of Bangsamoro Basic Law.”(OPAPP, PDI 8/1/14) This Covenant is the last leg ofthe 16-year negotiations culminating in the 2012Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro. It is erasing thepast that sustained a historical anomaly in Mindanao &Sulu since 1645. Important dates in history, to wit:

The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro or FAB andthe 4 Annexes use the word Bangsamoro in three levels:

Bangsamoro as Identity; Bangsamoro as Territory; andBangsamoro as Government. In all three levels,Bangsamoro is NOT merely historical or culturalconcept; it is a political construct, first and

foremost. The 4 Annexes are actual negotiations ofpowers and wealth sharing and territory. The word

Bangsamoro in all three levels is a paramount politicalconstruct, because IDENTITY matters. It is an important

issue that must not be taken lightly. This newpolitical construct would define and shape the

Bangsamoro identity, territory and government. It wouldhave consequences to the existing other political

constructs like Muslim Mindanao, Indigenous Peoples and‘Christian Settlers’ in Mindanao. 

FAB defines ‘Bangsamoro’ as “those who at the time ofconquest and colonization were considered natives or

original inhabitants of Mindanao and the SuluArchipelago and its adjacent islands including Palawan,and their descendants whether of mixed or of full blood

shall have the right to identify themselves asBangsamoro by ascription or self-ascription”. Then it

goes further to recognize the spouses… To wit: “Spousesand their descendants are classified as Bangsamoro”. 

The word Bangsamoro as defined in the FAB and theAnnexes point to an Identity that is ‘Exclusive’ to the

natives and original inhabitants, their spouses andtheir descendants no matter whether they are mixed orpure blood. The IP’s are classified as Bangsamoro, the

Christian Settlers and their descendants, however, areexcluded unless they are of ‘mixed blood’ or ‘spouses’

of a Bangsamoro. Fr. Jun Mercado, OMI

Through all this, let the ideals and principlesbehind the Bangsa Moro Liberation Organizationas embodied by the legacy of our forefathers bea lesson and challenge to us all, including themujahideen of the Moro Islamic Liberation Frontand the MNLF. Let this be a challenge thatwithout unity, no freedom and dignity will cometo the Bangsa Moro homeland. But with unity, asdid Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat and the framers ofthe BMLO in ages past, no force on earth candefeat us.