10/9/2023

READINGS IN PHILIPPINE
HISTORY

Richard c. Garcia
Instructor

RAIDERS OF THE
SULU SEA

BY:
MA.

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BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR/KEY

INFORMANTS

Art Historian Icelle Gloria D. Borja- Estrada together with Dr. Samuel
Tan and Margarita Cojuangco and other International Asian Historians
contributed to the success of this film Produced by Oakfilms3 based on
Singapore for Q channel, Discovery Channel and the National Geographic
for International Release.

Dr. Samuel K.Tan

A renowned Filipino historian born on
December 30, 1933. He is a native of
Siasi, Sulu. The author of The Filipino
Muslim Struggle, Selected Essays on the
Filipino Muslim and Critical Decade.

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Barbara Watson Andaya

A professor of Asian Studies at the
University of Hawai’i and Director of
the Center for Southeast Asian
Studies. In 2005-06 she was
President of the American Association
of Asian Studies Educated at the
University of Sydney, she received an
East West Center grant in 1966 and
obtained her MA in history at the
University of Hawai’i.

Margarita "Tingting" de los

Reyes Cojuangco
A Filipino politician, philanthropist
and socialite. She was the former
Chairman of the Kabalikat ng
Malayang Pilipino party and a
member of the Council of Philippine
Affairs.

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Dr. Julius Bautista

Associate Professor at the Center
for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto
University. He has published on
religious practice in Southeast
Asia, with a focus on Christianity,
religious piety, and the
relationship between religion and
the state in the Philippines.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE DOCUMENT

The film is produced by
Oakfilms3 based on Singapore
for Q channel, Discovery
Channel and the National
Geographic for International
Release.
This 1-hour long documentary
recounts the history nestled
within the islands of Southern
Philippines, about
the Sulu pirates that charted a
fearsome chapter in Asian
history.

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With over a decade of success, Oak3 Films

has earned a reputation for film and television
productions of the highest quality - from
documentary projects to children’s
programming, conceptualizing to final
completion, producing to directing.

• The film showed a documentary

about what was claimed then as
pirates of the Sulu seas from
Mindanao, Philippines.
• The documentary was on how
these raiders were actually plying
their trade before and during
the Spanish colonization of the
Philippines.

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Content
Presentation
• Moro piracy during the Spanish period
in the Philippines caused a significant
period of wholesale misery for the
inhabitants.
• A Spanish writer described the period
as a chapter of Philippine history
"written in blood and tears and
nourished in pain and suffering"
[Fernandez 1979: 203].

•Piracy also hampered the social and

material growth of the country.
•But its most devastating effect was the
socio-psychological impact of the turmoil
in shaping the relationship of the Moro
and Christianized inhabitants.

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• “Raiders of the Sulu Sea” A

Historiography Documentary film
focusing on Zamboanga City
depicting how the Spaniards
defended the city with the Fort Pilar
as Spain’s last stronghold and
bastion of defense and economic
expansion in the South of the
Philippines .

PORT PILAR
• When the Spanish established their colony
on the southern tip of Mindanao in
Zamboanga, Fort Pilar was constructed with
ten (10) meter-high wall fortification all
around. This was the base of the Spaniards to
facilitate their trade.
• Zamboanga is very close to Basilan, Tawi-tawi
and Sulu group of islands and the
Maguindanao area where there were three
different tribes of seafaring Filipino- known
as Balangingi-Samal, Illanuns and
Sultanate of Sulu(Taosugs).

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•The history documentary actually focused on how

the three tribes connived and able to organize a
flotilla of a hundred ships or more with more than
3,000 men and launched a bloody attacked in
December 8, 1720 together with Rajah Dalasi at Port
Pilar .
•The Spanish were stricken with fear when they
see the hundreds of boats and the army gathered.

•It depicts the

(such as the
English, Dutch and Spanish )

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 Meanwhile, to fully understand the change in the

the sophisticated ancient maritime vessels such as the

Lanong, Garay and the Salisipan and tools of war such as the
Barong, Kris, and the Kampilan and the well organized forces
that is launched for slave raiding the coasts of Mindanao Visayas, and
Luzon, between July to October called as the Pirate wind “ Pirate
monsoon”

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ANCIENT MARITIME VESSELS

• Lanong - large warship specialized for
naval battles used by the Illanun and the
Balanguingui people.

• Garay - Traditional native warship used by

Balangungui and Illanun people against
unarmed trading ships on coastal
settlements around Sulu Sea

• Salisipan - An auxiliary vessels usually

part of fleets with larger mother ships
like garay and lanong

TOOLS OF WAR
1. Moro Kris- weapon of warfare and ceremony. This
are not only carried by slave raiders into battles but
also by nobles and high ranking officials of the
Southern Sultanate. Double edged with either
smooth or wavy blades.
2. Kampilan- longest sword , used by the Illanuns.
Heavy single edged sword often adorned with hair
to make it look even intimidating.
3. Barong- deadly weapon sword used by the Taosug
warriors with single-edged leaf blade made of thick
tempered steel.

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SLAVE TRADING

. Slaves worked as gatherers, rowers, helpers.

Therefore,

(Abubakar, 2008)

At this juncture of political and economic development in

the archipelago, the Spaniards arrived and later established
permanent settlements in strategic places which directly
competed with the Moros and Borneans in the area.
Hence, naturally, the latter reacted strongly as they had
been used to exerting political and economic influence on
the inhabitants.

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• There are three tribes of the

seafaring Filipino Muslims they are
the Balangingi Samal, Illanuns
and the Sultanate of Sulu
(Taosugs). They were all excellent
warriors.
• The tribe Illanuns were
knowledgeable about the
monsoons. These three tribes are
not really pirates just like what
others call them.

• They were known for being

the exporter of people for
slavery. They are very brutal
because they would make a
hole in the palm of the
captives and tied them all
together.

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• These incursions reached a peak only in the decade of the

1750s.

• Accordingly, this phenomenon was spurred by the great

market demand for slave labor for the Dutch East Indies.
Sometimes the slaves were not sold for money but were
exchanged for arms and ammunition.

• Obviously, these raids presented a

source of power. Further, slaves
had a considerable role in the
socio-political and economic life of
the Moros, who used them for
housework, fieldwork, and
craftwork.

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 Slavery trading was ended when

Spain ordered steamships in England,
these ships where faster, easier to
navigate because it is no longer
depending to the wind.
 Then the Spaniards where able to
chased the raiders and conduct a
raid to their base. But the raiders
show a strong will and courage.
 Even if their ships are no match to
the new ships of the Spaniards they
still fought.

Piratical
Map of
the
Raiders

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ANALYSIS OF THE IMPORTANT HISTORICAL INFORMATION

FOUND IN THE DOCUMENT
Slavery was already part of the socio-political economic structure
in the Philippine archipelago even before the coming of the Spaniards.
Hence, we can safely assume that piratical raids and slavery were
merely a continuation of the pre-Spanish traditions of
plundering neighboring kingdoms for economic gain and to
reduce their political threat.
Spanish “presidio” or gathering of scattered natives into one
place usually near the church for easy administration made the entire
community an easy target for slavery by the capturing raiders.

Further, the relatively weak resistance shown by the

inhabitants was due to the Spanish policy of prohibiting them
from carrying any form of arms, which they might have used for
self protection against the raiders.
This policy, however, least affected the lawless elements,
and thus the general populace was rendered helpless
before the Moro raiders.
As such we can safely assume that piratical raids on
Christian communities were primarily economic in nature as
well as survival of their socio-political and economic structure.

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CONTRIBUTION AND RELEVANCE OF THE DOCUMENT IN

UNDERSTANDING THE GRAND NARRATIVE OF PHILIPPINE
HISTORY

The movie “Raiders of the Sulu Sea” will

remind us that even today the gap between the
Muslims and Christians.
Muslim- Christian conflict started way back the
Spanish period up to the present.

• The conflict cannot all be attributed to religion;

• Since most of the raiders were Muslims and most of
the victims were Christians, the unfortunate
historical incidents only

' -a relationship that continues to hound

them to the present day.

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• Thus, piracy during the Spanish period shaped

Muslim-Christian relations. As such, the war in
Mindanao in the 1970s, which was dubbed as the
"Muslim-Christian Conflict,“ was but the
continuance of hostile relations between these
groups.

• The piratical raids on the Christian communities

were primarily economic in nature as well as the
survival of the socio-political and economic
structure.
• Understanding the very reason of the Christian-
Muslim conflict will help the next generation look
for the solutions in order for the Christian and
Muslim Filipinos to be at peace.

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LEARNING EXPERIENCES
 In the film “Raiders of the Sulu Sea,” as a Christian we have
somewhat seen the reason why when we hear about the
Muslim we cannot help but react negatively. But, then we
cannot really judge other people. It is a matter of looking
or viewing things in different perspectives. Many including
myself would call the Muslim as pirates or bandits but then
calling them in these names seems too bias on their part,
for sure they have an important reason for doing such
thing.

We need to weigh things before making conclusions

involving people. They are considered as brutal savage
people but few have notice that they build impressive ships
believed to be faster than the Spaniard galleon and deadly
weapons that enabled them to cut Spanish weapon.
We learned that our Muslim brothers are one of the
bravest Filipinos, fearless in battles even if they only use
sword against the guns of the Spaniards.

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We were really impressed with the Muslim after watching

the film, especially in planning the raid in Fort Pilar. But we
cannot deny the fact that the brutality of the Muslim in the
film is really scary. But then those are in the past that
should not destroy the present and future, rather it should
serve as a lesson for all of us that mistakes in the past
should be corrected and not repeated.

In watching the film, it made us realize how interesting

history is. It is very important to have knowledge about
the past so that somehow we can understand the present
and be prepared for the future.
Depicting how the Spaniards defended the city with the
Fort Pilar
Depicting the Southeast Asia flourishing free trading in
the area
Adverse effects/retaliation when Spaniards wanted to
control the economy as well to colonize and Christianize

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THANK YOU!!!

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