Naval, Vincent Lorenzo F.

July, 3, 2015
SS016- B09 1st Major Assessment

Bangsamoro Position Paper

The Philippine Muslims was once a dominant group in the country. Their culture is

a blend of Islam and adat (Bara, 2015). It’s a history of why people there, especially Filipino

Muslims want to have a self-government in Mindanao. 500 years ago, Arabs Muslims come to

the Southern part of the Philippines to spread and to begin the Islamization of the Philippine

Islands. They all lived quietly unharmed by any religious oppressors. But when the Spaniards

came and began to colonize the islands, they began to rebel and take armed against the spread

of Christianity and colonialism of the Spanish Empire. They quickly overrun the Spaniards

invading Mindanao, but still war continues to ravage the land. Where in Mindanao is governed

under the rule of the Sultanate of Sulu and Maguindanao, but now they are already separating

due to effects of war between the Spaniards and the Filipino Moros.

After 333 years of Spanish presence in the Philippines, war broke out in the island

of Luzon which ignited the Philippine Revolution of 1896. The revolution spread out to the rest

of the islands, except in the region where the Sultanate of Sulu reigns because of the treaty they

made with the Spanish Empire. After the destruction of the Spanish colonialism in the

Philippines, the Americans came to our islands and to replace the Spaniards as the new colonial
masters of the Filipinos. There war erupted again, beginning the Philippine- American War. Until

then, when the Americans reached up the shores of Mindanao to colonize the island in the

south. From there, the Americans began to have a treaty with the Sultanate of Sulu, to allow

them to establish a military base in order to hunt Filipino revolutionaries in the area, thus the

sultanate agrees.

But then, the Americans won’t take long before they break that treaty with the

Moros. After the capture of Philippine President Emilio Aguinaldo, the Americans turn their

focus in the south and began colonizing Mindanao. From there, war broke out within the

sultanate and thus known as the Moro Rebellion. There are initiatives by the US government to

reduce the rebellion in the South, but their campaign to exert control without warfare broke

down, and fighting between Americans and Moros became more frequent (Byler, 2005). War

continues to ravage the land, despite the Sultan’s call to withdraw their weapons. Many Imams,

such as Panglima Hassan, he looked at the presence of the US forces a threat to Islam and the

Muslim society (Bara, 2015).

He came up with an army of Tausugs and began to strike the Americans

positions in Jolo were there bases are full of modern weapon. Still, the Americans quickly

repelled them which forced his men to withdraw the area. The battle still continues and

bloodshed infected the land. There were many major battles such as in Bud Dahu and Bud
Bagsak, which were totally full of brutality. The Moro Rebellion is one of the worst war in

Mindanao which lead to a thousands of casualties, including civilians.

The modern weapons of the United States has no match for the bolo and

shield used by the Moros. Thus in 1913, a group of Datus and Imams surrendered to the

American colonial authorities and pledge their allegiance to the Americans. This war has already

changed the viewpoint of the Moros, that they experienced now being as a minority. Even after

the independence of the Republic of the Philippines, the Moros were still being treated as a

minority. Especially when President Ferdinand Marcos plans to invade Sabah and to use the

Moros to kill their relative there. When the Moros already discovered the plan, they had a

mutiny against their commanders in Corregidor, thus ordering an assault and massacred them.

Which led to the Jabidah Massacre. When this news broke out, many Filipino

Muslims expressed their anger on this strategy. Inspired by this, many Filipino Muslim leaders

such as Nur Misuari, led an armed revolt against the government of the Philippines. Which he

created a group called as the Moro National Liberation Front. Their battle continues to wage

until present times. A numbered of treaties has already been signed and agreed, but still, war

continues.
 When it comes to Dr. Jose Rizal’s teaching of uniting the Filipinos, it is hardly

acceptable to the Bangsamoro people, due to their history of oppressed by the Colonial Masters

and the Government of the Philippines. My concrete idea to persuade them to accept our

Nationality is to change our constitution, from Unitary to a Federal form of government. In this

way, they can have self- governed state under the umbrella of the National Government. In this

way, we are already make them feel as part of our society and by changing the attitude towards

them.

It is also in that way, that we can recognize their culture and to have a

representative to the Senate and the National Government. We also implement policies in every

sector regardless of what religion you are. Promoting equality, we can follow the example of

Singapore, during the leadership of Mr. Lee Kuan Yew of having a mixed races, recognizing and

respecting each other’s beliefs and cultures.

In the debates about the issues regarding the Bangsamoro Basic Law, will it bring

development to Mindanao? Can it achieve the everlasting peace we ever dreamed for

Mindanao? Because in my own perspective, I think it will not achieve. Especially in our present

times today, when the Islamic States is already at its peak in Iraq and Syria. In this Law, they can

easily influence the Bangsamoro people.

 I do not also agree in the Bangsamoro Basic Law, because the law itself is already

unconstitutional. Our constitution prohibits to create a state within a state. According to our

constitution, Article X Section 15, it only allows to create an autonomous region, not a state

(Nolledo, 1992, p. 241).

At the end of the day, when this law has been passed into both the lower and

upper houses of Congress and was signed by the President of the Philippines. It will be tragic,

since the constitution is not already followed and many breakaway groups such as MNLF, BIFF

and other armed groups would still be engaging the government.

The constitution should be changed to a Federal Parliamentary form of

government, to ensure proper process and recognition of this region. This is just like a

continuing past, the past can still be repeated during the sultanate times, just give them proper

system and all of us, together can achieve peace and prosperity in the Philippines, especially to

our beloved land of Mindanao.

References:

Byler, C., Ph.D. (2005). Pacifying the Moros: American Military Government in the Southern

Philippines, 1899-1913. Retrieved from

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/milreview/byler.pdf/

Bara, H. (2015). The History of the Muslim in the Philippines. Retrieved from
 http://ncca.gov.ph/subcommissions/subcommission-on-cultural-

communities-and-traditional-arts-sccta/central-cultural-communities/the-

history-of-the-muslim-in-the-philippines/

Nolledo, J. N. (1992). The constitution of the republic of the Philippines explained. National

Book Store, Inc., 241.