Separatis

m in
Mindanao,
Philippines
Armed Conflict for more
than 3 decades - 2 major
factions demanding
independence (MNLF &
MILF)
Tension over exploitation of
resources and economic
disparity between Muslims and
Christians that stretches
centuries back and existed
during Spanish and American
colonial rule
Armed uprising started in
1970
Roots of
Conflict
“Heightened
•Control of Land
by accelerated
•Mining resettlement
•Timber program . . .
•Oil .”
•Gas
•Fishing
Colonial Legacies

Muslim majority
resistance
Spanish & conversion to Christianity;
Struggled to preserve their indigenous culture;
Never considered themselves as part of any greater
nation;
1898 alerted the Americans that Bangsamoro should
not be part of the Filipino nation-state if
independence is given;
Collective past is anchored on Islam spread from
India, to Malaysia and Indonesia.
CRISIS LINEAGE:
Moro war in 1600 against Spain;
Alienation of Moro people from North to
South resettlement program;
Multinationals profiting from extraction of
Mindanao resources;
Open disdain to Muslim way of life;
New leaders inherited the colonizer’s bias
and failed to develop Mindanao especially
Muslim areas, thus
Moros see the Manila regime as another
foreign occupier.
Past 50 years :Accelerated
Marginalization and Armed
Conflict
1960 – government sponsored
movement of northern Filipinos to the
“Mindanao Frontier…”
Religious and ethnic overtones when
frontier was filled to capacity

LAND
has been the
most
fundamental
source of
conflict
 Muslims continue to be deprived of the income
generated from the development of resources
other than land, too, namely mining, timber,
fishing, and agriculture.

 Much of that development is spearheaded by

foreign companies who are not required to pay
taxes in the region, and whose projects are
typically promoted by the national government
and occasionally protected by the military.

 National enterprises lead by the national elite are

also responsible for the deflection of resource
profits from the island’s indigenous population.
Historically resource extraction has been
concentrated on lumber, mining, and agro-
business.
Economic disparity, resulting
from the imbalance in ownership of
natural resources, has provoked
the Bangsamoro to

separatis
m
Traditional dissimilarities are now
being invoked to bolster and
advertise their cause as if the
Bangsamoro way of life is completely
incompatible with the Philippine one.
In fact, they see the government as a
successor to Spanish and then
American colonial ones

the separatist liberation fronts do

not even officially view their cause as
one of secession, but as one of
freeing themselves from an alien
Philippine government’s illegal
occupation of their homelands
 Late 1960
Muslim Independence
Mindanao
Movement
Independence
Movement
Marcos disbanded these movements

Youth division. . . .

Moro National Liberation Front

 Contemporary causes of Moro War

The Jabidah
massacre (march 17, 1968)

 28 young Muslim recruits in the

Philippine Army – were massacred by their Christian
superiors
Contemporary causes of Moro war

Massacres of Muslims and

burning of their homes and
mosques by Christian vigilante
groups – Ilaga and some units
of the military
-massacre of 70from 1970
Muslims and - 1972
wounding of 17 others inside a
mosque and nearby school in Manili,
Carmen, North Cotabato – June 19,
1971
-Massacre of 73 in Alamada – Jan. 19,
1971
-37 in Bo. Tacub, Kauswagan, Lanao
del Norte, aditional 22 wounded and
Periods and themes in the evolution of the conflict on the Moro Front
Formative Early Martial 1st Peace Rest of Marcos Aquino Ramos (1992- Recent Years
years (1968- Law and Moro Negotiations and regime (1977- Administration 98) (1998 – 2004)
72) War of Tripoli Agreement 86) (1986-92)
Liberation (1975-77)
(1972-75)

Moro MIM (1968) MNLF MNLF MNLF MNLF MNLF MILF

Groups MNLF (1969) (Split:”New MNLF (Split:MNLF- MILF MILF MNLF (4 factions)
(standard Leadership,” 1977 RG, 1982,
BMLO ASG (1991) ASG ASG factions
bearer) MILF,
1984)BMLO (re-
emergence)
Main Independence Independence Autonomy under Independence/Im Independence/Imp Autonomy under Independent Islamic
Demand or the 976 Tripoli plementation of lementation of TA the 1996 Peace state (MILF &
aspiration Agreement (TA) TA Agreement (PA) ASG)
Implementation of
the 1996 PA
(MNLF)
Main Policy Triggering Martial Law and OIC?OPEC Divide and Rule 1987 Constitution Comprehensive “Military Victory”
Response events Military Diplomacy and Cooptation and & RA 6734 for Peace Process position and
campaigns Peace Negotiations Coercion ARMM; “pacification &
Multilateral demobilization
Consensus- Position RA 9054
Building for new ARMM
Approach”
Forms of Preparations 1. Armed 1. Peace talks with 1. Islamic 1. Islamic 1. Peace 1. Both Peace
Struggle for Armed Struggle OIC Diplomacy Diplomacy negotiations negotiations &
(ranked) Struggle 2. Islamic 2. Islamic 2. Armed sruggle 2. Armed Struggle with OIC armed struggle
Diplomacy Diplomacy 3. Peace talks w/o 2. Islamic
OIC Diplomacy

Main Ilagas vs. Conventional & Reduction (1975) & Guerilla warfare Guerilla warfare Ceasefire w/ Ceasefire &
features of Barracudas positional Ceasefire (1977) (MNLF) (MNLF) MNLF; Acts of hostilities, semi-
Armed warfare Military Build- Initial salvoes terror by ASG conventional to
Struggle up MILF (MILF) guerilla mode
(MILF); more and
bigger acts of
terrorism by ASG
 Pe ace A gree me nt wi th
MNLF the G over nme nt o f the
Rep ubli c o f the
Phi li ppi ne s
Abu Sayaff

Pentagon gang

Moro Islamic
Liberation Front