Moro History
Spanish Colonization
From 1460, the Sulus lived unmolested and prospered. But after this date, they seemed destined for a different experience. The Moros watched the progress of Legazpi at Cebu, Panay, and Luzon, saw how the pagan chiefs were subjugated and witnessed the expulsion of their brother Muslims in Manila. Their love of home and family prompted them to fight the Spaniards.[1]
The Moros were and still are obstinate, daring, tenacious and adventurous, but highly ethnocentric. These would explain the conflicting motives of their piratical activities and slave raids. Because of cultural diversity they did not have central government, but faith as their unifying factor, the Dar-ul-Islam (house of Islam). Though they did not have any standing army and navy, they had boats, forts, and firearms as well as able-bodied men as their soldiers and sailors, armed and ready to fight when called to duty. It is a shame for a Moro and his family to surrender. “Life itself meant nothing to them, as against Islam and honour. No defeat could bend such people to submission.”[2] They prefer death than dishonor of surrender. They are greatly disunited because of their cultural, linguistic and ethnic differences, yet, cohesive because of Islam and their retention of the datu system. But this disunity was their asset rather than liability. Once a tribe or a datu surrendered, the others were not obliged to follow because they were not politically united (unlike other places that when their leader/s of the superior tribe, the rest surrendered as well).[3] On the other hand, this disunity was also a factor of the miseries of the individual ethnic group because they were easily forced to compromise.[4] But these compromises were not considered as defeat because these were in a form of treaties. Hence, they did not consider themselves as Filipinos because they were not totally conquered or subjugated.[5]
The failure of the Spaniards to influence or subjugate the Moros was due to the following reasons:
1. Intolerance and impatience (of the Spaniards);
2. Non-occupation of Moroland with forces sufficient to maintain Spanish supremacy in the South;
3. Failure to rule the people through their chiefs and to give proper respect to native authority;
4. Failure to understand the “Agama System,” for the basis of the Moro laws and government.[6]
American Colonizers
The American colonizers on the other hand had succeeded in neutralizing the Moros. Though, the Moros did not consider it as subjugation, because of the number of treaties signed, but just the same the Moroland became part of the American Philippine colony. First, they did not force the Moros to follow the religion of the Americans; Second, they used force to persuade them to surrender and compromise; and Third, they had a strong force to counter any attempt of the Moros to counterattack.[7] Ultimately, the Moros were subdued but undefeated. They accepted friendship offers of the Americans. Treaties after treaties were signed which for all intents appeared that they (Moros) were treated as their (Americans) equals. This could be seen in the number of letters sent to General John J. Pershing by the different Datus of Lanao. In a letter of Datu Aliyodan of Pualas (Lanao) and his brother Pagabangan, it reads:
In view of our father’s death (Ami Pakpak) and as this your friend we notify you of his leaving us with the object that you may not that his children have not notified you of the fact and at the same time we offer you our friendship, as same as you have professed to our father.
Received June 28, 1902. [8]
The Moros were duped. They got infuriated and demanded that they will not be ceded to the Philippines when independence will be granted in 1946. Among the spokesmen of the Maranao opposed to the inclusion of the Moros is the Philippines was Ami [Amai – father of] Binaning. During the visit of Quezon in Lanao in June 1923 to campaign for the independence, he did not receive the support of the Moros because “he attacked the Moro’s friend [Gen. Wood] and threatened them with ‘grave consequences.’” Quezon said on that meeting, “America’s day is done, her government in the Philippines to-day is a fable. It is the Filipino Legislature that governs you Moros. This man Wood is a figurehead. It is only a question of a little time and every American in the Islands will be chased out. You Moros will do well to submit to us now.” Amai Binaning in front of Quezon and the Constabulary declared, “You shall not govern us. We stay with America.”[9] Later, he was attacked by the Constabulary, and was killed together with his family. “They simply died-for honour and for America.”[10] The Moros sent letters and letters of appeal to be excluded from the Philippines, but it never reached America or Gen. Wood. One of such letters runs:
United States of America,
Philippine Islands,
Province of Zamboanga
Datu . . . . being duly sworn, upon his oath states:
That he has been informed that his alleged signature is attached to a petition asking for Philippine Independence and containing statements said to be derogatory to his Excellency Governor-General Leonard Wood. That the affiant has never signed any such petition, but that he has always, during the many years he known Governor-General Wood, had the greatest respect and admiration for him, both as a man and as a public official.
That he has never be a party to, nor has he ever signed a petition or document criticizing the Governor-General in the slightest degree. The affiant is in favour of the segregation of Mindanao and Sulu and Palawan from the Philippine Islands and the re-organization of same under the American Flag as an unorganized territory of the United States, or otherwise as Congress may deem best.[11]
The American congress did not know of all these. In the House Committee’s hearing on March 6, 1924, then Speaker Roxas said:
With reference to the assertion made by the Secretary of War that the Moros are opposed to Independence, we beg to differ with him. If there is any such opposition, it comes from those few who, as a result of the organized activities of American enemies of Independence in getting the Moros to express themselves as opposed to Independence, salaried agents being employed for this purpose, have been persuaded . . . to express opposition.[12]
Whether the U.S. Congress had investigated the assertions of the Secretary of War and verified the allegations of Roxas, we would never know. But what is clear is that “the Moros resisted, since their historical enemies now had formal state power”[13] over them. The Congress of the United States of America included the Muslim Mindanao into the Philippine Republic (but retained what were useful to them, the Marianas group of islands and later gave Saipan and other islands, supposed to be part of the Philippine territories).
The Muslims did not do anything during the early years of the Commonwealth period. Their response for being ruled by the people they considered their enemies[14] - the Christians, was suspended by the Japanese Occupation. Although disgusted with the decision of the American government some in a way or the other fought against the Japanese.[15] Moro guerrilla leaders like Pendatun, Dimaporo, Mindalano, and many others defended their homeland not because of anything but for freedom. In Lanao for example there was an uprising against the Japanese. The Japanese were afraid to go out in their camps without many escorts.[16] This in spite of the order to “lie low.” This suggests that the Moros made their own decision.
After the war, the government divided Lanao into two provinces and Cotabato into three, to give way to the clamor of the Muslims for leadership of their homeland and as a response to the ever-increasing Christian migration. Lanao was divided into two, Lanao del Norte was given to the Christian leaders and Lanao del Sur was given to the Muslims. However, though Lanao Sur was already a separate province, there was no election until the Marcos regime. All provincial as well as municipal executives were appointed from the prominent families of the province and the towns respectively. Cotabato was divided into three; North Cotabato (mostly Ilocanos), South Cotabato (mostly Ilongos) and Maguindanao (mostly Maguindanaons). It was after the war that the Christian prospectors, industrialist, loggers, and politicians, in collaboration with Moro elite, dispossessed the Moros and the Lumads of their lands through legal and illegal processes.[17] This was particularly true in South Cotabato. Then the Martial Law Regime came.[18]
(For the documentation please write the author)source: http://hubpages.com/hub/Short-Moro-History
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