The Historical Progress of the Bangsamoro from Colonial

Disorder to Post-colonial Order

MUSA K. DAMAO, PhD

Director, Bangsamoro Dialogue for Peace and Justice, Inc.
Email add: musa_damao@yahoo.com.ph
Mobile No.:+639559529130
Facebook Acct: Musa Damao

Introduction

The evolutionary and revolutionary history of the Bangsamoro can be read in the lens of
progressivism. Progressivism is a way of thinking which holds the potential of political
action for human societies to improve over time. As a political philosophy, progressivism
purports to advance the human condition through social reform based on
advancements in science, technology, economic development and social organization. 1
This theory of history is sometimes associated with social liberalism. Immanuel Kant
dubbed progress as a movement from “barbarism to civilization.”

Bangsamoro began with turbulent past due to contrasting views between the Moro
people and the colonial masters and in the march of time reached the political
settlement. This is best described as the narrative of “chaos to order” put forth by Kant.

The Muslims in Southeast Asia embraced Islam prior to the advent of colonial powers.
The spread of Islam is attributed to the Arab traders and preachers. The landing of
Islam in this part of the world is peaceful and historic. Aside from traders, there were
also Sufis2 alongside Arab traders. Sufis were focused on their spiritual beliefs and that
they were busy on purifying their hearts. They shunned politics; they preferred living in
remote and mountainous areas to embrace wholly Allah‟s manifestation and attributes.

Subsequently, Muslims in Mindanao had established their government to implement

rules and policies enshrined in the Holy Quran. They had ruled several sultanates and
eventually defended their homeland when Spanish conquistadores and other colonial
masters came. Later, the Spanish empire and American government called them
“Moro.”
After the American empire granted independence to Philippines, Muslims objected and
asserted their separate homeland instead. Mindanao under the rule of several
sultanates such as Maguindanao, Buayan, Pat-a-pangampung ku Ranao and Sulu
asserted their right for self-rule. The assertion fell to deaf ears. Then, leaders came up
with the idea of rebellion and revolution. As a unifying name, they adopted “Moro” for
all the native inhabitants of Mindanao.

The story of war and peace in Mindanao effectively started during the illegal and
immoral annexation of Mindanao. In 1996, the Final Peace Agreement (FPA) was inked
between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Philippine Government
(PG), and in 2014, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the PG signed the
Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) that paved the way to the
establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonmous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The revolutionaries are working together in the parliament of the Bangsamoro. Both the
MNLF and MILF have accepted autonomy arrangement.

Pre-Colonial Bangsamoro

In the troubled region of the Arab world, Muslims especially those conflict-weary
preferred to venture other parts of the world in search of a better and spiritually-
friendly environment. After the death of the Prophet Muhammad, the Ummah was in a
sorry state of affairs as leaders were busy to power-seeking adventures. Each dynasty
sought to establish control and power at the expense of the legitimate leaders who
possessed exceptional qualifications based on merits and characters.

Umayyad dynasty chose to create an empire that was so vast, rich and still unmatched
in Islamic history to this day. It occupied the lands stretching from India to what is now
Iberian Peninsula. The Umayyad dynasty implemented strict and stringent tax
collection. It had to see to it that tax is given at proper time. Many religious scholars
chose to remain silent in order to prevent conflict in their communities until the system
became unbearable.

Abbasid dynasty in alliance with the family of Ali staged a big revolution to destroy and
topple the corrupt leadership of the Umayyads. Abbasids were successful in bringing
down the government of Umayyads. Unfortunately, Abbasids sidelined and did not give
the family of Ali its shares in leadership. To the poor Muslims, life was so difficult in a
government which was busy collecting wealth and resources without giving rightfully
what is for them.
Abbasid incorrect policies gave birth to rebellions one after the other. Many provinces
became autonomous disregarding the imperial policies and system of the Abbasids. But
the central government chose to be silent in the face of this relationship crisis, what is
important is that these provinces would give their taxes.

Buyid dynasty invaded Baghdad, the heart of the Abbasid Empire, and captured it. For
the next century, Shia Buyids controlled the Abbasid government as the Caliph turned
out to be a puppet. After a century, Sunnis led by Seljuks were able to defeat the
Buyids. They established a Seljuk Empire, with the Abbasid Caliph remained ceremonial
head.

In 1258, Abbasid Empire was finally defeated and would not be able to rise again. The
Mongols had inflicted an unbelievable defeat to the Arab world. Arab leadership of the
Ummah ended. It was a turning point in Islamic history. Persians and Turks constructed
empires that would only end during European colonialism.

While Religious men were witnesses to the power-struggles and desire-seeking

businesses of the leaders of the Ummah, they migrated to mountainous areas and
minded their own businesses. They left their leaders who were living in luxury and
pomp. Some of them became traders and businesspersons. Arab traders and merchants
had finally reached the Malay world.

They preached Islam in the lands they reached. They established connections and
linkages. Intermarriages became order of the day. They established sultanate system in
the Malay world shortly before the sunset of Majapahit Empire. The growing Islam
eventually reached Sulu and then the mainland Mindanao.

In 1380, Karim ul-Makhdum arrived in Simunul Island from Malacca, again with Arab
traders. Apart from being a scholar, he operated as a trader; some see him as a Sufi
missionary originating from Makkah.3 He preached Islam was thus accepted by the core
Muslim community. He was the second person who preached Islam in the area,
following Tuan Masha′ikha. To facilitate easy conversion of non-Muslims, he established
a mosque in Tubig-Indanan, Simunul, which became the first Islamic Mosques to be
constructed in the Philippines. This later became known as Sheikh Karimul Makhdum
Mosque.4 He died in Sulu, although the exact location of his grave is still unknown to
this day. In Buansa, he was known as Tuan Sharif Awliya.5 On his alleged grave in Bud
Agad, Jolo, an inscription was written as “Mohadum Aminullah Al-Nikad.” In Lugus, he
is referred to as Abdurrahman. In Sibutu, he is known by his name. 6
In retrospect, in 1289, 31 years after the destruction of Baghdad, the Javanese king
Kertanagara abused and mistreated Kublai Khan‟s ambassador, who had been sent to
demand the king‟s submission. The Mongol emperor organized a punishing expedition
in 1292, but King Kertanagara was killed by a Kadiri rebel, by the name of
Jayakatwang, before the invaders landed. Jayakatwang in his turn was quickly
overthrown by Kertanagara‟s son-in-law, who used the Mongols to his own advantage
and then forced them to withdraw in confusion. The capital city of the kingdom was
moved to Majapahit.7 For some years the new ruler and his son, who regarded
themselves as successors of Kertanagara, had to suppress rebellions in Java; not until
1319 was Majapahit‟s authority firmly established in Java with the assistance of the
renowned soldier Gajah Mada. 8 Majapahit Empire had to rule the Malay world for
centuries until the coming of the western colonial powers. It was one of the powerful
empires that had ever existed in the history of Asia. Its territory and influence extended
far beyond the modern Indonesia. Its decline is attributed to conflict over succession.

Shortly before the collapse of Majapahit Empire, there were many territories emerged
governing themselves independently, one of which was the Sultanate of Sulu. The Sulu
sultanate system was founded on 17 November 14059 by Johore-born explorer
and religious scholar Paduka Mahasari Maulana al Sultan Sharif ul-Hashim. Sharif-ul
Hashim Abubakar settled in Buansa, Sulu. After the marriage of Abubakar and a
local princess, Paramisuli, he founded the sultanate. Interestingly, the Sultanate gained
its freedom from the Bruneian Empire in 1578.10 At its peak, it stretched over the
islands that bordered the western peninsula of Zamboanga in Mindanao in the east to
Palawan in the north. The Sulu sultanate was so big that it covered areas in the
northeast of Borneo, stretching from Marudu Bay 11 to Tepian Durian (in present-day
Kalimantan, Indonesia).12

Another source stated that its territorial jurisdiction stretched from Kimanis Bay, which
also overlaps with the boundaries of the Bruneian Sultanate. 13 Subsequent to the arrival
of western powers and the Sultan thalassocracy14, the sovereign political powers were
relinquished by 1915 through an agreement that was signed with the United States.15 In
the second half of the 20th century, the Philippines extended official recognition of the
head of Sultanate, before the ongoing succession dispute. The present area of the
Sultanate of Sulu was once under the influence of the Bruneian Empire before it gained
its own independence.16

During the rule of Bolkiah, the empire held control over coastal areas of northwest
Borneo, Sarawak and Sabah and reached Seludong, the present-day Manila and the
Sulu Archipelago, including parts of the island of Mindanao.17 In the 16th century, the
Brunei Empire‟s influence extended as far as Kapuas River delta in West Kalimantan.
The Malay Sultanate of Sambas in West Kalimantan and the Sultanate of Sulu in what
then southern Philippines in particular developed dynastic relations with the royal house
of Brunei.

On other side of the Southeast Asia is the existence of the Sultanate of Malacca.
Malacca reached its height of glory at the beginning of the middle of 15th century. Its
territory extended from modern-day Southern Thailand in the north to most of eastern
coast of Sumatra in the south after wrestling it from Majapahit and Ayuthaya sphere of
influence. The kingdom conveniently controls the global trade vital choke point; the
narrow strait that today bears its name, Strait of Malacca. Its port city had become the
center of regional and international trade, attracting regional traders as well as traders
from other Eastern civilizations such as the Chinese Empire and the Ryukyu and
Western civilizations such as Persian, Gujarat and Arabs.18 In April 1511 Alfonso de
Albuquerque, who was the Portuguese leader together with his armada, arrived in
Malacca to sever its Islamic and Venetian trade.19

His intention was described in his own words when he arrived to Malacca, he said, “If
they were only to take “Malacca” out of the hands of the Moors, Cairo and Makkah
would be entirely ruined, and Venice would then be able to obtain no spices except
what her merchants might buy in Portugal.” 20

Alongside the Sultanate of Sulu were sultanates of Maguindanao and Buayan. Before
the colonization, Maguindanao was already a well-established entity. The two brothers
called Mamalu and Tabunaway lived peacefully in the Cotabato Valley on Mindanao and
then Shariff Kabungsuan of Johore, preached Islam in the area in the 16th century,
Tabunaway converted, while Mamalu decided to hold fast to their ancestral beliefs. The
brothers parted ways, with Tabunaway heading to the lowlands and Mamalu to the
mountains, but they vowed to honor their kinship, and thus an unwritten pact of peace
between Muslims and the indigenous peoples was forged through the two brothers.21

As Shariff Kabungsuwan introduced Islam, he also established himself as Sultan seated

in Malabang-Lanao. He subsequently married into the families of local leaders and then
established the Sultanate of Maguindanao, with its seat in Slangan (the western part of
present-day Cotabato), making him virtually Sultan of the whole island.22
As for Buayan, it is also a separate kingdom basing the idea on Combes, S. J., in
Historia de las islas Mindanao, Solo y Sus Adjacentis (Madrid, 1657), wrote: “The
second nation in estimation is Mindanao which includes the Kingdom of Buhayen
(Buayan). For in the olden times, they were all one nation, and today, although various
petty rulers govern them, they are one in customs and language. They are nation of
some valor with their policy of being subject to kings they have acquired esteem among
other nations, whom they have united under one political government for achievements
that are too great for their own courage.”

The Coming of European Powers

Undeniably, after the balance of power tipped in post-Suleyman Europe, European

powers took revenge. They fought for the restoration of European possessions in the
Balkans and Caucasus. Like a boat, every European country had started to oar and
claimed every inch of the Ottoman possessions in Asia, Africa and Europe.
The premiers of European colonialism were Spain and Portugal. They were the pioneers
of the age of exploration and discovery. They reached Americas, India and Southeast
Asia. Their rivalry was initially peaceful until such time that the Pope of Vatican meddled
because of their growing conflict. Later, they divided the whole planet.
As time marches, other European nations had joined their colonization. Great Britain,
France, Germany, the Netherlands and other Europeans managed to create their own
respective colonies.
Colonialism is a practice or policy of “control by one people or power over other people
or areas”23 and generally with the aim of “economic dominance.” 24 In the process of
colonization, colonizers may impose their religion, language, economy, cultural practices
and their way of life. The foreign administrators rule the territory in pursuit of their
interests, seeking to benefit from the colonized region‟s people and resources. 25
In the book of Osterhammel, he opined that colonialism is a relationship between an
indigenous majority and a minority of foreign invaders. The fundamental decisions
affecting the lives of the colonized people are made and implemented by the colonial
rulers in pursuit of interests that are often defined in a distant metropolis. Rejecting
cultural compromises with the colonized population, the colonizers are convinced of
their own superiority and their ordained mandate to rule.26
Historians often distinguish between various overlapping forms of colonialism, which
they broadly classify into four types: settler colonialism, exploitation colonialism,
surrogate colonialism and internal colonialism. Some historians have identified other
forms of colonialism, including national and trade forms.27

Firstly, Settler Colonialism involves large-scale immigration by settlers to colonies, often

motivated by religious, political, or economic reasons. This form of colonialism aims
largely to supplant prior existing populations with a settler one, and involves large
number of settlers migrating to colonies for the purpose of settling down and
establishing settlements.28 Canada is an example of nations created in their modern
form by settler colonization.29

Secondly, Exploitation Colonialism involves fewer colonists and focuses on the

exploitation of natural resource.30

Thirdly, Surrogate Colonialism involves a settlement project supported by a colonial

power, in which most of the settlers do not come from the same ethnic group as the
ruling power.31

Fourthly, Internal Colonialism is a notion of uneven structural power between areas of a

state.32

Fifthly, National Colonialism is a process involving elements of both settler and internal
colonialism, in which nation-building and colonization are symbiotically connected, with
the colonial regime seeking to remake the colonized peoples into their own cultural and
political image. The goal is to integrate them into the state, but only as reflections of
the state‟s preferred culture. The Republic of China in Taiwan is the archetypal example
of a national-colonialist society.33

Sixthly, Trade Colonialism involves the undertaking of colonialist ventures in support of

trade opportunities for merchants. This form of colonialism was most prominent in 19 th-
century Asia, where previously isolationist states were forced to open their ports to
Western powers. Examples of this include the Opium Wars and the opening of Japan.34

In the above classification, Colonialism can be defined as “control by one power over
a dependent area or people. It occurs when one nation subjugates another,
conquering its population and exploiting it, often while forcing its own language and
cultural values upon its people. By 1914, a large majority of the world‟s nations had
been colonized by Europe. The concept of colonialism is closely linked to that of
imperialism, which is the ethos of using power and influence to control another nation
or people that underlies colonialism.
England, the Netherlands, France, and Germany quickly began their own empire
building overseas, fighting Spain and Portugal for the right to lands they had already
conquered. Despite the growth of European colonies in the New World, most countries
managed to gain independence during the 18th and 19th century, beginning with the
American Revolution in 1776 and the Haitian Revolution in 1781. However, the
Eastern Hemisphere continued to tempt European colonial powers. Starting in the
1880s, European nations focused on taking over African lands, racing one another to
coveted natural resources and establishing colonies they would hold until an
international period of decolonization began around 1914, challenging European
colonial empires up to 1975.35

In the notion of Ummah, all the Muslims around the world are but a single community
supporting one another for better or worse. The Noble Quran has several passages
enjoining unity and solidarity. The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad bin Abdullah,
instructed his ummah before his death about equality, justice and care. He said that
Muslims are likened to a single body. If one part is in pain, the other parts would also
feel the pain. This was exactly true all through history.

In connection, the sultanates of Southeast Asia believed on the spiritual leadership of

the Caliph sitting in Istanbul (formerly Constantinople). Ottoman Empire was seen as
the leader of the Islamic Ummah although there was no formal declaration. What
matters most is that they recognized the preeminence of the ottomans.

This recognition and acknowledgment is evidenced by the letter of the Sultan of the
Southeast Asia to the Sultan of Ottoman Empire. As-Sayyid Osman, the messenger
who brought the letter to Istanbul, elaborated on this ancient connection and reported
that the „ruler of Kedah‟ told him that:

“It is said that our ancestors used to send until recently letters to the dust under
the feet of His Majesty since they were honored with the honor of Islam. In
those times the Sublime State helped by sending to that place special men to
found cannons and grenades and a great number of Ottoman soldiers. As a
result, in that frontier numerous countries have been conquered and honored
with the honor of Islam.”36

Ottoman Empire was elevated to the status of incomparable position in the Islamic
world. It led the Islamic world to its mission of conquering the world.
Led by Ottomans, Muslim Army tried to defeat Europe and made it a colony. It had to
bow down to the emerging world empire but situation turned against the Muslims. In
15th century, Muslims were defeated in Spain. Spain pushed the Muslims to North
Africa. Vienna effectively defended Europe from the encroaching Ottomans. Tatars of
the golden horde did not manage to defeat Europe, though they occupied large areas of
Russia including Siberia.
The tide of conquest subdued and reached the coast. It was the time of Europe to take
revenge and to colonize every inch of the globe. Subsequently, the Malay world became
a theater of intense rivalry of Europe. Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch colonizers arrived
in Southeast Asia in search of lands, resources and treasures.
The Sulu sultanate totally gave up its domain over Palawan to Spain in 1705 and
Basilan to Spain in 1762. The territory ceded to Sulu by Brunei initially stretched south
to Tapean Durian (now Tanjong Mangkalihat). Another source mentioned the
southernmost boundary is at Dumaring37 near the Straits of Macassar in what is now
Kalimantan. From 1726 to 1733, the Sulu sultanate restarted their tributary relationship
with the Qing Empire of China, about 300 years since it last ended. 38

Bangsamoro under Colonial Rulers

The Bangsamoro like other people around the world have fought to preserve their self-
rule and freedom. In defense of their religion and lands, they picked the challenge of
fighting the colonizers. Sultans effectively defended their territories despite the more
advanced weaponry of their enemies.

Spain attempted to invade the sultanates of Maguindanao, Sulu and Buayan but the
freedom fighters did not bow down against these occupying foreign forces. Spanish
forces reached the last defense line of Buayan but the Buayans fought to the last drop
of their blood. The case was also true with the Sultanate of Maguindanao to the point
that Sultan Kudarat even drove the Spanish forces to Visayas.

After Spanish occupation, America continued it in a different way. Historically, the

United States governed the Moro separately. US established the Moro Province started
from the 1st of June 1903 to 23rd of July 1914. The governor served as the commander
of the Army Department of Mindanao-Jolo. Most of the district governors and their
deputies were members of the US military. In 1913, the military governor was replaced
by a civil governor. On July 23, 1914, the Moro Province was officially substituted by
the Department of Mindanao and Sulu including the whole island of Mindanao except
Lanao. The Department of Mindanao and Sulu abolished in 1920, after the responsibility
for the administration of Moro lands was transferred to the Bureau of Non-Christian
Tribes. It was headed by a governor. Frank Carpenter served as its governor from 1914
to 1920.

During the World War II, Japanese Imperial Army invaded the Philippines including
Mindanao. US organized Moro army to fight the invading Japanese Army. Anti-Japanese
Moro units were led by Salipada Pendatun another anti-Japanese Moro unit, the Moro-
Bolo Battalion was led by Datu Gumbay Piang, consisting of about 20,000 men. Gumbay
Piang‟s Cotabato Moros used Bolo knives to fight the Japanese, and swore that they
would “fight to the last.” Pendatun was from Cotabato-Maguindanao. The group he
formed was called the Bolo Battalion, which evolved into the larger group, Muslim-
Christian Guerrilla Movement and later, the Cotabato-Bukidnon Force.39

After the war, America gave to the Filipinos their long-cherished dream of becoming an
independent people. Sadly, Mindanao was incorporated to Philippine Republic without
plebiscitary assent of the Moro people.

Revolutionary Bangsamoro under Philippine Government

Bangsamoro have been fighting a protracted and time-consuming war just to enjoy and
taste the sweetness of justice – they are of the opinion that they have suffered injustice
since the onset of colonialism. The Bangsamoro revolution was launched to reclaim and
restore pre-colonial independence. Accordingly, the Annexation of Mindanao did not go
through democratic processes.

MNLF became the vanguard of Moro resistance against then the neo-colonial Philippine
republic. The mission of restoring independence was proved to be difficult, tough and
challenging. The MNLF had once dreamed of an independent Bangsamoro country on a
par with the rest of the Muslim world. That objective of pulling out from the handhold
of Philippine government appeared hard-hitting and costly. But MNLF held the line.

The MNLF accepted the peace offer of a political settlement. The Government of the
Philippines and MNLF signed a peace agreement to end war in this part of the world.
Bangsamoro political autonomy was the end result of the peace agreement. Unluckily,
there were many problems and conflicting claims arose especially on the
implementation of the agreement. Some of the evident ones are the following, to wit:

1. The Special Zone of Peace and Development in Southern Philippines (SZOPAD)

2. The Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD)

3. The Consultative Assembly

4. Integration on MNLF Combatants

5. Mainstreaming of the MNLF Members and Communities

There are still many areas and subjects where the two camps are left at odds in the
interpretation. One apparent point of contention is the case of the SZOPAD, SPCPD and
Consultative Assembly. On MNLF assumptions, in the implementation the parties must
be guided by the 1976 Tripoli Agreement which provides for the establishment of a
provisional government prior to the inauguration of the Autonomous region. In
contrary, the PG believes that the 1976 Tripoli Agreement is considered completely
implemented upon the signing of the FPA.

On Integration of MNLF combatants, the FPA makes reference to a Special Regional

Security Force (SRSF) which is going to be a separate unit from PNP and AFP and calls
for the appointment of Deputy Commander of Southern Command. This is a distinct
unit that will be organized out of the MNLF forces.

Given the conflicting claims, there is now a new peace agreement between the
government of the Philippines and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). This peace
accord facilitated the establishment of a new political entity: BARMM.

The movement of history is leading to a more progressive future as peace and

development is gradually becoming a reality. The merging of MILF and MNLF in the
Bangsamoro Transition Authority 2.0. (BTA 2.0.) ensures a promising future given the
two revolutionary movements are determined to realizing peace and development. The
peace processes entered into by the PG and MNLF-MILF will go for the better as the
latter have to enact laws guaranteeing progress, justice and development in the
Bangsamoro region.

The MNLF and MILF which were once revolutionary movements with different
ideologies, after the peace agreements, have joined the government of the Philippines.
They embraced social liberalism in favor of continuing rebellions.

As a matter of fact, there is a universe of difference between running a revolutionary

movement and government, thus the transition is not always easy. Surfeit of great
political theorists have defined government. Curtis quoted James Mill in his “an essay of
government” who had opined that “government is the union of a certain number of
men to protect one another.”40 This certain number of men – say, people – put their
persons and powers in common under the supreme direction of the general will and in
their corporate capacity, they receive each other or member as an indivisible part of the
whole. This “indivisible part of the whole” formerly took the name “city” and now takes
that of “Republic”.

In the present and modern state, there are two seeming contradictory notions – say,
two persisting divide. One group puts that modern state is only the “organization that
bourgeois society takes on in order to support the external conditions of the capitalist
mode of production against the encroachment as well of the workers as of individual
capitalist.”41 Moreover, it is a capitalist machine, the state of the capitalists; hence its
necessity ceases and withers away. According to this notion, the government is
invented by minority to rule and lead the disorganized majority. Another group is more
practical by supporting thus believe in representative system. This is why universal
suffrage came to the fore.

What is important is that government has to perform its welfare-seeking role. The
government is established to ensure public well-being and happiness. The case of the
Moros in Mindanao, they are for a government which will give them better life and that
will guarantee socio-economic development. The Philippine Government is duty-bound
to fulfill its mandate for the Bangsamoro. Gloomily, in post-Philippine independence, the
Moro people were treated as “others”. But then, it seems cliché to speak that there was
long well-organized and powerfully-built sultanate government in not too distant past
until the falcon of colonialism started to swoop down this civilization. That means,
Bangsamoro people are equipped with knowledge and power to rule.

The system of government around the world has been changing from time to time –
from nation-state to transnational system and from continental entity to global state –
but the Bangsa remains backwater. Bangsamoro was incorporated in the Philippines;
then, autonomous government was given to Moro, only to find out that after three
decades of its existence, it was declared a “failed experiment.” This was the case of
former ARMM.

From the ashes of ARMM emerged the BARMM. The BARMM is a fruit of interminable
and assiduous assertion of the Bangsamoro right for self-rule. However, public opinion
is still divided: there are optimistic while there are also skeptics. Everyone has his right
to support or oppose. When one opposes, he should show alternative – that is the rule.
For the meantime, judging the BARMM is still premature.

Criticism is common and ordinary approach in any situation. The reality is that even the
divinely-inspired system, a perfect system for that matter, is not spared of criticism.
Man of God like the Holy Prophet had been facing endless criticism from breakfast to
dinner during his lifetime. But he did not choke or put a sword to the neck of his critics.
If one will control and even threaten the critics, then he is donning himself with the
frock of infallibility.

More importantly, there is a secret beauty behind the deeps of criticism: it is like rain
that will help the plants grow healthy. In the end, the present Bangsamoro Government
is a correction to the wrong of the past.

The Bangsamoro region has reached an important milestone in its political life. Moro
have pinned their hopes to this newly-established political entity. Bangsamoro Islamic
Armed Forces (BIAF), the armed wing of MILF is ready to put its arms beyond use for
the sake of the establishment of BARMM. BARMM envisions a democratic government.
It has a parliamentary-ministerial democracy.

Like many people in the world, Moro have been experiencing occasional elections
before the emergence of BARMM. Election is an expression of democracy. It implies
that power emanates from people. People have the power to install leaders who would
administer the government. Democracy ensures and guarantees that people have the
ultimate decision in politics. They have also the power to remove leaders who are
corrupt and incompetent through impeachment and revolution. Congress, which
represents districts, can impeach a sitting president.

Since BARMM is naturally-born autonomous, it does not mean that it is dictated by a

trifling number of national leaders. Based on Bangsamoro Organic Law, national
government cannot directly dip its hands in the Bangsamoro although it is under the
general supervision of the Philippine President. Bangsamoro Government is a
democratically-created entity as the whole Bangsamoro has ratified its organic law. It
only means that every single Moro becomes part of this significant whole.

Political Party System is deeply-entrenched in the organic law; it is inseparable with it

and that means part of the sausage. Fifty percent (50%) of the members of the
parliament are coming from political parties. In political party system, people will vote
for parties. They do not vote for the personalities but for the platforms and programs of
the party. Voters will learn to look for ideas and not on persons. The system is party-
based; not personality-based. Democracy in political party system transcends party
internal democracy and government external democracy.

The BOL has introduced a democratic political system. It envisions a prescription of a

parliamentary form of government premised on having well-established and well-
functioning political parties. The edge of parliamentary over presidential system is that
the former seeks proportional representation. For instance in parliamentary form,
political party will have a seat in the parliament even it does not top the polls. The
number of votes of the party will determine the number of seats in the parliament.
Unlike in presidential in which those candidates who acquired bigger number of votes
are the only people who could sit in congress or say assembly.

The Bangsamoro region which suffers from the morass of personality-based politics
where the game is fame and money will somehow slacken off given that the game
turns out to be party-based. In party system, people will have been very busy
scrutinizing the platforms of government of each party before heading to the polling
stations. Political Party in Parliamentary System gives an opportunity to small time party
to participate the election because the game is more peaceful than any other system.
In this way, voters will vote for the party that will best represent their interests and
aspirations.

Though political party system sheds light to the importance of proportional

representation, the next level of this political system is district representation. BARMM
will also elect Members of the Parliament (MPs) under the same plurality system that
employs the First-Past-The-Post plurality method of determining victorious candidates.
It is akin to a personality-based in which it is going to be a contest of individual
candidate. Forty percent (40%) of the members of parliament are coming from
Bangsamoro Districts.

Furthermore, like any transition politics in other parts of the world, Bangsamoro is not
going to be different. One important thing to consider in democracy is that it is an
endless transition. One leader introduces programs and platforms and another will
come next with new government platforms. The next leader may do or undo and make
or unmake the previous leader.

Concluding Remarks

Let it be borne in mind that revolution was staged to correct all wrongs that if possible
an overnight endeavor and to change the unacceptable status quo. This is the
beginning of seeking justice. Economy of Justice is a key concept in running the
government.

Mujtaba Lari opined that history shows important factors worthy of reflecting upon on
which the basis of uprisings and revolutions around the world and between various
nations were built. That factor is no other than Justice. Many times this word awakened
the souls of those whose lives were filled with deprivation whose rights and honors
were encroached upon. The oppressed revolted against the organs of evil and
endeavored to achieve the precious gem of freedom and justice by eradicating the
unjust beasts. It is unfortunate, in the final note, to say that the great majority of
revolutions did not reach their sacred goals nor did the revolutionaries achieve their
hopes of eradicating pain from their lives.42

The Bangsamoro history is filled with the narrative of progress and development. Basing
the theory of “progressivism” or the former “social liberalism,” the BARMM is a
manifested result of this “flexibility to organization” philosophy. Spencer and Comte
view the society as a kind of organism subject to the process of growth and
development. They agreed that the process of societies growth can be divided into
certain stages, have their beginning and eventual end, and that this growth is in fact
social progress.

From chaotic past brought about by colonialism and neo-colonialism, the Bangsamoro
attained an empowered autonomy – BARMM. The MNLF and MILF revolutionaries have
jointly acknowledged BARMM as venue where they can exercise their long dreams of
realizing self-determination.
Notes

1.
Progressivism in English. Oxford English Dictionary. Archived from the original on
21 March 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2017 accessed from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressivism on 20 August 2022
2.
The original meaning of sufi seems to have been "one who wears wool (ṣūf)".
Woolen clothes were traditionally associated with ascetics and mystics.
3.
Larousse, William (2001), A Local Church Living for Dialogue: Muslim-Christian
relations in Mindanao-Sulu, Philippines: 1965-2000, Editrice Pontificia Universita
Gregoriana
4.
Mawallil, Amilbahar; Dayang Babylyn Kano Omar (3 July 2009). Simunul Island,
dubbed as Dubai of the Philippines, Pursues Ambitious Project. The Mindanao
Examiner. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 22
December 2010.
5.
Ibrahim, Ahmad; Siddique, Sharon; Hussain, Yasmin (1985), Readings on Islam
in Southeast Asia, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, ISBN 978-9971-988-08-1
6.
Gonda, Jan (1975), Religionen: Handbuch der Orientalistik: Indonesien, Malaysia
und die Philippinen unter Einschluss der Kap-Malaien in Sudafrika , vol. 2, E.J.
Brill, ISBN 978-90-04-04330-5
7.
See https://www.britannica.com/place/Indonesia/The-Majapahit-era accessed
on July 9, 2022
8.
Gajah Mada was the chief officer of state during the reign of Kertanagara‟s
daughter Tribhuvana (C. 1328–50), and in these years Javanese influence was
restored in Bali, Sumatra, and Boneo. Kertanagara‟s great-grandson,Hayam
Wuruk, became king in 1350 under the name Rajasanagara.
9.
Abinales, P. N.; Amoroso, Donna J. (1 January 2005). State and Society in the
Philippines. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 44.
10.
Ring, Trudy; Salkin, Robert M; La Boda, Sharon (January 1996). International
Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania . Taylor & Francis. pp. 160
11.
Brunei, Muzium (1969). Brunei Museum Journal. The area from Kimanis Bay to
the Paitan River not from Sulu but from Brunei
12.
Keppel, H. The Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Didio for the Suppression of
Piracy, Reprinted by The Forgotten Books, with ISBN 978-1-4400-7547-6
13.
Saunders, Graham (5 November 2013). A History of Brunei Routledge. pp. 84
14.
A thalassocracy or thalattocracy, sometimes also maritime empire, is a state with
primarily maritime realms, an empire at sea, or a seaborne empire.
15.
Nathan, K.S. & Kamali, M.H. (January 2005). Islam in Southeast Asia: Political,
Social and Strategic Challenges for the 21st Century. Institute of Southeast Asian
Studies. pp. 52
16.
Ring, Trudy; Salkin, Robert M; La Boda, Sharon (January 1996). International
Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania, Taylor & Francis. pp. 160
17.
See: Saunders, Graham (2013). A History of Brunei. Taylor & Francis. and See
also the book of Abdul Majid, Harun (2007). Rebellion in Brunei: The 1962
Revolt, Imperialism, Confrontation and Oil. I.B.Tauris.
18.
Ahmad Sarji, Abdul Hamid (2011), The Encyclopedia of Malaysia, vol. 16 - The
Rulers of Malaysia, Editions Didier Millet
19.
Timothy P. Daniels (2005). Building Cultural Nationalism in Malaysia: Identity,
Representation and Citizenship Psychology Press. pp. 18–.
20.
See the Report on Albuquerque‟s words on his arrival to Malacca in The
Cambridge History of the British Empire: New Zealand, 7/2, CUP Archive. 1933.
pp. 11–. GGKEY:55QQ9L73P70
21.
“Cotabato tells its own stories”. 10 May 2018.
22.
“The Maguindanao Sultanate” Archived 2003-01-26, Moro National Liberation
Front web site, "The Political and Religious History of the Bangsamoro People,
condensed from the book Muslims in the Philippines by Dr. C. A. Majuli."
accessed on August 19, 2022
23.
Margaret Kohn (29 August 2017). "Colonialism". Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy. Stanford University. Accessed March 24, 2022.) often by establishing
colonies; See also Tignor, Roger (2005). Preface to Colonialism: a theoretical
overview. Markus Weiner Publishers. p. x. ISBN 978-1-55876-340-1. Accessed
March 24, 2022
24.
Rodney, Walter (2018). How Europe underdeveloped Africa. ISBN 978-1-78873-
119-5. OCLC 1048081465.Accessed March 24, 2022
25.
Veracini, Lorenzo (2010). Settler Colonialism: A Theoretical Overview. New York:
Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 5. ISBN 978-0-230-22097-3.accessed on March 24, 2022
26.
Osterhammel, Jürgen (2005). Colonialism: A Theoretical Overview. trans.
Shelley Frisch. Markus Weiner Publishers. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-55876-340-1.
Retrieved 5 April 2010.
27.
Healy, Roisin; Dal Lago, Enrico (2014). The Shadow of Colonialism on Europe's
Modern Past. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-137-45075-3.
28.
Healy, Roisin; Dal Lago, Enrico (2014). The Shadow of Colonialism on Europe's
Modern Past. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-137-45075-3
29.
Barker, Adam J. (2009). "The Contemporary Reality of Canadian Imperialism:
Settler Colonialism and the Hybrid Colonial State". American Indian
Quarterly. 33 (3): 325–
351. doi:10.1353/aiq.0.0054. JSTOR 40388468. S2CID 162692337.
30.
Murray, Martin J. (1980). The Development of Capitalism in Colonial Indochina
(1870–1940). Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-04000-7.
31.
Atran, Scott (November 1989). "The Surrogate Colonization of Palestine 1917-
1939" (PDF). American Ethnologist. 16 (4): 719–
744. doi:10.1525/ae.1989.16.4.02a00070.
32.
Gabbidon, Shaun (2010). Race, Ethnicity, Crime, and Justice: An
InternationalDilemma. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-4129-4988-0.
33.
Wong, Ting-Hong (May 2020). "Education and National Colonialism in Postwar
Taiwan: The Paradoxical Use of Private Schools to Extend State Power, 1944–
1966". History of Education Quarterly. 60 (2): 156–
184. doi:10.1017/heq.2020.25. S2CID 225917190.
34.
Auslin, Michael R., Negotiating with Imperialism: The Unequal Treaties and the
Culture of Japanese Diplomacy. Cambridge: Harvard University Press,
2004. ISBN 978-0-674-01521-0; OCLC 56493769
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Byerin Blakemore Published February 19, 2019
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/colo
nialism Accessed March 21, 2022
36.
Peacock, A. and Gallop, A. From Anatolia to Aceh, Ottomans, Turks and
Southeast Asia, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press
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Majul, César Adib (1973), Muslim in the Philippines, UP Press ISBN
9789715421881
38.
de Vienne, Marie-Sybille (2015). Brunei: From the Age of Commerce to the 21st
Century, National University of Singapore Press, p. 73
39.
See the book Moslem-Christian Guerrillas of Mindanao By Uldarico Baclagon with
foreword by then Defense Secretary Fidel Ramos
40.
Curtis, 2008, p.121
41.
Curtis, 2008, p. 178
42.
Lari, 1990
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