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B I U

BRIEF HISTORY OF
MINDANAO ISLAND
ALAMAN, ROCHE
BACOR, CRISTINE
BACOR, ROSEMARIE
BUSANO, CYRILLE
- Mindanao island is the second largest in the Philippines in the
southern part of the archipelago surrounded by the Bohol,
Philippines, Celebes, and sulu sea.

- Irregularly shaped measures 293 miles (47 km) north

to south and 324 miles (521 km) east to west.

- The island is mark by a peninsula and is heavily indented by

the Davao and more gulfs in the south by Iligan bay in the
north.
- The long scenic Zamboanga Peninsula (west) extends
southwesterly towards the Sulu archipelago and bovreo and
the Cotabato and Surigao peninsulas extend south and north,
respectively.
- Rugged, vaulted mountains and volcanoes occur in many areas.
mount apo, at 9692 feet (2,954 meters) is an active volcano in the
southern part of the central highlands, it is the highest peak in the
Philippines. the island has narrow coastal plains, and the Mindanao
and Agusan river system form broad, fertile basins and extensive
swamps.
- Lake Lanao ( lake sultan alanto) created by a lava dam, has an
area of 134 square miles (347 square km), the island has a
marsh game, refuge, and bird sanctuary. their Philippine eagle
is found on Mindanao.

- Mindanao has considered the country's " pioneer frontier"

because of its large expanse of undeveloped fertile lands. it
did not experience a substantial population increase until
migration was promoted, particularly in mid 20th century.
-The chief crops are corn, rice, bananas, pineapples,
mangoes, and coconuts. cotton, ramie, coffee, and cacao are
also grown. the timber industry is important, and there are
gold, nickel, iron, and coastal deposits.

-Chartered cities include Zamboanga city, cotabato city,

davao city, cagayan de oro and butuan. area 36,357 square
miles ( 94,630 square km). pop (2007) 16,939,967
(Gorlinski, 2012)
- Mindanao also has the largest concentration of ethnic minorities
in the Philippines. they include the maguindanao, maranao Llanun
and sangil. these are all Muslim groups sometimes called "the
moro". Groups usually found in the uplands include the T'boli,
Sabano, Bukidnon, bagobo, mandaya, and Manobo. another
significant group is tiniray, whose religion is a mixture of Christian,
Muslim, and local beliefs.
-Mindanao sa Muslim outpost in the predominantly roman
catholic Philippines. Along Muslims are no longer a majority
islanic culture is evident there are many mosques and unique
brass. ware including, the kris and dagger
- The autonomous region of muslim mindanao- consisting of
terirory in western and southwestern mindanao along with
some near by islands iincluding tawi-tawi and Jolo. And it was
established in 1990.

- Mindanao derived its name from the Maguindanao who

constituted the largest sultanate.
-Maps made during the 17th and 18th centuries suggest that the
name was used to refer to the island by natives at the time.
Evidence of human occupation in Mindanao dates back to tens of
thousand of bears.
- In prehistoric times the negrito people arrived. And also in 1,500 BC,
Austronesian peoples spread throughout the philippine for beyond.
The native people of the Maluku Island refer to the island as Maluku
Bear ( Great Mollucas)

- Upon the Spaniard's arrival in the Philippines they were dismayed to

find such as strong Muslim presence on the island, having just expelled
the moors from Spain after centuries of fighting. The anme Moros ( the
Spanish word for moors) was given to the Muslim inhabitants by the
Spanish.
- Caesarea Caroli was tthe name given byy villalobos to the island
of mindanao when he reached the sea near it.

- Caesarea Caroli referred to Charles V. of the Holy Roman

Empire.

- Moro wars (1901-1913) in philippine history, was a series of

scattered campaigns involving American troops and Muslim
bands in Mindanao, Philippines. The more fought for religions
rather than political reasons and their actions were not connected
with those Filipino revolutions that conducted the philippine-
American was in 1899-1902.
- Before the colonization, migrants from the neighboring Asian
countries also occupied Zamboanga, like any other island of
the Philippines. The subanons, of Malay origin, were known to
be the early people of the peninsula. Throwing out the Spanish
regime, Zamboanga become the capital and set off the
Gobierno-politico-military for the entire Mindanao. Zamboanga
also become the Spanish garrison because of its strategic
location hence, Zamboanga opened to its port international
maritime trading with the rest of the European countries
during the 18th century which resulted in better economic
opportunities.
- The beginning of Davao as a distinct geopolitical entity
started during the last fifty years of his Spanish rule in the
country. The conquest of the Davao Gulf area in 1848 paved
the way for the establishment of a Spanish de facto
government in Davao. As early as 1620, Spanish sovereignty
already reigned in the North-Eastern coasts of Mindanao
down to bislig.
- In 1848, Don Jose Cruz de Oyanguren, a native of Vergara,
Guipuzcoa, Spain, received a especial grant from Don Narcisco
Claveria, the Governor-General of the Archipelago.
- He was ordered to conquer and subdue the entire gulf district,
expel or pacify the Moros, and establish the Christian religion.
Oyanguren arrived in Davao as head of a colonizing expedition
comprising 70 men and women. They found an ally in Datu
Dagupan, chief of the Samal Mandayas, who saw in Oyanguren's
colonizing venture I chance to get even with Datu Bago, A Muslim
head of the Davao Gulf, who had treated the Mandayas as
Vassals.
- Oyanguren's initial attack against Datu Bago's fortified
settlement at the mouth of Davao river proved futile. His
ships could not maneuver in the narrow channel of the
Davao River bend (where Bolton Bridge is now located)
And were forced to retreat.

- In the three months that he devoted to constructing the

causeway, Oyanguren had also to fend off Datu Bago's
harassing attacks against the workers.
- Finally, late in June help came from Zamboanga
Don Manuel Quesada, Navy Commanding General
arrived with a company of infantry and joined in the
attack against Datu Bago's settlement. The out-
gunned defenders, despite their tenacious
resistance, finally fled to the different Muslim
Communities In the hope of carrying on the fight
some other day.
-Oyanguren was reported to have peaceful possession of
the Davao Gulf territory at the end of 1849, despite the
lack of support from the government in Manila and his
principals in the Venture.

- He campaigned hard among the different tribes like the

Mandayas, Manobos, etc urging them to live in settlements or
reducciones to reach them for trade and commerce, but to no
avail. The Moros continued to threaten those who collaborated
with the Spaniards. There was little economic development in
the Gulf Region. (Corcino, 1998).
The Spaniards also conquered Cotabato in the 17th century.
Settlements grew in the mouth of Rio Grande De Mindanao. The Rio
Grande De Mindanao, Also know as the Mindanao river, is the
second-largest river system in the Philippines. Trading of basic
commodities, Industrial raw materials, agricultural products became
the center of economic activities in the area. As time passed by, the
economic potentials of Cotabato grew that made it independent from
the rest of the islands.
Cotabato became the chartered city on June 20, 1959, by the Republic Act No. 2364. Datu
Mandu U. Sinsuat, Sr. became the first elected city mayor. In the early 19th century, Americans
started to penetrate Cotabato and eventually made the place the capital town of the Cotabato
Province. When the United States reigned over the Philippines after the Spanish-American war
in 1898, the United States initiated a policy designed to assimilate the Moro into the Philippine
Nation and to curb some feudal practices such as slaves trading. The attempt of the Americans
to alter the traditional ways of the Moro resulted in intransigence and rebellion. At the
beginning of the 20th century, the Lumads controlled an area that now covers 17 of Mindanao's
24 provinces, but by the 1980 census, they constituted less than 6%of the population of
Mindanao and Sulu. Heavy resettlement programs, turned the indigenous lumads and
moro'sinto minorities.
Sporadic fighting took place in 1901 and 1903. Moros attacked the
American troops near lake Lanao, in Mindanao, the best-known of the
American-Moro battles occurred in March 1906 at the top of mount Dajo
on the island of Jolo. Mount Dajo, is a cinder cone and the second-
highest point in the province of Sulu, Philippines. It is one of the cinder
cones that make up the island of Jolo and part of the Jolo Volcanic Group
in the Republic of the Philippines.
Six hundred Moro who had taken refuge inside a massive volcanic crater were killed by troops under
Gen. Leonard Wood. Many women and children were killed in the fight. Wood came under severe
criticism in the U.S. Congress because of that. He was later absolved of any wrongdoing by Pres.
Theodore Roosevelt. Renewed hostilities occurred in September 1911 and June 1913. Fighting ceased
after that, although Moro separatist movements continued into the 21st century. The Americans
continued the colonization program on Mindanao, which was mostly populated by Muslims. On
February 27, 1939. The 62 pioneers (primarily agricultural and trade graduates) were the first big
batch of settlers to land in GenSan with the mission to industriously cultivate GenSan's fertile expanse
of land. After this first influx of pioneers, thousands more from Luzon and the Visayas have
subsequently migrated into the area. This movement started the displacement of some native B'laan
tribes to the mountains and lost their livelihood (Hall, 2010).
Davao in Mindanao. had a sizable population of Japanese immigrants. The
migration of the Japanese plantation workers flourished in Davao ever, in the
early period of 1900 s, They controlled the entire abaca industry under the
American regime. Davao became the biggest producer of abaca in the whole
country during the period. Substantia commercial interests such as copra,
timber, fishing, import, and export trading prospered (Cantal et aI., 2014).
The Moros hated these Japanese immigrants and fought the Japanese
invaders when they Ianded at Davao in Mindanao.
In the 1950s, there was an unprecedented influx of migrants from other
parts of the Philippines to Mindanao particularly io Davao due to the
economic opportunities it offered.

In the 1960's, the banana and pineapple plantation industries became the source of
development. However, social unrest was also prevalent (Cantal et aL, 2014).

In 1969, Muslim scholar Nur Misuari established the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which
begins an armed campaign to put up a separate Islamic state in the southern third oF of the country.
Between the years1972.1976, the fighting raged between government forces and tbeMNLF, which is
supported by some Muslim nations. Thousands were killed, with the whole town destroyed in the
violence.
1976, under a deal brokered by the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), the
MNLF signed an agreement with the Marcos administration to end hostilities in
exchange for the government working to grant greater autonomy in Muslim-
populated areas.

In the year 1977, Misuari's deputy, Hashim Salamat, led a group of key commanders in
splitting from the MNLF. They were unhappy with Misuari's compromise and vowed to
continue fighting for independence. Salamat later officially formed the MILF. During
the presidency o( Marcos in the '70s, tourism was promoted particularly in Mindanao.
Unfortunately, it failed to attract investors to come because of the peace and order
situations of the region.
1978, one of the MNLF's finest ideologues, Salamat Hashim, split from the MNLF and
vowed to press ahead with the fight for an Independent Islamic state. Salamat and Murad
Ebrahim, another prominent rebel commander, formed the MILF in 1981. After the 1986
EDSA People Power Revolution that ousted Marcos, the Aquino administration launched
peace talks with the MNLF.

In 1989, the Organic Act for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was signed
into law, In 1996, Misuari, on behalf of the MNLF, signed a Final peace agreement with the Ramos
government. That year, the MILF, which had long broken away tram the MNLF, aiso entered
informal talks with the Ramos government, But the MILF lw project was put on the back burner,
allowing the organization to recruit, establish big camps in Central Mindanao, and become the most
significant Muslim rebel movement.
Former president Joseph Estrada mobilized the entire armed forces to crush
the MILF and bring down its seat of power in Camp Abubakar, Central
Mindanao in 20OO, Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo resumed
negotiations with the MILF, taking a bold step in crafting a draft agreement
that triggered widespread opposition from lawmakers and various sectors and
which the Supreme Court, later on. declared as unconstitutional. In response,
two MILF commanders led attacks across Christian areas of Mindanao.
In October 2012, the Aquino administration and the MILF signed a peace
agreement in Malacaniang. It marked the first time the rebel group stepped
into the country's seat of power, In March 2014, both parties signed the
Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). The Bangsamoro is
home to most of the country's Muslim or Moro populations, composed of
many ethnic groups such as the Maranao and the Tausug, the Banguingui
(users of the vintage), as well as the collective group of indigenous tribes
known as the Lumad.
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