MORO AUTONOMY REVISITED
BY:
HISTORY MARK MIEL
OF BANGSAMORO GANANCIAS
BANGSAMORO
Bangsamoro - located in the Southern and Western Philippine
Archipelago, comprising of the islands of Mindanao and the Sulu. It is
also known as the Bangsamoro Kingdom.
The term originates from the Malay word bangsa meaning Nation and Moro,
the historical Spanish and Filipino label for Muslims living in the islands.
They declares Islam as the state religion. The head of state is the Sultan,
who is an elected monarch and the head of government is the Prime
minister.
SULTANATE SYSTEM
A fundamental foundation to established the consciousness of the Moro
people.
Established to helped shape and fortify the union of Muslim ethnic group.
-As political structure, the sultanate had put the indigenous
leadership under the sultan.
It is viewed as a totality expressing Unity of life that is taught by Koran.
BANGSAMORO TRIBE
TAUSUG (Sulu, Tawi-Tawi,
Basilan, Palawan, Zamboanga del
Sur and Davao)
MAGUINDANAO (Cotabato)
MARANAO (Lanao del Norte and
Lanao del Sur)
SAMA / Bangingi, jama Mapun, Badjaw
(Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga)
YAKAN (Basilan Island)
MORO WEAPONS
MORO-SPANISH WAR (1521-1896)
Moro opposed to the colonial attempts of Spaniards to deprive them to their
liberties.
19th century, Islamic strategy acquired the nature of the Jihad (Islamic
War).
Moro warriors is being unleased (Cotabato and Sulu), to fought the
Spaniards army.
Despite the 330 years Spaniards attempts at conquering Moros, they just
faced with a resounding failure in fighting with the Muslims of the South.
UNCONQUERED
MORO-AMERICAN WAR (1898-1946)
Almost 10 years to defeat Moros.
Peace treaty to Moros “Bates Treaty” with the Sulu sultanate in August
1899.
The treaty committed the Sultanate to stop the revolt, upon which the
Americans promised to respect the Moros Sovereignty.
But during March 1904, Americans abolished the treaty and there are some
cases of Moro massacre that result to high demand of revolt and great
resistance of Moro people.
When Americans arrived-Moro estimated about 300,000 nearly all of
them living in Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan. Almost 1/3 of the
total land area controlled by them.
Americans presented its integration programs to conquer the Moros in
Secular way.
-The creation of public schools
-Delivery of services
-Plantation agriculture
“Colonial Land Policy” break the Moros economic base – Land
grabbing schemes.
Laws “the Public Land act, 1919”
- Moro landholdings (inherited property) Not valid
- Moro must issue titles to public lands to Proof ownership
- Christian – 24 hectares
- Non Christian – 10 hectares
Moro Resistance
• (1946) Independence by the United States
• (1960) Conflicts between Christians and
Moros grown worse
Post-independence
period
• Promotes social economic development and
to hasten the integration process of the
Moros.
( CNI ) Commission on National
Integration
• Created by Congress in 1957
• Never well-received by the Moros
• Created to co-opt the bangsamoro
consciousness into the mainstream of the
Filipino nationhood.
(MIM) Muslims (Mindanao) Independence
Movement (1968)
• Declared Mindanao’s
Independence
Nur Misuari
• Form the militant Moro
National Liberation Front
(MNLF)
(MNLF) Moro National
Liberation Front
• Supposed to be
responsible for liberating
the moros from the
territorial sovereignty
imposed by the
Philippine government
• Drew the support of
Filipino Muslims who
believed in Jihad as a way
Hashim Salamat
• Established the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF)
“ MILF appropriately
presented the Moros who
were in need of an Islamic
political system and way of
life.”
Negotiations between the
Philippine Government and the
MNLF
• In September 1996, MNLF formally entered into
peace of agreement with Philippine government.
• Acceptable compromise between the contending
parties
• Expanded autonomous government that covers
13 provinces and 9 cities
Tripoli Facilitated by Libya through the
Organization of the Islamic countries
Agreement (OIC). December 23, 1876
Issues to
resolve
• Refugee problems in Sabah
• Internal displacement
• Border security issues
• Religious clashes
NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN
THE PHILIPPINE
GOVERNMENT AND THE
MILF`
In 2000, Pres. Joseph Estrada launched its “all-out-war” policy
against the MILF.
w/c caused the destruction of Camp Abubakar and the
displacement of nearly a million people.
In August 2000, the GRP-MILF peace panel was disbanded and the
pending peace talks between the two parties were cancelled.
But only after a year the peace process resumed under the
auspices of the OIC, w/ the Malaysian government taking the
lead.
In March 2001, the peace negotiations were once again renewed
by including fresh agenda components such as security,
reabilitation, and ancestral domain.
In June 2001, the memorandum was signed in Tripoli, Libya after it
was been circulated and reviewed.
In spite of all the significant efforts by both parties to sustain
peace and development in the south, the cease-fire proved to be
short-lived as violence erupted again from both sides.
March 4, 2003 - the bombing of Davao International Airport in
Davao City.
April 2, 2003 – the Sasa wharf bombing
Mistrust from both sides eventually led to another war, w/c was
termed by Arroyo as “extraordinary punitive” measure against the
MILF camps in parts of ARMM.
It resulted to nearly half a million of displaced people and the
destruction of private properties.
Informal talks had been going on in preparation for the finalization
of a memorandum of agreement(MOA) that will ultimately create the
Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.
Contained in the MOA was a provision on the concession of a
“distinct territory” of the Bangsamoro people, w/c is more commonly
called the MOA on Ancestral Domain(MOA-AD).
The new territory is also called the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity(BJE).
This territory includes:
ARMM
Pockets of municipalities in Christian-dominated Lanao del Norte
Additional geographic areas in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat,
Lanao del Norte
North Cotabato
Crucial to the agreement was the determination of who the
Bangsamoro people are.
It was then defined that the Bangsamoro people are “those who
are natives or original inhabitants of Mindanao, including
Palawan and the Sulu archipelago”.
The Lumads and Christians may not choose to join the new
territory by voting against a referendum for an inclusive region.
The BJE is granted the following substantial powers and functions:
i. Jurisdiction and control over all its natural resources,
potential sources of energy, and its internal waters.
ii. Joint jurisdiction, authority, and management with the GRP
over its territorial waters.
iii. Development and maintenance of its own institutions,
including its police and internal security forces.
iv. Authority to enter into economic cooperation and trade
relations with foreign countries, including participation in
international meetings and events such as those of the
ASEAN and the specialized agencies of the United Nations.
MOA-AD was planned to b e signed on 5 August 2008.
But because of its highly contentious yet substantive
recognition of Bangsamoro historic claims on their
ancestral domain, many of the critics of the draft
agreement argued that it was unconstitutional.
The scheduled signing of the MOA-AD in Malaysia was
disallowed by the Supreme Court that issued a
temporary restraining order in response to petitions
filed by those opposed to the agreement.
