Historical Awareness, Social
Conscience, Dialogue And
Justice: Bases For Lasting
Peace In Mindanao
Juvanni Yahya A. Caballero
Department of History
MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology
Mass-Based
Historical
Awareness
Social
Justice
Social
Dialogue
Social
Conscience
P
E
A
C
E
Social
Conscience
Social
Dialogue
Social
Justice
The Paradigm
Mass-Based
Historical
Awareness
A Quick Journey
through MINDANAO
HISTORY
?
Post-War
Period
Japanese
Period
Commonwealth
Period
American
Period
Spanish
Period
Pre-colonial
Period
PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD
1380 – Islam arrives in the Sulu
archipelago
 1450 – Sulu Sultanate was born
 1515 – Islam arrives in Mindanao
 1619 – Maguindanao Sultanate
emerges
 1898 – Two sultanates remained
independent

SPANISH PERIOD
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi arrived in 1565
and started colonization efforts thru
Divide and Rule Tactic.
 Christianization of subjugated natives
followed.
 Utilization of Christianized natives by
Spanish colonizers against Islamized
people of Mindanao and Sulu.
 Conception of the “Moro” and “Christian”
Images

AMERICAN PERIOD
Deterioration of Spanish-American
relations which culminated in the SpanishAmerican War.
 Spanish-American war was ended by Treaty
of Paris.
 Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao were ceded
to the United States by Spain for
$20,000,000.

AMERICAN PERIOD

1899 – 1903

1903-1913

1913-up

1902-up
Americans tried to neutralize the
Moros by their non-intervention
policy.
Organization of Moro Province
and subjugation of Moros
Filipinization of colonial
administration
Passage of Public Laws
discriminatory to non-Christians
Some Discriminatory Laws
Act 496 of 1902 – Land Registration Act
 Act 718 of 1903 – Declaring null and void
all land grants made by Moro
Datus/sultans and chiefs of non-Christian
tribes.
 Act 2874 of 1919 – allowed Christians to
homestead 24 hectares while nonChristians were only allowed 10 hectares.
Corporations were allowed 1,024 hectares.

COMMONWEALTH PERIOD
Pres Quezon also put an end to
government recognition of Royal titles of
Moro and Lumad chiefs.
 Continuation of Filipinization and Moro
disarmament.
 Discriminatory land laws made under the
Americans were continued by Pres.
Quezon

COMMONWEALTH PERIOD
 Moro
leaders sent various petitions to
the US and Philippine government not
to include them in the grant of
Philippine independence.
 These petitions unfortunately were
ignored!
JAPANESE PERIOD
Moro and Christian Filipinos fought side
by side against the common enemy.
 Government recognition of Moro
contribution in the fight against the
Japanese led to increased Moro
participation in government.
 Japanese occupation also resulted to
proliferation of loose firearms

POST-WAR PERIOD





In 1946, US returned one independence for
Muslims Christians and Lumads
1946-early 50’s – The Mindanao/Moro problem
remained dormant.
Jabidah massacre of March 17, 1968 triggered
Moro secession /rebellion.
Datu Udtog Matalam formed the MIM on May
2, 1968.
Ilaga, MNLF, MILF emerges
POST-WAR PERIOD
 Lumads
started articulating their
aspiration to self-determination
beginning 1986.
- Lumads are the first nations in Mindanao
- They want no less than their own
autonomous region within the Republic of
the Philippines.
Challenge
 How
should we deal or address the
Moro and Lumad aspirations to self
determination?
- all out war /genocide?
Cost of Conflict & War
1971 More 1,000 people killed
 1970-1996 MNLF vs AFP:

 100,000
-120,000 slain, 50% MNLF, 30%
AFP, 20% civilian
 73 billion pesos spent

MILF vs AFP in Central Mindanao:
 1997
- 30,000 evacuees
 2000 - 1,014,654 evacuees
 2001 - 24,000 evacuees
 2003 - 75,419 evacuees
As educators, peace
advocates/workers, your role
is crucial in changing
Mindanao History as you
mould and influence various
stakeholders in Mindanao
Challenge
 Our
major challenge is actually to change
History.
 This does not entail we should change
what was written and recorded in history
books; rather, it entails the making of
history now by identifying lessons in the
past and repeat not the mistakes!
A Personal Dream
I do not care if we live under one
republic, or divide this country into
several republics; I simply want to
see a Mindanao whose people are
happy, contented, reconciled and
enjoying the tranquility and
harmony with their brothers or
neighbors;
A Personal Dream
I simply want to see a Mindanao
whose stakeholders (i.e.
government, rebels, civilians
among the tri-people, etc.) would
not use guns, bombs and other
weapons of destruction in solving
their problems.
Thank You
wa
SALAAM