Wednesday, June 29, 2011
GPH-NDFP Peace Process,Second Quarter of 2011,Part IV:The Talks are Breaking Down
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History of Mindanao Part VII,Part 2:History of Basilan,Sulu,and Tawi Tawi Provinces
CONTINUATION...
In the previous History entry,"History of Mindanao,Part VII,Part 1:History of Basilan,Sulu,and Tawi Tawi Provinces"I began with Chapter I of"The History of Sulu"by Najeeb Mitry Saleeby.Chapter I is very simply,giving a broad but highly informative discussion of the islands'topography and physical relationship to one another and in turn with Mainland Mindanao.Most Filipinos are unaware that Mindanao encompasses a plethora of smaller islands reaching to the tip of Borneo.Though today these islands are divided into three separate provinces:
1) Basilan
2) Sulu,which includes Jolo Island
3) Tawi Tawi
at the time of publication,in 1908,they were all amalgamated into a single administrative unit named"Moro Province."Unlike Mainland Mindanao these 3 provinces are entirely Islamicised and their southern most environs,on Tawi Tawi,were converted to that faith more than two centuries before Magellan planted his cross on Mindanao proper (I am one of the majority who believes that site to have been in Butuan).
I will pick up the narrative from its last point,a geographical description of Laminusa Island,and commence with a gographical discussion of Tawi Tawi...
Chapter I (continued)
The Tawi Tawi group lies to the south and west of the Tapul Group and extends as far west as the Sibutu Passage.This is the largest group in number and area,including eighty-eight islands with a combined area of 462 square miles.Its population is estimated at 25,000.These islands form two distinct divisions or subgroups,differing in both extent and population.
The first or northern division includes Bangao,Sangasanga,Tawi Tawi,Tandu Batu,and a large number of smaller islands,all of which are rough,volcanic,mountainous,and very sparsely populated.The second or southern division is a series of low,flat islands which are smaller in area but more thickly populated than those of the northern division.The principal names,beginning at the east,are the following:Kinapusan,Bintulan,Tabawan,South Ubian,Tandubas,Sikubun.Lata'an,Mantabwan,Banaran,Bilatan,Manuk-manka,and Siminul.Extensive reefs and narrow channels and shoals separate these islands from one another and from those of the northern division,rendering navigation between them impossible except in vessels of very light draft.
Bangao,Sanga-sanga,and Tawi Tawi are separated by very narrow channels and are practically one island.Bangao forms the southwest extremity and is substantially one solid rock which rises perpendicularly to a height of 228 meters.It is a conspicuous landmark to vessels going through the Sibutu Passage.The town of Bangao is a military station and an open port;it has an excellent landlocked harbor and a very poor water supply.The town has been occupied by troops since 1882,but it has never attained any size or importance.
Tawi Tawi Island is a continuous range of hills covered by thick and rich forests.The highest points in the range are the Dromedary peaks [sic] (591 meters) lying about the center of the island.The length of the island is about 34 miles and its greatest width 14 miles.It is next in size to the Island of Jolo,but it is very sparsely populated.Its chief settlements are Tungpatung,Balimbang,Lissum,and Bu'an on the south coast,and Tawi Tawi,Tata'an,Butung,Tumhubung,Tumbaga'an,Languyan,and Bas on the north.At Balimbang are built the best type of Tausug and Samal boats.Good timber abounds in the neighboring hills,and the little bay is transformed into a shipyard.The little town used to be a famous rendevouz for Samal pirates.Tata'an had formerly a Spanish garrison;the present Moro (MUSLIM) town is a little distance to the south of the ruins of the fort and is called Butung.It is built on the hillside and commands a pretty view of the sea.It lies 100 miles east of Lahat Datu,East Borneo.The anchorage is deep and safe,being well protected by a large semi-circle of reefs.A boa 30 feet long was killed on the island in 1903.Rubber and gutta-percha are found on this island.Tapioca and ubi (SPELLED UBE TODAY,A PURPLE SWEET POTATOE) are the staple products.
Sibutu lies in a little group of the same name,situated between the Tawi Tawi Group and Borneo and at a distance of about 15 miles from each.The Sibutu Pass separates it from Manuk-manka,the southernmost island of the Tawi Tawi Group,and the Alice Channel from Borneo.This island did not lie within the limits of the Philippine Islands as defined in the Treaty of Peace of December 10,1898 (BETWEEN US and SPAIN).It was ceded by Spain with Kagayan Sulu (CAGAYAN),by a separate treaty in November,1900.Its close proximity to Borneo renders it a convienent stopping place for small Moro boats navigating between Borneo and Sulu.Sitanki,an island and town,is the trade center of this group,and has just lately been made an open port.
Island of Jolo: Geographical Features
Jolo is an island of irregular shape and among the islands of the Archipelago is next in size to Basilan.Its longest diameter runs east and west and approximates 37 miles,while its average length does not exceed 32 miles.Its greatest width is 14 miles and its average width is about 10 miles.The main structure of the island is volcanic,but it is surrounded with a coral reef formation,which is most extensive in the bays and on the south.
Two indentations of the northern shore at Jolo (JOLO CITY) and Si'it and two corresponding indentation of the southern shore at Maymbung (MAIMBUNG) and Tu'tu,divide the island into three parts-western,middle,and eastern.
The Bay of Jolo is quite open and faces the northwest.It is very shallow near the shore and its head constitutes the roadstead of Jolo (JOLO CITY,WHICH I WILL USE FROM THIS POINT).The Nay of Maymbung (MAIMBUNG,WHICH I WILL USE FROM THIS POINT) is a deeper indentation,but it is narrower and shallower than the Bay of Jolo.The town of Maimbung lies at the head of the bay and is about 9 miles south of Jolo in a direct line.
The Bays of Si'it and Tu'tu indent the island to such an extent as to leave only a neck of land less than 4 miles wide,connecting the middle and eastern parts of the island.The settlement of Si'it lies at the head of the bay and in the immediate vicinity of a small lake of the same name.The shores of the Bay of Tu'tu are marshy and are covered with mangrove trees.The bay is very shallow to a considerable distance from shore.Tu'tu is the principal settlement near the head of the bay.
Near the backbone of the island is a mountain range which. Runs east and west and lies nearer to the northern shore.The highest point is Mount Tumangtangis,at the western extremity of the range.This mountain reaches a height of 853 meters above sea level and descends very rapidly to the western coast near Timahu.A spur of the mountain terminates in Point Pugut at the northwest extremity of the island.
Toward the east,the ridge descends to a much lower level at Bud Datu (MOUNT DATU),Bud Agad,and Bud Pula,which lie immediately to the south of Jolo City.It rises again in Bud Dahu to the altitude of 716 meters.Bud Dahu is a prominent landmark and forms the most picturesque landscape in the background of Jolo City.It is a steep and conical extinct volcano,similar to,but smaller and more regular in form than Mount Tumangtangis.East of Mount Dahu in another gap in which lies Tambang Pass.Beyond this the range rises again at Mount Tambang and contimues uninterrupted to Mount Sinuma'an,at the extreme end of Lati and Mount Bagshag.After Mount Bagshag the range descends gradually toward Su' and Si'it.The northern slopes of Mount Tumangtangis and Bud Dahu,and the crest of Bud Datu are ccovered with grand forests,while the crests and lower slopes of Bud Agad and Bud Pula are partly cultivated and partly covered with tall grass.
From the shores of the Bay of Jolo the land rises gradually and presents a beautiful green appearance.To the south of Bagshag lies a small extinct volcano called Panamaw or Pandakan,whose crater is now a lake.East of Si'it rise the Lu'uk mountains of Urut,Upao,and Tayungan.From these the range extends to Bud Tandu at the eastern extremity of the island.
The highlands near the southern coast of the island divide into three separate regions.The first and westernmost lies west of Maimbung and forms the principal highlands of Parang.The highest points in this region are Mount Tukay,east of the town of Parang,and Mount Mabingkang,east of Tukay.To the east of Maimbung rise Mount Talipao and Mount Kumaputkut,which form the middle and second region.The third region is the southern part of the Lu'uk country.Its highest point is Mount Bulag,to the north of Tandu-Panu'an.Between Mount Tukay and Mount Tumangtangis lies Bud Gapang.Midway between Mount Talipao and Bud Datu is Mount Kumuray,in the neighborhood of Langhub.
The largest streams on the island are Tubig Palag and Bina'an.The first is generally known as the Maimbung River.It passes through the settlement of Maimbung and empties into the head of the bay of the same name.It drains the southern slopes of Mounts Tumangtangis,Pula,Dahu,and Kumuray.The Bina'an stream drains the southern slopes of Mount Sinuma'an and the northern slopes of Mount Talipao and Kumaputkut and empties into the Bay of Tu'tu.
Principal Coast Settlements:
Beginning at Jolo City and going west along the northern coast we pass the following points of interest:The first is. Point Baylam,the western limit of the Bay of Jolo.At the head of the small bay that follows lies the settlement of Matanda,where a Spanish blockhouse marks the western limit of the Jolo City line of fortification (JOLO CITY WAS AWALLED CITY).Next comes Point Mangalus and the receding beach of Bwansa,the old capitol of Sulu (SULTUNATE OF SULU).Here and in the next bay,at Malimbay and Kansaya,Samal boats assemble in favorable weather for fishing.Back of these settlements the land rises rapidly to Mount Tumantangis.A teak forest of considerable size lies between Tumangtangis and Jolo City.
Outside of the wall of Jolo City and to the east lies the settlement of Busbus,where criminals were formerly chopped to death after being tied to a tree (TODAY A BARANGAY WITHIN JOLO CITY).A mile beyond is Mubu,where the old residence of Sultan Harun stands out prominently.Copius springs of fresh water issue at this place at a point near the high water mark.A mile farther east we come to Tandu (point or cape),where Datu Kalbi lives.This point is,generally know as Tandu Dayang Ipil ("CAPE PRINCESS IPIL) (Princess Ipil and her followers were wrecked and drowned at this point.Their bodies are said to have turned into stone and formed the rocks that line the shore.Some of the rocks seemed to the people to resemble petrified human beings) and marks the eastern limit of the Bay of Jolo.The isolsted hill of Patikul rises immediately behind Tandu.The settlement of Patikul lies still farther away on the beach.Here lives Datu Julkarnayn (Alexander the Great),the brother of Datu Kalbi.The beautiful region lying between Patikul and the mountains of Tambang and Sinuma'an is called Lati.
Buhanginin lies about midway between Patikul and Higasan.At the latter place or Tandu Manuk-manuk the shore line recedes toward the south.Opposite this point lies the island of Bakungan.Next comes the larger settlement of Taglibi,above which rises Mount Ta'ung;then Bunbun,near a point which marks the western entrance into the Bay of Si'it.Midway between Bunbun and the head of the bay is Sn' [sic],which may be said to mark the boundry line between Lati and Lu'uk.Si'it is a small settlement near the head of the bay.Beyond Si'it,the shore line turns north until it reaches Kansipat.About two miles farther,a semicircular reef off the shore makes the excellent and well-protected small harbor of Bwal.A large spring of pure,fresh water adds to this place another natural advantage,one which gave it the prominence it had in former days.The entrance into the harbor is very shallow and allows only sailboats of light draft.The channel lies close to the shore on the west side.Opposite the island of Tulayn lie Tandu-batu and a little farther inland Kuta Makis.Limawa lies about 3 miles farther on near a point opposite the island of Buli KutingBehind this island,and at the head of a shallow cove lies Patutul,the chief settlement of Tandu.East of Bud Tandu is Tandu Pansau,the easternmost point of the island.The eastern coast is exposed to storms and appears rock and barren,though the hills behind it are well cultivated.The first point on the southern coast is Tandu Panu'an,behind which lies the settlement of Sukuban.This marks the southern extremity of the boundary line between Tandu and Lu'uk.The country behind Kuta Sihi'and Pitugu appears rich and well tilled.The hills come down to the beach.Near the point at the eastern limit of Tu'tu Bay lies Kambing.The neighboring country is rich and prosperous.It is governed by Maharajah Bayrula,one of the wisest and best chiefs of Sulu.West of Kambing lie Pandang-pandang,Tubu-manuk,and Tu'tu.The shore is a continuous mangrove marsh,while the country behind is about the richest and best tilled land on the whole island.The western side of Tu'tu Bay has few places of importance.The country behind is picturesque and hillt,but not as well populated as the other parts of the island.Lubuk,Kabungkul,and Lumapit are the chief settlements.
Beyond the point of Buhangin Puti',the shore line bends again north and the Bay of Maimbung begins.Here mangrove swamps are extensive and extend a good distance inland.The greater part of Maimbung is built on piles over the water.It is surrounded by swamps on all sides.After the tide recedes,strong odors arise from the muddy bottom to such an extraordinary degree as to render the atmosphere of the place very disagreeable and often unbearable to strangers.The center of the town is a small,open square of reclaimed land filled with coral rocks.Around this square were built the houses of Sultan Jamalul A'lam and his ministers of state.The present sultan lives on a hill about half a mile inland from the town.The square was probably the site of the Maimbung fort which was destroyed by General Arolas in 1887.Some Chinese traders live in the town and export hemp (ABACA),pearls,pearl shell,etc.,through Jolo City.The population of the town and its immediate suburbs varies considerably,but it is generally estimated at 1,000.Beyond Maimbung the coast bends sharply to the south.In the immediate vicinity of Maimbung lies Bwalu.A mile west of this place begins the district of Parang.After Lipid and Lapa comes Kabali'an,the western limit of the Bay of Maimbung.The shore line then takes a more westerly direction.Passing Dandulit and Lakasan,we reach Tandu Put,where the western coast of the island begins.This southern region of Parang is well populated and is very pretty and productive.Cultivated areas are seen on the side of the mountains everywhere and they reach the very summit of Mount Tukay.
The town of Parang is one of the largest settlements on the island and has,at present,an estimated population of 1,000.It is situated at the head of a small open bay facing the southwest and commands a beautiful view of Tapul and Lugus and the intervening sheet of water.It is the capitol of the district and has one of the best markets in the Archipelago for fish,shells,and pearls.The drinking water in this neighborhood is brackish.
An islet lies off the shore near Tandu Bunga.Beyond this point the shoreline turns north to Bwisan,which is one of the most prosperous districts.Beyond Alu Pangku' the coast inclines a little east and runs to Silankan and Timahu.Extensive coconut groves and well cultivated.Fields and fruit trees of various kinds abound all along the coast from Parang to Timahu.
Districts of the Island:
The districts of the island conform in a great measure to its natural divisions.However,political reasons have modified the natural boundries and have increased the districts to six by division.These districts are Parang,Pansul,Lati,Gi'tung,Lu'uk, and Tandu.The first district on the west is Parang.A line joining the western limit of Bwalu on the south coast,with a point slightly east of the summit of Mount Tumantangis,and well projected to the sea on the north,delimits [sic] the district on the east and carves out of the Western natural division the district of Pansul$The eastern boundry of Pansul is a line running from a point 2 or 3 miles east of Maimbung to Mount Pula and Busbus.The chief reason for separating Pansul from Parang was to reserve for the sultan direct control over Jolo City and Maimbung.This district has more foreigners residing in it than any other.
A line joining Su'[sic] and Lubuk marks the eastern limit of both Lati and Gi'tung,the third and fourth districts.The watershed line joining the summits of Mount Dahu,Tambang,and Sinuma'an and falling on the east to the vicinity of Su',divides Lati on the north from Gi'tung on the south.For all practical purposes the district of Lati may be said to lie between Jolo City and Su,'and the district of Gi'tung or Talipao between Maimbung and Tu'tu.The land joining Si'it and Tu'tu'is low.On Jolo Island traditions say that when the Samals arrived in the island this neck of land was submerged and the island was divided by a channel of water.The extinct volcano of Pandakan,generally spoken of as the"Crater Lake,"which lies in the vicinity of ,may be of late origin and may have been the source of the geological deposits which helped fill the channel.Spanish records speak of a volcanic eruption in the vicinity of Jolo City as late as 1840,and it is very likely that other volcanic action occurred prior to that date and after the arrival of the Samals in the fourteenth century.
A line joining Limawa on the north and Sukuban or Tandu Panu'an on the south,divides Lu'uk from Tandu,thus forming the fifth and sisth districts respectively.A line joining Mount Tayungan and Bud Tandu divides both Lu'uk and Tandu into a northern and a southern part.In both cases the southern parts are more fertile and better cultivated and probably more thickly populated than the northern.
The Tausugs are principally agriculturis.The greater part of the people are farmers and a considerable portion of the interior of the island is under cultivation.They raise a good number of cattle,carabaos,and horses,which they utilize for tilling the soil and transporting its products.Trails cross the island in all directions and the interior is in easy communication with the sea.Fruits are good and abundant.The forests are rich in jungle products and in timber.Some copra and hemp is raised and the amount is being increased anually.The staples are tapioca,rice,and corn.Sugar cane is raised in small quantities.Ube and taro are fairly abundant.Some coffee is produced,but disease destroyed most of the plantations.Some tobacco and vegetables are raised for home consumption only.
Jolo City is one of the best fish markets in the Philippine Islands.The varieties of fish in Sulu waters are innumerable and of excellent quality.The island of Jolo surpasses Mindanao in the quality and proportional amount of its fruit.There is an abundance of mangostins (MANGOSTEENS),durians,nangkas (jack-fruits),lancones (LANZONES),marangs,mangos of several varieties (mampalam,bawnu,and wanni),oranges,custard apples,pineapples,bananas,etc.
In the extent and quality of cultivation the district of Lu'uk ranks first,Parang second,and Lati third.Good fresh water abounds everywhere except on the western coast.Considerable irrigation is possible in many localities.
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In my next History entry,"History of Mindanao,Part VIII:Jolo City at the Beginning of the 20th Century"I will continue with Dr.Saleeby's"History of Sulu,"Chapter I,in which Saleeby goes into detail about the construction of,appearance of,and general state of affairs in Jolo City which at that point was still simply called,"Jolo."
In the previous History entry,"History of Mindanao,Part VII,Part 1:History of Basilan,Sulu,and Tawi Tawi Provinces"I began with Chapter I of"The History of Sulu"by Najeeb Mitry Saleeby.Chapter I is very simply,giving a broad but highly informative discussion of the islands'topography and physical relationship to one another and in turn with Mainland Mindanao.Most Filipinos are unaware that Mindanao encompasses a plethora of smaller islands reaching to the tip of Borneo.Though today these islands are divided into three separate provinces:
1) Basilan
2) Sulu,which includes Jolo Island
3) Tawi Tawi
at the time of publication,in 1908,they were all amalgamated into a single administrative unit named"Moro Province."Unlike Mainland Mindanao these 3 provinces are entirely Islamicised and their southern most environs,on Tawi Tawi,were converted to that faith more than two centuries before Magellan planted his cross on Mindanao proper (I am one of the majority who believes that site to have been in Butuan).
I will pick up the narrative from its last point,a geographical description of Laminusa Island,and commence with a gographical discussion of Tawi Tawi...
Chapter I (continued)
The Tawi Tawi group lies to the south and west of the Tapul Group and extends as far west as the Sibutu Passage.This is the largest group in number and area,including eighty-eight islands with a combined area of 462 square miles.Its population is estimated at 25,000.These islands form two distinct divisions or subgroups,differing in both extent and population.
The first or northern division includes Bangao,Sangasanga,Tawi Tawi,Tandu Batu,and a large number of smaller islands,all of which are rough,volcanic,mountainous,and very sparsely populated.The second or southern division is a series of low,flat islands which are smaller in area but more thickly populated than those of the northern division.The principal names,beginning at the east,are the following:Kinapusan,Bintulan,Tabawan,South Ubian,Tandubas,Sikubun.Lata'an,Mantabwan,Banaran,Bilatan,Manuk-manka,and Siminul.Extensive reefs and narrow channels and shoals separate these islands from one another and from those of the northern division,rendering navigation between them impossible except in vessels of very light draft.
Bangao,Sanga-sanga,and Tawi Tawi are separated by very narrow channels and are practically one island.Bangao forms the southwest extremity and is substantially one solid rock which rises perpendicularly to a height of 228 meters.It is a conspicuous landmark to vessels going through the Sibutu Passage.The town of Bangao is a military station and an open port;it has an excellent landlocked harbor and a very poor water supply.The town has been occupied by troops since 1882,but it has never attained any size or importance.
Tawi Tawi Island is a continuous range of hills covered by thick and rich forests.The highest points in the range are the Dromedary peaks [sic] (591 meters) lying about the center of the island.The length of the island is about 34 miles and its greatest width 14 miles.It is next in size to the Island of Jolo,but it is very sparsely populated.Its chief settlements are Tungpatung,Balimbang,Lissum,and Bu'an on the south coast,and Tawi Tawi,Tata'an,Butung,Tumhubung,Tumbaga'an,Languyan,and Bas on the north.At Balimbang are built the best type of Tausug and Samal boats.Good timber abounds in the neighboring hills,and the little bay is transformed into a shipyard.The little town used to be a famous rendevouz for Samal pirates.Tata'an had formerly a Spanish garrison;the present Moro (MUSLIM) town is a little distance to the south of the ruins of the fort and is called Butung.It is built on the hillside and commands a pretty view of the sea.It lies 100 miles east of Lahat Datu,East Borneo.The anchorage is deep and safe,being well protected by a large semi-circle of reefs.A boa 30 feet long was killed on the island in 1903.Rubber and gutta-percha are found on this island.Tapioca and ubi (SPELLED UBE TODAY,A PURPLE SWEET POTATOE) are the staple products.
Sibutu lies in a little group of the same name,situated between the Tawi Tawi Group and Borneo and at a distance of about 15 miles from each.The Sibutu Pass separates it from Manuk-manka,the southernmost island of the Tawi Tawi Group,and the Alice Channel from Borneo.This island did not lie within the limits of the Philippine Islands as defined in the Treaty of Peace of December 10,1898 (BETWEEN US and SPAIN).It was ceded by Spain with Kagayan Sulu (CAGAYAN),by a separate treaty in November,1900.Its close proximity to Borneo renders it a convienent stopping place for small Moro boats navigating between Borneo and Sulu.Sitanki,an island and town,is the trade center of this group,and has just lately been made an open port.
Island of Jolo: Geographical Features
Jolo is an island of irregular shape and among the islands of the Archipelago is next in size to Basilan.Its longest diameter runs east and west and approximates 37 miles,while its average length does not exceed 32 miles.Its greatest width is 14 miles and its average width is about 10 miles.The main structure of the island is volcanic,but it is surrounded with a coral reef formation,which is most extensive in the bays and on the south.
Two indentations of the northern shore at Jolo (JOLO CITY) and Si'it and two corresponding indentation of the southern shore at Maymbung (MAIMBUNG) and Tu'tu,divide the island into three parts-western,middle,and eastern.
The Bay of Jolo is quite open and faces the northwest.It is very shallow near the shore and its head constitutes the roadstead of Jolo (JOLO CITY,WHICH I WILL USE FROM THIS POINT).The Nay of Maymbung (MAIMBUNG,WHICH I WILL USE FROM THIS POINT) is a deeper indentation,but it is narrower and shallower than the Bay of Jolo.The town of Maimbung lies at the head of the bay and is about 9 miles south of Jolo in a direct line.
The Bays of Si'it and Tu'tu indent the island to such an extent as to leave only a neck of land less than 4 miles wide,connecting the middle and eastern parts of the island.The settlement of Si'it lies at the head of the bay and in the immediate vicinity of a small lake of the same name.The shores of the Bay of Tu'tu are marshy and are covered with mangrove trees.The bay is very shallow to a considerable distance from shore.Tu'tu is the principal settlement near the head of the bay.
Near the backbone of the island is a mountain range which. Runs east and west and lies nearer to the northern shore.The highest point is Mount Tumangtangis,at the western extremity of the range.This mountain reaches a height of 853 meters above sea level and descends very rapidly to the western coast near Timahu.A spur of the mountain terminates in Point Pugut at the northwest extremity of the island.
Toward the east,the ridge descends to a much lower level at Bud Datu (MOUNT DATU),Bud Agad,and Bud Pula,which lie immediately to the south of Jolo City.It rises again in Bud Dahu to the altitude of 716 meters.Bud Dahu is a prominent landmark and forms the most picturesque landscape in the background of Jolo City.It is a steep and conical extinct volcano,similar to,but smaller and more regular in form than Mount Tumangtangis.East of Mount Dahu in another gap in which lies Tambang Pass.Beyond this the range rises again at Mount Tambang and contimues uninterrupted to Mount Sinuma'an,at the extreme end of Lati and Mount Bagshag.After Mount Bagshag the range descends gradually toward Su' and Si'it.The northern slopes of Mount Tumangtangis and Bud Dahu,and the crest of Bud Datu are ccovered with grand forests,while the crests and lower slopes of Bud Agad and Bud Pula are partly cultivated and partly covered with tall grass.
From the shores of the Bay of Jolo the land rises gradually and presents a beautiful green appearance.To the south of Bagshag lies a small extinct volcano called Panamaw or Pandakan,whose crater is now a lake.East of Si'it rise the Lu'uk mountains of Urut,Upao,and Tayungan.From these the range extends to Bud Tandu at the eastern extremity of the island.
The highlands near the southern coast of the island divide into three separate regions.The first and westernmost lies west of Maimbung and forms the principal highlands of Parang.The highest points in this region are Mount Tukay,east of the town of Parang,and Mount Mabingkang,east of Tukay.To the east of Maimbung rise Mount Talipao and Mount Kumaputkut,which form the middle and second region.The third region is the southern part of the Lu'uk country.Its highest point is Mount Bulag,to the north of Tandu-Panu'an.Between Mount Tukay and Mount Tumangtangis lies Bud Gapang.Midway between Mount Talipao and Bud Datu is Mount Kumuray,in the neighborhood of Langhub.
The largest streams on the island are Tubig Palag and Bina'an.The first is generally known as the Maimbung River.It passes through the settlement of Maimbung and empties into the head of the bay of the same name.It drains the southern slopes of Mounts Tumangtangis,Pula,Dahu,and Kumuray.The Bina'an stream drains the southern slopes of Mount Sinuma'an and the northern slopes of Mount Talipao and Kumaputkut and empties into the Bay of Tu'tu.
Principal Coast Settlements:
Beginning at Jolo City and going west along the northern coast we pass the following points of interest:The first is. Point Baylam,the western limit of the Bay of Jolo.At the head of the small bay that follows lies the settlement of Matanda,where a Spanish blockhouse marks the western limit of the Jolo City line of fortification (JOLO CITY WAS AWALLED CITY).Next comes Point Mangalus and the receding beach of Bwansa,the old capitol of Sulu (SULTUNATE OF SULU).Here and in the next bay,at Malimbay and Kansaya,Samal boats assemble in favorable weather for fishing.Back of these settlements the land rises rapidly to Mount Tumantangis.A teak forest of considerable size lies between Tumangtangis and Jolo City.
Outside of the wall of Jolo City and to the east lies the settlement of Busbus,where criminals were formerly chopped to death after being tied to a tree (TODAY A BARANGAY WITHIN JOLO CITY).A mile beyond is Mubu,where the old residence of Sultan Harun stands out prominently.Copius springs of fresh water issue at this place at a point near the high water mark.A mile farther east we come to Tandu (point or cape),where Datu Kalbi lives.This point is,generally know as Tandu Dayang Ipil ("CAPE PRINCESS IPIL) (Princess Ipil and her followers were wrecked and drowned at this point.Their bodies are said to have turned into stone and formed the rocks that line the shore.Some of the rocks seemed to the people to resemble petrified human beings) and marks the eastern limit of the Bay of Jolo.The isolsted hill of Patikul rises immediately behind Tandu.The settlement of Patikul lies still farther away on the beach.Here lives Datu Julkarnayn (Alexander the Great),the brother of Datu Kalbi.The beautiful region lying between Patikul and the mountains of Tambang and Sinuma'an is called Lati.
Buhanginin lies about midway between Patikul and Higasan.At the latter place or Tandu Manuk-manuk the shore line recedes toward the south.Opposite this point lies the island of Bakungan.Next comes the larger settlement of Taglibi,above which rises Mount Ta'ung;then Bunbun,near a point which marks the western entrance into the Bay of Si'it.Midway between Bunbun and the head of the bay is Sn' [sic],which may be said to mark the boundry line between Lati and Lu'uk.Si'it is a small settlement near the head of the bay.Beyond Si'it,the shore line turns north until it reaches Kansipat.About two miles farther,a semicircular reef off the shore makes the excellent and well-protected small harbor of Bwal.A large spring of pure,fresh water adds to this place another natural advantage,one which gave it the prominence it had in former days.The entrance into the harbor is very shallow and allows only sailboats of light draft.The channel lies close to the shore on the west side.Opposite the island of Tulayn lie Tandu-batu and a little farther inland Kuta Makis.Limawa lies about 3 miles farther on near a point opposite the island of Buli KutingBehind this island,and at the head of a shallow cove lies Patutul,the chief settlement of Tandu.East of Bud Tandu is Tandu Pansau,the easternmost point of the island.The eastern coast is exposed to storms and appears rock and barren,though the hills behind it are well cultivated.The first point on the southern coast is Tandu Panu'an,behind which lies the settlement of Sukuban.This marks the southern extremity of the boundary line between Tandu and Lu'uk.The country behind Kuta Sihi'and Pitugu appears rich and well tilled.The hills come down to the beach.Near the point at the eastern limit of Tu'tu Bay lies Kambing.The neighboring country is rich and prosperous.It is governed by Maharajah Bayrula,one of the wisest and best chiefs of Sulu.West of Kambing lie Pandang-pandang,Tubu-manuk,and Tu'tu.The shore is a continuous mangrove marsh,while the country behind is about the richest and best tilled land on the whole island.The western side of Tu'tu Bay has few places of importance.The country behind is picturesque and hillt,but not as well populated as the other parts of the island.Lubuk,Kabungkul,and Lumapit are the chief settlements.
Beyond the point of Buhangin Puti',the shore line bends again north and the Bay of Maimbung begins.Here mangrove swamps are extensive and extend a good distance inland.The greater part of Maimbung is built on piles over the water.It is surrounded by swamps on all sides.After the tide recedes,strong odors arise from the muddy bottom to such an extraordinary degree as to render the atmosphere of the place very disagreeable and often unbearable to strangers.The center of the town is a small,open square of reclaimed land filled with coral rocks.Around this square were built the houses of Sultan Jamalul A'lam and his ministers of state.The present sultan lives on a hill about half a mile inland from the town.The square was probably the site of the Maimbung fort which was destroyed by General Arolas in 1887.Some Chinese traders live in the town and export hemp (ABACA),pearls,pearl shell,etc.,through Jolo City.The population of the town and its immediate suburbs varies considerably,but it is generally estimated at 1,000.Beyond Maimbung the coast bends sharply to the south.In the immediate vicinity of Maimbung lies Bwalu.A mile west of this place begins the district of Parang.After Lipid and Lapa comes Kabali'an,the western limit of the Bay of Maimbung.The shore line then takes a more westerly direction.Passing Dandulit and Lakasan,we reach Tandu Put,where the western coast of the island begins.This southern region of Parang is well populated and is very pretty and productive.Cultivated areas are seen on the side of the mountains everywhere and they reach the very summit of Mount Tukay.
The town of Parang is one of the largest settlements on the island and has,at present,an estimated population of 1,000.It is situated at the head of a small open bay facing the southwest and commands a beautiful view of Tapul and Lugus and the intervening sheet of water.It is the capitol of the district and has one of the best markets in the Archipelago for fish,shells,and pearls.The drinking water in this neighborhood is brackish.
An islet lies off the shore near Tandu Bunga.Beyond this point the shoreline turns north to Bwisan,which is one of the most prosperous districts.Beyond Alu Pangku' the coast inclines a little east and runs to Silankan and Timahu.Extensive coconut groves and well cultivated.Fields and fruit trees of various kinds abound all along the coast from Parang to Timahu.
Districts of the Island:
The districts of the island conform in a great measure to its natural divisions.However,political reasons have modified the natural boundries and have increased the districts to six by division.These districts are Parang,Pansul,Lati,Gi'tung,Lu'uk, and Tandu.The first district on the west is Parang.A line joining the western limit of Bwalu on the south coast,with a point slightly east of the summit of Mount Tumantangis,and well projected to the sea on the north,delimits [sic] the district on the east and carves out of the Western natural division the district of Pansul$The eastern boundry of Pansul is a line running from a point 2 or 3 miles east of Maimbung to Mount Pula and Busbus.The chief reason for separating Pansul from Parang was to reserve for the sultan direct control over Jolo City and Maimbung.This district has more foreigners residing in it than any other.
A line joining Su'[sic] and Lubuk marks the eastern limit of both Lati and Gi'tung,the third and fourth districts.The watershed line joining the summits of Mount Dahu,Tambang,and Sinuma'an and falling on the east to the vicinity of Su',divides Lati on the north from Gi'tung on the south.For all practical purposes the district of Lati may be said to lie between Jolo City and Su,'and the district of Gi'tung or Talipao between Maimbung and Tu'tu.The land joining Si'it and Tu'tu'is low.On Jolo Island traditions say that when the Samals arrived in the island this neck of land was submerged and the island was divided by a channel of water.The extinct volcano of Pandakan,generally spoken of as the"Crater Lake,"which lies in the vicinity of ,may be of late origin and may have been the source of the geological deposits which helped fill the channel.Spanish records speak of a volcanic eruption in the vicinity of Jolo City as late as 1840,and it is very likely that other volcanic action occurred prior to that date and after the arrival of the Samals in the fourteenth century.
A line joining Limawa on the north and Sukuban or Tandu Panu'an on the south,divides Lu'uk from Tandu,thus forming the fifth and sisth districts respectively.A line joining Mount Tayungan and Bud Tandu divides both Lu'uk and Tandu into a northern and a southern part.In both cases the southern parts are more fertile and better cultivated and probably more thickly populated than the northern.
The Tausugs are principally agriculturis.The greater part of the people are farmers and a considerable portion of the interior of the island is under cultivation.They raise a good number of cattle,carabaos,and horses,which they utilize for tilling the soil and transporting its products.Trails cross the island in all directions and the interior is in easy communication with the sea.Fruits are good and abundant.The forests are rich in jungle products and in timber.Some copra and hemp is raised and the amount is being increased anually.The staples are tapioca,rice,and corn.Sugar cane is raised in small quantities.Ube and taro are fairly abundant.Some coffee is produced,but disease destroyed most of the plantations.Some tobacco and vegetables are raised for home consumption only.
Jolo City is one of the best fish markets in the Philippine Islands.The varieties of fish in Sulu waters are innumerable and of excellent quality.The island of Jolo surpasses Mindanao in the quality and proportional amount of its fruit.There is an abundance of mangostins (MANGOSTEENS),durians,nangkas (jack-fruits),lancones (LANZONES),marangs,mangos of several varieties (mampalam,bawnu,and wanni),oranges,custard apples,pineapples,bananas,etc.
In the extent and quality of cultivation the district of Lu'uk ranks first,Parang second,and Lati third.Good fresh water abounds everywhere except on the western coast.Considerable irrigation is possible in many localities.
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In my next History entry,"History of Mindanao,Part VIII:Jolo City at the Beginning of the 20th Century"I will continue with Dr.Saleeby's"History of Sulu,"Chapter I,in which Saleeby goes into detail about the construction of,appearance of,and general state of affairs in Jolo City which at that point was still simply called,"Jolo."
History of Mindanao,Part VII:The History of Basilan,Sulu,and Tawi Tawi Provinces
The following excerpt is from the very well known book,"The History of Sulu"by Najeeb Mitry Saleeby (Manila:Bureau of Printing) (1908).When Dr.Saleeby wrote this seminal volume,in 1906 (published in 1908) Basilan,Sulu and Tawi Tawi were all part of a unitary administrative unit that the Americans so creatively labeled,"Moro Province"(Muslim Province).Saleeby was a Maronite Christian born in what is now Lebanon but was then,in 1870,part of the Ottoman Empire.He emigrated to the United States and by 1897 had received his medical degree from Bellvue.Like so many young men he had a bit of wander lust,combining this penchant for adventure with the need for stable employment he accepted a position in Manila with the colonial administration.Assigned to perform an ethnographic survey he ended up attracted to Tausug Culture and to a lesser extent Filipino Muslims in general.
Chapter I: Geographical Description of the Sulu Archipelago:
The Sulu Archipelago is a series of small volcanic islands which extends in a northeast and southwest direction between the meridians of 119•10'and 122•25'east,and the parallels of 4•30'and 6•50'north.It forms a continuous chain of islands,islets,and coral reefs,which connects the peninsula of Zamboanga with the northeastern extremity of Borneo and separates the Sulu Sea from the Celebes Sea.It marks the southern line of communication between the Philippine Islands and Borneo and is probably the chief route of former emigrations and travel from Borneo to Mindanao and the southern Bisayan Islands (VISAYAN REGION OF THE PHILIPPINES).
The islands of the Archipelago are so disposed as to form several smaller groups,the most important of which are the following:The Basilan Group (NOW SPLIT BETWEEN 4 PROVINCES:BASILAN,ZAMBONGA DEL NORTE,ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY,AND ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR),the Balangingi or Samal Group,the Sulu Group,the Pangutaran Group,the Tapul or Siasi Group,and the Tawi Tawi Group (TODAY A SEPARATE PROVINCE).
The Basilan Group is the first on the north and includes the Island of Basilan and fifty-six small adjacent islands,all of which lie north of the parallel of 6•15'north and east of the meridian of 121•19'east.This group,under the name of Basilan,constituted the sixth district of the politico-military government of Mindanao,organized by the Spanish Government in 1861.Since that date the islands forming this group have not been recognized politically as a part of the Sulu Archipelago.
Basilan is the largest island in the Archipelago.Its northernmost point is about 10 miles directly south of Zamboanga.The island is more or less circular in outline and has a radius approximately 11 miles long.Its area is about 400 square miles.Two prominent headlands projecting,one on the east and one on the west,give the island a maximum length of 36 miles.The greatest width,north and south,is 24 miles.The eastern headland is long and has a picturesque,conical peak,called Mount Matangal,which rises about 648 meters above sea level.This peak is a very prominent landmark,visible to a great distance from all points in the Celebes Sea and in the Straits of the Celebes Sea and in the Straits of Basilan.The western headland is less prominent.It has an isolated peak about 287 meters above the sea,immediately north of the settlement of Pangasa'an.The position of this peak makes it a conspicuous landmark to vessels entering the Straits of Basilan from the Sulu Sea.
The surface of the island is high and hilly.Twenty-three peaks are recognized,forming two distinct series of ranges,central and peripheral.The central regiom of the island is an elevated tableland,out of which rise a number of peaks forming the central series and ranging from 609 to 1,019 meters above sea level.A thick forest covers this region.The rivers are small and dry up in the dry season.Few Yakans (INDIGINOUS TRIBE) are to be found there,and their houses are isolated and far apart.No cultivation is carried on in the interior.On the outside of this region rises the peripheral series of hills or peaks which lie parallel and near to the coast.With the exception of the two,all of these peaks are below 304 meters in height.The drop from this line of hills to the coast is rapid in some places,and in general the shoreline is low and swampy and covered with mangrove trees.The three largest valleys in the island are those of Gubawan or Lamitan on the northeast,Kumalarang on the northwest,and Malusu on the west.The region is generally considered fertile,but it has a marked dry season and droughts are not rare.
The island is very rich in timber;all its hills and mountains are forest-clad to their summits.Excellent boats are constructed on the south and west coasts of the island which rival the Tawi Tawi boats in every particular.A few Americans have started hemp and coconut plantations on the north coast,but native cultivation is not extensive and compares very poorly with that of the Islands of Sulu (JOLO),Tapul,and Siasi.Most of the cultivation on the island is carried on by Yakans,the Samals living chiefly on the products of the sea.The staple products of the soil are rice,tapioca,and corn.Ubi (a kind of tuber as food) (PURPLE SWEET POTATOE,SPELLED LOCALLY AS"UBE"),camotes (sweet potaoes),and wild fruits abound.The number of cattle is not inconsiderable (HE IS RERRING TO CARABOA,WATER BUFFALO),but horses are few.Most of the settlements on the island are on the seacoast and lie on the north and the west coasts.The larger ones,beginning at Isabela,and going east,are,on the north,Isabela,Patasan or Balaktasan,Malu'ung,Nipa,Lamitan,Tagima,Kandi'is;on the east,Tambunan,Buhi-lubung,and Ubung;on the south,Amalwi,Giyung,and Mangal;on the west,Libuk,Kabkaban,Kanas,Malusu,and Pangasa'an;on the north,Bulansa,Atung-atung,Batanay,and Panigayan (NOT ON BASILAN BUT ON AN ISLET OF THE SAME NAME DIRECTLY OFF OF THE BASILAN COAST).The prominent chiefs on the island live at Lamitan,Ubung,and Malusu,which form the prnicipal centers of native power.The old name of Basilan was Tagima,so called after the name of the old settlement of Tagima mentioned above.
Isabela may be considered as the capitol of Basilan.Its old name is Pasangan,which is still the name of the stream at the mouth of which it is built.The town is situated 4 miles inland,on the narrow channel which separates Basilan from the small island of Malamawi.The channel widens a little at this point and forms an excellent harbor.Under Spanish jurisdiction it was a naval station with a drydock for gunboats.An aqueduct furnishes the town with fresh water brought from a small stream in the neighborhood.The stone fort Isabel II,built on the hill in 1842,commands both entrances of the channel.It was designed to defend the town against the Moros (MUSLIMS).The abandonment of the town as a naval station has led to its present decline.An American sawmill planted there has been the chief source of lumber supply for the town of Zamboanga and neighborhood.
The largest islands in this group,excepting Basilan,are Baluk-baluk and Pilas,both of which lie west of Basilan.A narrow channel which lies in the direct route leading from Zamboanga to Jolo separates these two islands.Tapiantana,Salupin,Bubwan,and Lanawan are the largest islands of the group south of Basilan.
The population of this whole group is generally estimated at 25,000.Of these,15,000 live in Basilan itself.The inhabitants of Basilan proper are Yakans and Samals,while the adjacent islands are occupied entirely by Samals.The Yakan are the aborigines of Basilan and extend further into the interior than the Samals.
Basilan never enjoyed political independence (ACTUALLY,SINCE PUBLICATION NEARLY 100 YEARS AGO CHINESE SOURCES HAVE SHOWN THAT INDEED THE ISLAND WAS ONCE AN INDEPENDENT KINGDOM IN THE PRE-ISLAMIC ERA).Before Spanish rule it was governed by Sulu datus and paid tribute to the Sultan of Sulu.Under the datus,subordinate Samal panglimas and maharajas had charge of the various communities or settlements.The Samals of Basilan are at present stronger than other Samals and enjoy a greater degree of liberty and self-government than their brothers in the Tawi Tawi Group.
The Balangingi Group lies east of the meridian 121•28'east and to the south of the Basilan Group.It has nineteen islands,the principal ones of which are Tonkil,Balangingi,Simisa,Tatalan,Bukutwa,Bim,Bangalaw.The islands of this group are small and low and do not exceed 38 square miles in area.Their inhabitants are Samals (THERE IS ANTHROPOLIGICAL DEBATE AS TO WHETHER THEY ARE SAMAL OR ACTUALLY A GROUP ONTO THEMSELVES.THE CONSENSUS IS THAT THEY WERE ON THE CUSP OF DISTINCTION UNTIL THE SPANISH NEARLY EXTERMINATED THE BULK OF THE POPULATION).The people of Balangingi and Tonkil were notorious pirates.They built strong forts and once surpassed all other Samals in power,political,organization,and prosperity.
The Jolo Group (CALLED SULU GROUP BY AUTHOR) which lies west of the Balangingi Group and north of the parallel of 5•46'north.Its western boundry may be sent [sic] at the meridian of 120•46' east.It consists of about twenty-nine islands with a total of 380 square miles.The principal island of this group is Sulu (JOLO,HENCEWORTH I WILL USE THE MODERN TERM JOLO SO AS NOT TO CONFUSE READERS).To the north of Jolo lie Pangasinan,Marongas,Kabukan,Bubwan,Minis,Hegad,and a few others;to the east lie Tulayan,Kapwal,and Bitinan;to the south,Pata and Patyan.
Tulayan lies north of Tandu and is separated from it by a narrow strait.It has a good harbor on the southern side.It was ceded to the English on 1763 by Sultan Alimud Din I (OF SULU) out of appreciation of the favor done in releasing him from prison in Manila and reinstating him as Sultan of Sulu.The English however,never made any use of the island.Pata is,next to Jolo,the largest island of the group.It is mountainous and well populated.The description of the island of Jolo is given separately at the end of this chapter.
The Panguturan Group lies west of the Jolo Group and north of the sixth parallel.It has fourteen islands and an area of 72 square miles.The principal members of the group are Panguturan,Pandukan,North Ubian,Laparan,and Tababas or Cap.They are all low and flat with little more than trees visible from the sea.They are surrounded by coral reefs and sand banks,which in places form lagoons which can be entered only at high water.The drinking water in these islands is brackish in the hot season and has a black color during rains.Very often people go as far as the Island of Jolo to get good water.Panguturan is the fifth island in the Archipelago in size,being 11 miles long,north and south,and 8 miles wide,from east to west,its chief settlement is Maglakub.Its northern and eastern coasts are the best populated.The inhabitants of this group are chiefly Samals;few Sulus (TAUSUGS) are found mixed with them.Coconut trees and tapioca plants grow well in places.
The Siasi Group lie to south and west of the Jolo Group,east of the meridian of 120•33'east,and north of the parallel of 5•24'north.It has thirty-eight islands with an aggregate area of 77 square miles.Its population is estimated at 20,000.The principal islands of this group are Siasi,Pandami,Lugus,Tapul,Laminusa,and Kabinga'an.The first four are volcanic islands of some size;the last two are low and flat.Tapul is the nearest island to the group of Jolo.It is more or less round in circumfrence and rises in the middle of a picturesque conical peak 505 meters above the sea.It is almost 5 miles in diameter and is separated from Lugus by a very narrow channel.The island is 8 miles south of Jolo Island,is well cultivated,and appears very attractive from the sea.It supports a considerable population and several fairly prosperous settlements.The people are mostly Tausugs;they are very warlike and take great pride in their traditions.
The chief settlement of this island is Kanawi,where lives Sharif [sic] Alawi,the strongest chief of the island.Buhabgin Hawpu,Pangpang,and Pagatpat all lie on the southern coast,east of Kanawi.The settlements on the western coast are,beginning at the south,Suba Pukul,Kawimpang,Tigbas,Banting,Kutabatu,Bagus;on the northern coast,Kawimpang,Pangdan,;on the eastern coast,Sampunay,Tulakan,.Lugus is the larger island.Its long diameter extends 9 miles east and west,and it has an area of 18 square miles.It is hilly and rough;but the northern shore is fairly well cultivated.
The chief settlements are on the western coast.They are Baabas,where Datu Amilusin used to live,and Bulipungpung.On the north lie,beginning at the east,Gapas,Ba'it-Ba'it,and Hawit,the place of Maharaja Sharafud Din;on the east Kalu'ukan,the residence of Panglima Salahud Din;on the south Aluduyung,and the Island of Munupunu.
Diasi and Pandami are separated by a narrow channel which forms a good anchorage for vessels.Siasi is prettier than Tapul in form and is larger,but not equally wooded.It has an isolated,conical,and beautiful peak in the center rising to 509 meters above sea level.The island is about 7 miles in diameter and has an area of 39 square miles.Reefs and numerous inlets form a fringe off the east and south coasts and these teem with Samal houses.It is thickly settled,fairly well cultivated,and has,in proportion to its size,a considerable number of horses and cattle.The majority of people are Samals,but the chief rulers and some of their retinue are Tausugs.In this respect this island follows the general rule governing all the larger islands of the Archipelago outside of Jolo Island.The town of Siasi is on the western side.It lies on the Pandami Channel and has a good harbor and a spring rising at the base of the western slope of the mountain supplies the town with fresh water.
A detachment of Spanish troops occupied the town in 1882 a built a stone fort and barracks.American troops were there from 1900 to 1904,when they were relieved by a detachment of the Philippine Constalbury.An effort was made in 1899 by the present sultan,Jamalul Kiram II,to retain Siasi under his own jurisdiction for the establishment of a custom-house (CUSTOMS INSPECTION STATION) where he could collect duties on foreign goods,as was formerly done by his father;but no such rights were conceeded to him.Siasi is a closed port at present.The residents of the town are Samals and Chinese traders.They vary from 500 to 700 in number.The other settlements on the island are,on the north,Siyundu,Pagatpat,and Manta;on the east,Pamungunan,Tanjun,Sipanding,and Bulikulul;on the south,Dugu Latung,and Musu;on the west,Nipanipa,Jambanganan,Dungus,and Sablay;in the interior,Kabubu,Ju,and Kungatad.Siasi and Laminusa are important centers of pearl and shell fishing.About 2,000 Samals live on Laminusa.
Pandami is an attractive island.Its long diameter runs north and south.Two round peaks,one at each end of the island,give it the shape of a saddle and make a picturesque sight from the sea.The people are chiefly Samals ruled by Tausug datus.Its best settlements are on the west and south.The name given to this island on Spanish maps is Lapak,which is the name of one of its southern settlements.The northern extremity of the island is Diadia Point,the northeast projection is Butun Point.The chief settlements on the west are,beginning at the north,Subasuba,Tabunan,Pari'an,Pandami,Tubig-shina,Lahi,and Sibaeud,which lies on a reef off the southern point of the island.On the east lie Ambilan,Bakal,and Lapak.Laminusa and Kabinga'an lie on the east of Siasi.They are small but thickly populated by Samals.The chief settlements of Laminusa are Tampan on the north and Kungkung on the south.
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I will conclude Chapter I (I know,I know,boring,but it does help to know the geography of the region as well as the place names used at that point in time).
Chapter I: Geographical Description of the Sulu Archipelago:
The Sulu Archipelago is a series of small volcanic islands which extends in a northeast and southwest direction between the meridians of 119•10'and 122•25'east,and the parallels of 4•30'and 6•50'north.It forms a continuous chain of islands,islets,and coral reefs,which connects the peninsula of Zamboanga with the northeastern extremity of Borneo and separates the Sulu Sea from the Celebes Sea.It marks the southern line of communication between the Philippine Islands and Borneo and is probably the chief route of former emigrations and travel from Borneo to Mindanao and the southern Bisayan Islands (VISAYAN REGION OF THE PHILIPPINES).
The islands of the Archipelago are so disposed as to form several smaller groups,the most important of which are the following:The Basilan Group (NOW SPLIT BETWEEN 4 PROVINCES:BASILAN,ZAMBONGA DEL NORTE,ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY,AND ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR),the Balangingi or Samal Group,the Sulu Group,the Pangutaran Group,the Tapul or Siasi Group,and the Tawi Tawi Group (TODAY A SEPARATE PROVINCE).
The Basilan Group is the first on the north and includes the Island of Basilan and fifty-six small adjacent islands,all of which lie north of the parallel of 6•15'north and east of the meridian of 121•19'east.This group,under the name of Basilan,constituted the sixth district of the politico-military government of Mindanao,organized by the Spanish Government in 1861.Since that date the islands forming this group have not been recognized politically as a part of the Sulu Archipelago.
Basilan is the largest island in the Archipelago.Its northernmost point is about 10 miles directly south of Zamboanga.The island is more or less circular in outline and has a radius approximately 11 miles long.Its area is about 400 square miles.Two prominent headlands projecting,one on the east and one on the west,give the island a maximum length of 36 miles.The greatest width,north and south,is 24 miles.The eastern headland is long and has a picturesque,conical peak,called Mount Matangal,which rises about 648 meters above sea level.This peak is a very prominent landmark,visible to a great distance from all points in the Celebes Sea and in the Straits of the Celebes Sea and in the Straits of Basilan.The western headland is less prominent.It has an isolated peak about 287 meters above the sea,immediately north of the settlement of Pangasa'an.The position of this peak makes it a conspicuous landmark to vessels entering the Straits of Basilan from the Sulu Sea.
The surface of the island is high and hilly.Twenty-three peaks are recognized,forming two distinct series of ranges,central and peripheral.The central regiom of the island is an elevated tableland,out of which rise a number of peaks forming the central series and ranging from 609 to 1,019 meters above sea level.A thick forest covers this region.The rivers are small and dry up in the dry season.Few Yakans (INDIGINOUS TRIBE) are to be found there,and their houses are isolated and far apart.No cultivation is carried on in the interior.On the outside of this region rises the peripheral series of hills or peaks which lie parallel and near to the coast.With the exception of the two,all of these peaks are below 304 meters in height.The drop from this line of hills to the coast is rapid in some places,and in general the shoreline is low and swampy and covered with mangrove trees.The three largest valleys in the island are those of Gubawan or Lamitan on the northeast,Kumalarang on the northwest,and Malusu on the west.The region is generally considered fertile,but it has a marked dry season and droughts are not rare.
The island is very rich in timber;all its hills and mountains are forest-clad to their summits.Excellent boats are constructed on the south and west coasts of the island which rival the Tawi Tawi boats in every particular.A few Americans have started hemp and coconut plantations on the north coast,but native cultivation is not extensive and compares very poorly with that of the Islands of Sulu (JOLO),Tapul,and Siasi.Most of the cultivation on the island is carried on by Yakans,the Samals living chiefly on the products of the sea.The staple products of the soil are rice,tapioca,and corn.Ubi (a kind of tuber as food) (PURPLE SWEET POTATOE,SPELLED LOCALLY AS"UBE"),camotes (sweet potaoes),and wild fruits abound.The number of cattle is not inconsiderable (HE IS RERRING TO CARABOA,WATER BUFFALO),but horses are few.Most of the settlements on the island are on the seacoast and lie on the north and the west coasts.The larger ones,beginning at Isabela,and going east,are,on the north,Isabela,Patasan or Balaktasan,Malu'ung,Nipa,Lamitan,Tagima,Kandi'is;on the east,Tambunan,Buhi-lubung,and Ubung;on the south,Amalwi,Giyung,and Mangal;on the west,Libuk,Kabkaban,Kanas,Malusu,and Pangasa'an;on the north,Bulansa,Atung-atung,Batanay,and Panigayan (NOT ON BASILAN BUT ON AN ISLET OF THE SAME NAME DIRECTLY OFF OF THE BASILAN COAST).The prominent chiefs on the island live at Lamitan,Ubung,and Malusu,which form the prnicipal centers of native power.The old name of Basilan was Tagima,so called after the name of the old settlement of Tagima mentioned above.
Isabela may be considered as the capitol of Basilan.Its old name is Pasangan,which is still the name of the stream at the mouth of which it is built.The town is situated 4 miles inland,on the narrow channel which separates Basilan from the small island of Malamawi.The channel widens a little at this point and forms an excellent harbor.Under Spanish jurisdiction it was a naval station with a drydock for gunboats.An aqueduct furnishes the town with fresh water brought from a small stream in the neighborhood.The stone fort Isabel II,built on the hill in 1842,commands both entrances of the channel.It was designed to defend the town against the Moros (MUSLIMS).The abandonment of the town as a naval station has led to its present decline.An American sawmill planted there has been the chief source of lumber supply for the town of Zamboanga and neighborhood.
The largest islands in this group,excepting Basilan,are Baluk-baluk and Pilas,both of which lie west of Basilan.A narrow channel which lies in the direct route leading from Zamboanga to Jolo separates these two islands.Tapiantana,Salupin,Bubwan,and Lanawan are the largest islands of the group south of Basilan.
The population of this whole group is generally estimated at 25,000.Of these,15,000 live in Basilan itself.The inhabitants of Basilan proper are Yakans and Samals,while the adjacent islands are occupied entirely by Samals.The Yakan are the aborigines of Basilan and extend further into the interior than the Samals.
Basilan never enjoyed political independence (ACTUALLY,SINCE PUBLICATION NEARLY 100 YEARS AGO CHINESE SOURCES HAVE SHOWN THAT INDEED THE ISLAND WAS ONCE AN INDEPENDENT KINGDOM IN THE PRE-ISLAMIC ERA).Before Spanish rule it was governed by Sulu datus and paid tribute to the Sultan of Sulu.Under the datus,subordinate Samal panglimas and maharajas had charge of the various communities or settlements.The Samals of Basilan are at present stronger than other Samals and enjoy a greater degree of liberty and self-government than their brothers in the Tawi Tawi Group.
The Balangingi Group lies east of the meridian 121•28'east and to the south of the Basilan Group.It has nineteen islands,the principal ones of which are Tonkil,Balangingi,Simisa,Tatalan,Bukutwa,Bim,Bangalaw.The islands of this group are small and low and do not exceed 38 square miles in area.Their inhabitants are Samals (THERE IS ANTHROPOLIGICAL DEBATE AS TO WHETHER THEY ARE SAMAL OR ACTUALLY A GROUP ONTO THEMSELVES.THE CONSENSUS IS THAT THEY WERE ON THE CUSP OF DISTINCTION UNTIL THE SPANISH NEARLY EXTERMINATED THE BULK OF THE POPULATION).The people of Balangingi and Tonkil were notorious pirates.They built strong forts and once surpassed all other Samals in power,political,organization,and prosperity.
The Jolo Group (CALLED SULU GROUP BY AUTHOR) which lies west of the Balangingi Group and north of the parallel of 5•46'north.Its western boundry may be sent [sic] at the meridian of 120•46' east.It consists of about twenty-nine islands with a total of 380 square miles.The principal island of this group is Sulu (JOLO,HENCEWORTH I WILL USE THE MODERN TERM JOLO SO AS NOT TO CONFUSE READERS).To the north of Jolo lie Pangasinan,Marongas,Kabukan,Bubwan,Minis,Hegad,and a few others;to the east lie Tulayan,Kapwal,and Bitinan;to the south,Pata and Patyan.
Tulayan lies north of Tandu and is separated from it by a narrow strait.It has a good harbor on the southern side.It was ceded to the English on 1763 by Sultan Alimud Din I (OF SULU) out of appreciation of the favor done in releasing him from prison in Manila and reinstating him as Sultan of Sulu.The English however,never made any use of the island.Pata is,next to Jolo,the largest island of the group.It is mountainous and well populated.The description of the island of Jolo is given separately at the end of this chapter.
The Panguturan Group lies west of the Jolo Group and north of the sixth parallel.It has fourteen islands and an area of 72 square miles.The principal members of the group are Panguturan,Pandukan,North Ubian,Laparan,and Tababas or Cap.They are all low and flat with little more than trees visible from the sea.They are surrounded by coral reefs and sand banks,which in places form lagoons which can be entered only at high water.The drinking water in these islands is brackish in the hot season and has a black color during rains.Very often people go as far as the Island of Jolo to get good water.Panguturan is the fifth island in the Archipelago in size,being 11 miles long,north and south,and 8 miles wide,from east to west,its chief settlement is Maglakub.Its northern and eastern coasts are the best populated.The inhabitants of this group are chiefly Samals;few Sulus (TAUSUGS) are found mixed with them.Coconut trees and tapioca plants grow well in places.
The Siasi Group lie to south and west of the Jolo Group,east of the meridian of 120•33'east,and north of the parallel of 5•24'north.It has thirty-eight islands with an aggregate area of 77 square miles.Its population is estimated at 20,000.The principal islands of this group are Siasi,Pandami,Lugus,Tapul,Laminusa,and Kabinga'an.The first four are volcanic islands of some size;the last two are low and flat.Tapul is the nearest island to the group of Jolo.It is more or less round in circumfrence and rises in the middle of a picturesque conical peak 505 meters above the sea.It is almost 5 miles in diameter and is separated from Lugus by a very narrow channel.The island is 8 miles south of Jolo Island,is well cultivated,and appears very attractive from the sea.It supports a considerable population and several fairly prosperous settlements.The people are mostly Tausugs;they are very warlike and take great pride in their traditions.
The chief settlement of this island is Kanawi,where lives Sharif [sic] Alawi,the strongest chief of the island.Buhabgin Hawpu,Pangpang,and Pagatpat all lie on the southern coast,east of Kanawi.The settlements on the western coast are,beginning at the south,Suba Pukul,Kawimpang,Tigbas,Banting,Kutabatu,Bagus;on the northern coast,Kawimpang,Pangdan,;on the eastern coast,Sampunay,Tulakan,.Lugus is the larger island.Its long diameter extends 9 miles east and west,and it has an area of 18 square miles.It is hilly and rough;but the northern shore is fairly well cultivated.
The chief settlements are on the western coast.They are Baabas,where Datu Amilusin used to live,and Bulipungpung.On the north lie,beginning at the east,Gapas,Ba'it-Ba'it,and Hawit,the place of Maharaja Sharafud Din;on the east Kalu'ukan,the residence of Panglima Salahud Din;on the south Aluduyung,and the Island of Munupunu.
Diasi and Pandami are separated by a narrow channel which forms a good anchorage for vessels.Siasi is prettier than Tapul in form and is larger,but not equally wooded.It has an isolated,conical,and beautiful peak in the center rising to 509 meters above sea level.The island is about 7 miles in diameter and has an area of 39 square miles.Reefs and numerous inlets form a fringe off the east and south coasts and these teem with Samal houses.It is thickly settled,fairly well cultivated,and has,in proportion to its size,a considerable number of horses and cattle.The majority of people are Samals,but the chief rulers and some of their retinue are Tausugs.In this respect this island follows the general rule governing all the larger islands of the Archipelago outside of Jolo Island.The town of Siasi is on the western side.It lies on the Pandami Channel and has a good harbor and a spring rising at the base of the western slope of the mountain supplies the town with fresh water.
A detachment of Spanish troops occupied the town in 1882 a built a stone fort and barracks.American troops were there from 1900 to 1904,when they were relieved by a detachment of the Philippine Constalbury.An effort was made in 1899 by the present sultan,Jamalul Kiram II,to retain Siasi under his own jurisdiction for the establishment of a custom-house (CUSTOMS INSPECTION STATION) where he could collect duties on foreign goods,as was formerly done by his father;but no such rights were conceeded to him.Siasi is a closed port at present.The residents of the town are Samals and Chinese traders.They vary from 500 to 700 in number.The other settlements on the island are,on the north,Siyundu,Pagatpat,and Manta;on the east,Pamungunan,Tanjun,Sipanding,and Bulikulul;on the south,Dugu Latung,and Musu;on the west,Nipanipa,Jambanganan,Dungus,and Sablay;in the interior,Kabubu,Ju,and Kungatad.Siasi and Laminusa are important centers of pearl and shell fishing.About 2,000 Samals live on Laminusa.
Pandami is an attractive island.Its long diameter runs north and south.Two round peaks,one at each end of the island,give it the shape of a saddle and make a picturesque sight from the sea.The people are chiefly Samals ruled by Tausug datus.Its best settlements are on the west and south.The name given to this island on Spanish maps is Lapak,which is the name of one of its southern settlements.The northern extremity of the island is Diadia Point,the northeast projection is Butun Point.The chief settlements on the west are,beginning at the north,Subasuba,Tabunan,Pari'an,Pandami,Tubig-shina,Lahi,and Sibaeud,which lies on a reef off the southern point of the island.On the east lie Ambilan,Bakal,and Lapak.Laminusa and Kabinga'an lie on the east of Siasi.They are small but thickly populated by Samals.The chief settlements of Laminusa are Tampan on the north and Kungkung on the south.
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I will conclude Chapter I (I know,I know,boring,but it does help to know the geography of the region as well as the place names used at that point in time).
GPH-MILF Peace Process for the Second Quarter of 2011, Part I: Much Ado About Nothing
By now President Aquino had planned to be on top of his game. Scheduled to hand over the GPH (Government of the Philippines) Draft Comprehensive Compact, or "Com-Com" as it is called in shorthand, on the MILF's so called "Assymetrical State: Sub-state Solution." As I noted in my First Quarter entry on the GPH-MILF Peace Process, the MILF has climbed aboard the Autonomy train and has chosen to instead frame its wish list as a somewhat more palatable Federal-style relationship with the Central Government. The term "Assymetrical" refers to a comparison of the proposed GPH-MILF relationship and the relationship between other Regions and the Central Government. Since the MILF aims for a unique form of relationship, when held up against all other Regions, it is clearly "Assymetrical."
The phrase "State" simply refers to the Central Government, or GPH.The phrase "Sub-state" is referring to the envisioned autonomous region to be controlled by the MILF during a loosely defined transitional phase. In their last Round in Kuala Lampur, in February of 2011, the MILF Peace Panel handed over a revised version of its wish list, the aforementioned "Comprehensive Compact." When they parted, the GPH Peace Panel had committed itself towards handing over its own Draft Comprehensive Compact, using the MILF draft as a sounding board.
The problem though is that President Aquino has been planning to offer the GPH's Draft within the larger dynamic taking place with regard to the ARMM, or Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. Beginning in the Autumn of 2010. Mr.Aquino began agitating for a delay in the ARMM Election scheduled for August 8th, 2011. The President obviously envisioned getting this delay long before the present Round in the GPH-MILF Peace Process.
The idea is to kill two birds with one stone. On one hand the parallel GPH-MNLF Peace Process hinges entirely on an amendment of Republic Act #9054 (RA #9054), the so called, "Revised Organic Act." RA #9054 itself was an amendment of an earlier act that actually created ARMM. The GPH endgame in the current phase of the Peace Process involves greatly expanded autonomy within the framework of the ARMM. To do this,the President,as I just noted,needs to amend RA #9054.At the same time it wishes to offer the MNLF a share in running the ARMM (I know,I know,it didn't fare too well the last time the Government tried it but bear with me here). Also at the same time it wants to frame the MILF's latest obssesion, the "Assymetrical State:Sub-state Solution" within the extant frame work of the ARMM, albeit in the amended ARMM with greater autonomy, which is pretty much what the MILF's wish list is at the end of the day. Of course the MILF is swearing up a storm, raising its collectively clenched fist as it vows to Allah that it will never accept a role in the ARMM...
But just why is the ARMM Election so crucial to the President's agenda? If the election were to proceed in August of 2011,as scheduled, and the amendment to follow anytime AFTER that election, there would be a coterie of elected officials screaming bloody murder. There would be a whole range of issues, the most pressing of them being the un-Constitutionality of the Central Government proscribing new duties and responsibilities for extant elective positions. In simpler terms, if the Governor of the ARMM is suddenly delegated new responsibilities, or alternatively has existing responsibilities negated by virtue of an amendment to RA #9054 it would contravene the Local Government Code of 1991, an act that itself hinges upon the 1987 Constitution. Fifty duly elected officials could clog up the courts for literally decades as they challenged Governmental excess...I mean "reforms."
Another very pressing issue would be 50 odd slots,all elected positions, that the Central Government would love to stack with MNLF and MILF members. The only way in which to do this in a productive fashion is to appoint people directly to the position(s) in question outside of an electoral process. That seems like a no-brainer but one must remember that in 1996 the Goverment pulled out its black bag of dirty tricks to get the MNLF's Chairman Nur Misuari into that very same Governor's chair. It then simply tossed the election out the window at what was supposed to be the end of his term, knowing Misuari could never hope to win re-Election EVEN WITH the "Hello Garci" type shenanigans Manila is famous for ("Hello Garci" being a catch phrase relating to former President Arroyo's manipulation of the 2004 Presidential Election in order to retain power). At the same time, in appointing these people,it only makes sense if the appointment is given for a long enough period of time. Appointing officials to serve for 18 months (or any other arbitrary number below 24 months) is simply shuffling the deck without a sense of purpose. On a more serious note the MILF and MNLF would square off against Manila maintaining that they had been sabotaged from the start, as indeed Misuari did in 2001 when faced with his failure to improve the lives of his ARMM consistuents. It is crucial that appointees, or Officers in Charge (OICs) as they would officially be known (OICs),be given sufficient time.
In any event, with the Senate finally passing the President's electoral delay it becomes a moot issue. President Aquino is preparing to sign it into law on June 30th and so he can now appoint his 50 people. As it currently stands President Aquino will apoint his ARMM OICs to a term beginning September 30th, 2011 and ending June 30th, 2013. The point to that last date is that the ARMM Election will be held on May 13th, 2011 having been synchronised with the National Mid-Term Elections.
Speaking of the MILF taking on a role in a "reformed" ARMM...On Thursday evening, June 12th, MILF/BIAF mouthpiece Eid Kabalu sent an SMS (text message) to former North Cotabato strongman, warlord Emmanuel "Manny" Pinol and asked to see him face to face, promising him it would be well worth his time. Less than 10 minutes later Pinol called Kabalu and they arranged to meet the next evening, Friday, June 13th.
Showing up at 830PM in the lobby of Davao City's Marco Polo Hotel Kabalu was suprised to see that city's Vice Mayor Rodrigo "Roddy" Duterte along with his son Paolo in attendance. Pinol had intelligently asked Duterte to show up, knowing how messy things can be with people denying having said this or that. Pinol wanted a witness. Sitting at a lobby table, enjoying soft drinks, Kabalu got right to the point. Laying all his cards on the table he told Pinol and Duterte that placing an MILF member in the ARMM Governor's chair just might be the magic bullet to end the 30 year MILF/BIAF Insurgency. Pinol asked Kabalu if he was speaking on authority from the MILF Central Committee to which Kabalu responded he was. Pinol then asked Kabalu if the MILF had any particular person in mind for the position, knowing of course that Kabalu had himself in mind. Before Kabalu could respond Vice Mayor Duterte interjected and said that it was far too early to begin discussing specific people. Instead Duterte offered, compose an actual wish list, write down everything the MILF would like to happen vis a vis the ARMM and he promised he would pass it on to Manuel "Mars" Roxas III, President Aquino's former running mate and still his confidante. Kabalu suprised them all by promptly downloading the information off of his laptop and offering Duterte a four paged printout that did just that, in great detail.
With the meeting ending in high spirits Kabalu must have felt that he was on top of the world. That wave of good feeling would only last until daybreak when a Manila tabloid reported a tiny item about the Davao City meeting. The MILF's Ghazali Jafaar, Vice Chairman of Political Affairs, who with Chairman al Haj Murad Ebrahim being just about out of the picture, serves as the de facto leader of the MILF, was obviously out of the loop on the meeting. Jafaar went beyond his usual self restraint and full force into obnoxious by calling Pinol a compulsive liar. He challenged Pinol to prove that he had met with what the tabloid was saying was an,"unnamed member of the MILF Central Committee." Jafaar said that the MILF would NEVER have sought the assistance of a lowlife of Pinol's ilk. Just hours later Kabalu spoke on the record about the meeting and indeed corroborated every single claim made by Pinol. I wonder if Jafaar was more livid at not having been consulted OR about Kabulu proudly stating that he was a "good personal friend" of Pinol's.
The Pinol Clan are Illongos from North Cotabato Province whose vehement opposition to Filipino Muslim aspirations os legendary. Back in 2008 it was Manny Pinol himself who sank the MoA-AD (Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Demand) single handedly when, after then GPH Peace Panel chairman, retired AFP General Hermogenes "Gene" Esperon surretipiously faxed him a copy of it right before its under the table signing, ran to the Supreme Court screaming foul. His petition for a TRO, or Temporary Restraining Order was quickly followed by a host of traditionaly anti-Muslim politicians from the island filing their own silver bullets. Having gotten his desired Temporary Restraining Order just 16 hours before the signing on August 4th, Pinol's opposition to the document ended up sparking the 2008 War when three BIAF (Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces as the military wing of the MILF is known) went off the reservation and began slaughtering non-Muslims ad naseum. In fact, the first BIAF Base Command to do so, the 105 under Kumander Ustadz Ameril Ombra Kato ("Kumander Kato") launched the opening salvo by occupying the PALMMA Complex, five North Cotabato towns considered to be the Pinol Clan's power base.
It has been no secret that for the last year the MILF/BIAF has been imploding. From Murad's stroke last summer until now, four Base Commands have ceased to exist in all but name (105,107,108, and 115), Kumander Kato has formed his own extreme military organisation, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, or BIFF, and has been attracting dissatisfied BIAF guerillas left and right. On the other hand the BIAF's manpower has been sapped by a mass of defections to the MNLF-EC15 (Executive Committee of 15, under Kidnapping Kingpin and Vice Mayor of Cotabato City, Muslimin Sema), and to a much smaller extent, the MNLF-Misuari. Moreover, the MILF Central Committee is heavily factionalised. Kabalu was deployed to Pinol because the Central Committee faction coallescing behind Kabalu (who served only as a figurehead for expediency) believed that in going to Pinol it could revel in full deniability. Who in their right mind would imagine anyone from the MILF Central Committee having a liason with any Pinol, let alone THE Pinol single handedly responsible for destroying the MoA-AD? Indeed they played it correctly up to a point as seen by Ghazali Jafaar's extra-arrogant response when finding Pinol had claimed to have met with an MILF Central Committee member. They just didn't count on Kabalu getting full of himself.
After Jafaar went off the deep end Kabalu tendered his resignation. In doing so he came clean, although he delicately avoided tarring any fellow members of the Central Committee. Resigning his concurrent positions as BIAF Spokesman for Military Affairs and BIAF Chairman of Civil-Military Relations,both General Staff positions. Though he only officialy spoke for the BIAF his role as a member of the MILF's Central Committee and lack of any parallel Spokesman for the MILF meant that Eid Kabalu was the go to man for the entire organisation. Some may remember how Kabalu had just re-gained his positions after a huge misstep made in April of 2010. In those heady days before the Presidential Election of 2010 when Kabalu once again claimed to represent the Central Committee when signing a pact with Presidential candidate Brother Eddie Villanueva. The agreement had Villanueva vow to work with the MILF/BIAF for a just solution within the framework of the 1987 Constitution. Aside for purporting to represent the entire MILF/BIAF when signing it he broke MILF/BIAF Rule Number 1 in relation to the Election: No Involvement on any Level.
In the current Kabalu Clusterfuc*, despite his resignation, Ghazali Jafaar called an Emergency Session of the MILF Central Committee and strong armed the membership into passing a harshly worded Resolution in which it expelled Kabalu from the MILF/BIAF. Claiming the ex-Spokesman had violated the MILF/BIAF Code of Conduct he was charged with "Conduct Unbecoming of an Officer" and sacked. Kabalu certainly doesn't seem at all peturbed because with his delusions of grandeur he still imagines that he is a shoe in as OIC Governor of ARMM. Whatever viability Kabalu MIGHT HAVE had rested squarely on his role as a high ranking member of the MILF/BIAF. Having lost this cachet, Kabalu has been rendered worthless to the powers that be now that the MILF has rejected Kabalu.
Meanwhile, in the GPF-MILF Peace Process, after having notified the MILF Peace Panel via the Malaysian Facilitator, Tengku Dato Abd' Gafaar Tengku Mohammad, the GPH Peace Panel merely engaged in a half day Executive Session on Monday, April 27th.Representing the GPH was:
1) Chairperson Mario Victor "Marvic" Leonen
2) Panelist Miriam Coronel Ferrer
3) Chairperson of the GPH Peace Panel Secretariat, Iona Jalijali.
Meeting with them on behalf of the MILF Peace Panel was:
1) Chairman Mohagher Iqbal
2) Panelist, Datu Michael O.Mastura
3) Panelist, Maulana "Bobby" Alonto
The GPH Panel explained in extremely broad terms just why it wouldn't be turning over its Draft of the Comprehensive Compact but vowed, once again, to do so on August 2nd, 2011. Under almost any circumstances the MILF would have went ballisitic, probably in both senses of the word. However, going against form the MILF graciously agreed to wait until August. Why? Because the Government informed the MILF Peace Panel that it wanted to center its Comprehensive Compact around the amended ARMM. While the MILF swears up and down that such an idea is anathema to them the truth of the matter is that by simply re-naming the ARMM all that faux opposition will fall by the wayside. Both sides will hold a three day Round from August 2nd through 4th. Since the major Islamic holiday of Ramadan commences this year on August 1st all three of those sessions will be half day meetings.
The phrase "State" simply refers to the Central Government, or GPH.The phrase "Sub-state" is referring to the envisioned autonomous region to be controlled by the MILF during a loosely defined transitional phase. In their last Round in Kuala Lampur, in February of 2011, the MILF Peace Panel handed over a revised version of its wish list, the aforementioned "Comprehensive Compact." When they parted, the GPH Peace Panel had committed itself towards handing over its own Draft Comprehensive Compact, using the MILF draft as a sounding board.
The problem though is that President Aquino has been planning to offer the GPH's Draft within the larger dynamic taking place with regard to the ARMM, or Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. Beginning in the Autumn of 2010. Mr.Aquino began agitating for a delay in the ARMM Election scheduled for August 8th, 2011. The President obviously envisioned getting this delay long before the present Round in the GPH-MILF Peace Process.
The idea is to kill two birds with one stone. On one hand the parallel GPH-MNLF Peace Process hinges entirely on an amendment of Republic Act #9054 (RA #9054), the so called, "Revised Organic Act." RA #9054 itself was an amendment of an earlier act that actually created ARMM. The GPH endgame in the current phase of the Peace Process involves greatly expanded autonomy within the framework of the ARMM. To do this,the President,as I just noted,needs to amend RA #9054.At the same time it wishes to offer the MNLF a share in running the ARMM (I know,I know,it didn't fare too well the last time the Government tried it but bear with me here). Also at the same time it wants to frame the MILF's latest obssesion, the "Assymetrical State:Sub-state Solution" within the extant frame work of the ARMM, albeit in the amended ARMM with greater autonomy, which is pretty much what the MILF's wish list is at the end of the day. Of course the MILF is swearing up a storm, raising its collectively clenched fist as it vows to Allah that it will never accept a role in the ARMM...
But just why is the ARMM Election so crucial to the President's agenda? If the election were to proceed in August of 2011,as scheduled, and the amendment to follow anytime AFTER that election, there would be a coterie of elected officials screaming bloody murder. There would be a whole range of issues, the most pressing of them being the un-Constitutionality of the Central Government proscribing new duties and responsibilities for extant elective positions. In simpler terms, if the Governor of the ARMM is suddenly delegated new responsibilities, or alternatively has existing responsibilities negated by virtue of an amendment to RA #9054 it would contravene the Local Government Code of 1991, an act that itself hinges upon the 1987 Constitution. Fifty duly elected officials could clog up the courts for literally decades as they challenged Governmental excess...I mean "reforms."
Another very pressing issue would be 50 odd slots,all elected positions, that the Central Government would love to stack with MNLF and MILF members. The only way in which to do this in a productive fashion is to appoint people directly to the position(s) in question outside of an electoral process. That seems like a no-brainer but one must remember that in 1996 the Goverment pulled out its black bag of dirty tricks to get the MNLF's Chairman Nur Misuari into that very same Governor's chair. It then simply tossed the election out the window at what was supposed to be the end of his term, knowing Misuari could never hope to win re-Election EVEN WITH the "Hello Garci" type shenanigans Manila is famous for ("Hello Garci" being a catch phrase relating to former President Arroyo's manipulation of the 2004 Presidential Election in order to retain power). At the same time, in appointing these people,it only makes sense if the appointment is given for a long enough period of time. Appointing officials to serve for 18 months (or any other arbitrary number below 24 months) is simply shuffling the deck without a sense of purpose. On a more serious note the MILF and MNLF would square off against Manila maintaining that they had been sabotaged from the start, as indeed Misuari did in 2001 when faced with his failure to improve the lives of his ARMM consistuents. It is crucial that appointees, or Officers in Charge (OICs) as they would officially be known (OICs),be given sufficient time.
In any event, with the Senate finally passing the President's electoral delay it becomes a moot issue. President Aquino is preparing to sign it into law on June 30th and so he can now appoint his 50 people. As it currently stands President Aquino will apoint his ARMM OICs to a term beginning September 30th, 2011 and ending June 30th, 2013. The point to that last date is that the ARMM Election will be held on May 13th, 2011 having been synchronised with the National Mid-Term Elections.
Speaking of the MILF taking on a role in a "reformed" ARMM...On Thursday evening, June 12th, MILF/BIAF mouthpiece Eid Kabalu sent an SMS (text message) to former North Cotabato strongman, warlord Emmanuel "Manny" Pinol and asked to see him face to face, promising him it would be well worth his time. Less than 10 minutes later Pinol called Kabalu and they arranged to meet the next evening, Friday, June 13th.
Showing up at 830PM in the lobby of Davao City's Marco Polo Hotel Kabalu was suprised to see that city's Vice Mayor Rodrigo "Roddy" Duterte along with his son Paolo in attendance. Pinol had intelligently asked Duterte to show up, knowing how messy things can be with people denying having said this or that. Pinol wanted a witness. Sitting at a lobby table, enjoying soft drinks, Kabalu got right to the point. Laying all his cards on the table he told Pinol and Duterte that placing an MILF member in the ARMM Governor's chair just might be the magic bullet to end the 30 year MILF/BIAF Insurgency. Pinol asked Kabalu if he was speaking on authority from the MILF Central Committee to which Kabalu responded he was. Pinol then asked Kabalu if the MILF had any particular person in mind for the position, knowing of course that Kabalu had himself in mind. Before Kabalu could respond Vice Mayor Duterte interjected and said that it was far too early to begin discussing specific people. Instead Duterte offered, compose an actual wish list, write down everything the MILF would like to happen vis a vis the ARMM and he promised he would pass it on to Manuel "Mars" Roxas III, President Aquino's former running mate and still his confidante. Kabalu suprised them all by promptly downloading the information off of his laptop and offering Duterte a four paged printout that did just that, in great detail.
With the meeting ending in high spirits Kabalu must have felt that he was on top of the world. That wave of good feeling would only last until daybreak when a Manila tabloid reported a tiny item about the Davao City meeting. The MILF's Ghazali Jafaar, Vice Chairman of Political Affairs, who with Chairman al Haj Murad Ebrahim being just about out of the picture, serves as the de facto leader of the MILF, was obviously out of the loop on the meeting. Jafaar went beyond his usual self restraint and full force into obnoxious by calling Pinol a compulsive liar. He challenged Pinol to prove that he had met with what the tabloid was saying was an,"unnamed member of the MILF Central Committee." Jafaar said that the MILF would NEVER have sought the assistance of a lowlife of Pinol's ilk. Just hours later Kabalu spoke on the record about the meeting and indeed corroborated every single claim made by Pinol. I wonder if Jafaar was more livid at not having been consulted OR about Kabulu proudly stating that he was a "good personal friend" of Pinol's.
The Pinol Clan are Illongos from North Cotabato Province whose vehement opposition to Filipino Muslim aspirations os legendary. Back in 2008 it was Manny Pinol himself who sank the MoA-AD (Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Demand) single handedly when, after then GPH Peace Panel chairman, retired AFP General Hermogenes "Gene" Esperon surretipiously faxed him a copy of it right before its under the table signing, ran to the Supreme Court screaming foul. His petition for a TRO, or Temporary Restraining Order was quickly followed by a host of traditionaly anti-Muslim politicians from the island filing their own silver bullets. Having gotten his desired Temporary Restraining Order just 16 hours before the signing on August 4th, Pinol's opposition to the document ended up sparking the 2008 War when three BIAF (Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces as the military wing of the MILF is known) went off the reservation and began slaughtering non-Muslims ad naseum. In fact, the first BIAF Base Command to do so, the 105 under Kumander Ustadz Ameril Ombra Kato ("Kumander Kato") launched the opening salvo by occupying the PALMMA Complex, five North Cotabato towns considered to be the Pinol Clan's power base.
It has been no secret that for the last year the MILF/BIAF has been imploding. From Murad's stroke last summer until now, four Base Commands have ceased to exist in all but name (105,107,108, and 115), Kumander Kato has formed his own extreme military organisation, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, or BIFF, and has been attracting dissatisfied BIAF guerillas left and right. On the other hand the BIAF's manpower has been sapped by a mass of defections to the MNLF-EC15 (Executive Committee of 15, under Kidnapping Kingpin and Vice Mayor of Cotabato City, Muslimin Sema), and to a much smaller extent, the MNLF-Misuari. Moreover, the MILF Central Committee is heavily factionalised. Kabalu was deployed to Pinol because the Central Committee faction coallescing behind Kabalu (who served only as a figurehead for expediency) believed that in going to Pinol it could revel in full deniability. Who in their right mind would imagine anyone from the MILF Central Committee having a liason with any Pinol, let alone THE Pinol single handedly responsible for destroying the MoA-AD? Indeed they played it correctly up to a point as seen by Ghazali Jafaar's extra-arrogant response when finding Pinol had claimed to have met with an MILF Central Committee member. They just didn't count on Kabalu getting full of himself.
After Jafaar went off the deep end Kabalu tendered his resignation. In doing so he came clean, although he delicately avoided tarring any fellow members of the Central Committee. Resigning his concurrent positions as BIAF Spokesman for Military Affairs and BIAF Chairman of Civil-Military Relations,both General Staff positions. Though he only officialy spoke for the BIAF his role as a member of the MILF's Central Committee and lack of any parallel Spokesman for the MILF meant that Eid Kabalu was the go to man for the entire organisation. Some may remember how Kabalu had just re-gained his positions after a huge misstep made in April of 2010. In those heady days before the Presidential Election of 2010 when Kabalu once again claimed to represent the Central Committee when signing a pact with Presidential candidate Brother Eddie Villanueva. The agreement had Villanueva vow to work with the MILF/BIAF for a just solution within the framework of the 1987 Constitution. Aside for purporting to represent the entire MILF/BIAF when signing it he broke MILF/BIAF Rule Number 1 in relation to the Election: No Involvement on any Level.
In the current Kabalu Clusterfuc*, despite his resignation, Ghazali Jafaar called an Emergency Session of the MILF Central Committee and strong armed the membership into passing a harshly worded Resolution in which it expelled Kabalu from the MILF/BIAF. Claiming the ex-Spokesman had violated the MILF/BIAF Code of Conduct he was charged with "Conduct Unbecoming of an Officer" and sacked. Kabalu certainly doesn't seem at all peturbed because with his delusions of grandeur he still imagines that he is a shoe in as OIC Governor of ARMM. Whatever viability Kabalu MIGHT HAVE had rested squarely on his role as a high ranking member of the MILF/BIAF. Having lost this cachet, Kabalu has been rendered worthless to the powers that be now that the MILF has rejected Kabalu.
Meanwhile, in the GPF-MILF Peace Process, after having notified the MILF Peace Panel via the Malaysian Facilitator, Tengku Dato Abd' Gafaar Tengku Mohammad, the GPH Peace Panel merely engaged in a half day Executive Session on Monday, April 27th.Representing the GPH was:
1) Chairperson Mario Victor "Marvic" Leonen
2) Panelist Miriam Coronel Ferrer
3) Chairperson of the GPH Peace Panel Secretariat, Iona Jalijali.
Meeting with them on behalf of the MILF Peace Panel was:
1) Chairman Mohagher Iqbal
2) Panelist, Datu Michael O.Mastura
3) Panelist, Maulana "Bobby" Alonto
The GPH Panel explained in extremely broad terms just why it wouldn't be turning over its Draft of the Comprehensive Compact but vowed, once again, to do so on August 2nd, 2011. Under almost any circumstances the MILF would have went ballisitic, probably in both senses of the word. However, going against form the MILF graciously agreed to wait until August. Why? Because the Government informed the MILF Peace Panel that it wanted to center its Comprehensive Compact around the amended ARMM. While the MILF swears up and down that such an idea is anathema to them the truth of the matter is that by simply re-naming the ARMM all that faux opposition will fall by the wayside. Both sides will hold a three day Round from August 2nd through 4th. Since the major Islamic holiday of Ramadan commences this year on August 1st all three of those sessions will be half day meetings.
Monday, June 27, 2011
History of Mindanao,Part VI:Spanish Geopolitics in Southeast Asia During the Late 16th Century
The first Spaniard to OFFICIALLY visit Mindanao was Esteban Rodriguez de Figueroa.Figueroa did so as the leader of a military expedition under the Administration of Don Luis Dasmarimas,who had succeeded his murdered father in 1593.Figueroa had been sorely disappointed after the death of the elder Dasmarinas.Like a fair number of men in the colony he had been led to believe by Dasmarinas himself that he had been handpicked to succeed the Governor-General in the event of his untimely passing.Whether or not Don Luis was actually his father's chosen successor is an issue still debated by historians.
What is known as that when the document supposedly naming this successor was actually found in a monastery almost 7 weeks after the elder Dasmarina's murder,his son Don Luis' name was on it.Locked out of Manila's hierarchy the ambitious Figueroa finally hatched what he felt was a sure fire scheme,having gotten permission for it before Dasmarina's murder.Bankrolling a military campaign he himself would lead,he would gain the Governorship over the entire island of Mindanao.Newly installed Governor-General Don Luis Dasmarinas was beset by the proverbial host of problems.As we will see in the following entry,both Japan AND China are breathing down his back,constantly probing for weaknesses.The fact that Manila had very large Chinese and Japanese communities didn't help things at all.
At the same time Siam,today's Thailand,and Cambodia were trying to use the Spanish colony against each other.Then,even more pressing,the many ambiitious military men who all imagined themselves his father's successor would for the most past not take his ascencion lying down.Figueroa was the front runner from among all these prospective threats to his rule.Having Figueroa saddled with the large,unconquered island would be a blessing in disguise.Not only did Governor-General Dasmarinas green light the plan,he went one better.IF Figueroa could pacifiy the large southern island it would remain under Figueroa's total control for two generations and he proposed as much to the King of Spain.
The World Around Mindanao:
A Cambodian embassy under the Portugese adventurer Diego Belloso,perhaps best described as the Marco Polo of the 16th Century,failed to secure badly needed military aid from the Spanish at Manila and as a result,Belloso returned to Cambodia to find it once again under Siamese domination,Siam of course being today's Thailand.Belloso was captured by the Siamese Army and while prisoner,via intemediaries,convinced the King of Siam to re-deploy him to Manila but as a Siamese Embassy.Obstensibly it would also be an intelligence gathering mission because after capturing Cambodia,the King had dispatched a treasure-laden junk by sea to carry booty and foreign prisoners.The foreign prisoners,3 Spaniards and 2 Portugese conspired with some of the Chinese crewmen of the junk to overtake the small Siamese contingent while at sea in the Gulf of Siam.Successful,they made a beeline south into the China Sea and onward to Manila.
The King of Siam was at a loss as to what had transpired and was convinced by Belloso's entreaties to deploy a junk to Manila in embassy.Though Belloso would be Ambassador he was placed under control of a Siamese member of court named Aconsi.Putting into Mallacca,then controlled by the Portugese,Aconsi learned that the junk in question had put into Manila and was now highly dubious about Belloso's intentions.Aconsi had the valuable gifts being sent to the Spanish at Manila off loaded in Mallacca and was considering whether to return to Siam.In the morning he was found murdered which put Belloso in charge.Belloso of course had everything re-loaded and left for Manila.
Governor Gomez Perez Dasmarinas had died in 1593,not long after Belloso had returned to Cambodia,while at anchor off of Southern Luzon,killed by a mutinous Chinese crew at the start of what was to be a strong military campaign to capture Ternate and establish a presence in what is today Indonesia.Dasmarinas had not only NOT appointed a successor as he had been ordered to do by the King when dispatched from Spain in 1590,he had very stupidly tried to maintain control amongst extremely ambitious subordinates by strongly inferring that each one was his chosen successor.In the end it was his son,Don Luis Dasmarinas whom the Administration in Manila cajoled into assuming the position after a 40 day interval in which an underling of the elder Dasmarinas had attempted to impose himself upon the office.
As both Japan and China seemed to be pressing Manila in a powerplay a competitor of the new Governor,named Estebean Rodriguez Figueroa finally resigned himself to never sitting as Governor in Manila.A favourite of the elder Dasmarinas he had been waiting at a southerly position to link up with the fleet for the attack on Ternate.When he found that the Governor had been murdered he rushed to Manila like many hopefuls,having believed that Dasmarinas had named him as successor.Upon his arrival though it soon became apparent that Dasmarinas' son,Don Luis Dasmarinas had grabbed the brass ring.
Newly installed Don Luis Dasmarinas faced competitors like Figueroa,threatening Chinese and Japanese and now Belloso speaking for the King of Siam.Belloso though had an ulterior motive.With the Portugese prisoners who had overtaken the Siamese treasure laden-junk he resolved to enlist the new Governor's aid against his new employer,the King of Siam.Though the young Dasmarinas was harshly advised against any intervention he was seduced by Belloso's plan and dispatched 1 ship,2 junks,120 Spanish soldiers and a full complement of Filipinos with a smattering of Japanese.Leaving at the start of 1596.Dasmarinas began playing a dangerous game.The Siamese Embassy that had brought Belloso was still in Manila.Graciously accepting its lavish gifts he sent gifts of his own but with a non-committal response to the King of Siam's entreaties for friendship.Meanwhile,Belloso's expedition to Cambodia to support the vanquished king of that country AGAINST the King of Siam ran headlong into a storm that split the small convoy.The expedition's flagship,the 1 ship in the group,captained by Juan Suarez Gallinato took safe harbour in the Strait of Singapore at the bottom of the Malay Peninsula while Belloso and the other junk slowly made their way to the coast of Cambodia.As Belloso hovered off the coast the other junk,under Blas Ruiz,entered the Mekong Delta.Reaching the city of Chordemuko they were very suprised to learn that the petty rulers of Cambodia had managed to unite and throw the Siamese yoke off.More suprisingly,one of the petty rulers,Anakaparan,had seized power from amongst all his competitors and for the time being at least,was King of Cambodia.
Belloso soon followed and joined Ruiz in Chordemuko.As they waited for what they still believed would be the arrival of their flag ship they bided their time.As they did so 6 Chinese junks put into the river port.In short order the Spaniard had seized all 6 junks,their cargo and whatever crew members hadn't already been killed.The Spanish version is that the Chinese arrogantly disrespected them and they felt the need to avenge their honour.The reality probably is that much different given the tumultuous relationship between the Spaniards and Chinese back in Manila.Of course it is also worth noting that the murder of the elder Governor Dosmarinas was still less than three years old and so that very well may have been a factor.
The new Cambodian"King"was absolutely livid.Sitting at court 9 leagues away,at Sistor,was on the verge of having the foreigners arrested and killed.Belloso tried to smoothe things over by sending the official correspondance he'd been given back in Manila so as to communicate that the group was in Cambodia on official business and to aid the Cambodians against their Siamese oppressors.Diplomatic Protocol dictated that the King should respond with at least a royal audience.Instead he sent word that if they didn't return the ships and their cargoes post haste they themselves would be killed post haste.
Kept under virtual house arrest in a pension outside the city the party finally grew so anxious over their predicament that they infiltrated the King's capitol at Sistor and began setting buildings on fire in a haphazard fashion to sow panic.In doing so they were able to infiltrate the palace and murdered King Anacaparan.Making their way to their impounded ships they had just liberated them when the long awaited flagship under Gallinato entered Chordemuco,near their ships.Gallinato was furious at what had transpired and argued for immediately departing for Manila.Belloso et al were more inclined to stay as is and try to restore the crown to the actual King of Cambodia,Langara.As a compromise they agreed instead to sail for Cochinchina where rumor held that the flagship of the late Governor-General Gomez Perez Dasmarinas had been taken by the Chinese mutineers after they had killed him.The objective was to recover the ship and with it their collectively besmirched honour.
Gallinato departed and upon dropping anchor deployed Gregorio de Vargas as an embassy to the King of Tongking (Tunquin),the strongest of the principalities outside of Champa.The objective was to at least recover the Spanish Standard (Flag) and the artillery which was invaluable,if not the ship itself.As the ship sat at anchor Belloso and Blas Ruiz managed to convince Gallinato into to agreeing to their plan to restore King Langara.Landing on shore Belloso and his companions set off overland to the Kingdom of Lao where the deposed King had first taken refuge at the start of the Siamese Invasion.
Belloso and Blas Ruis first made their way to the King of Sinua,son of the King of Tongking and sought his assistance in their endeavour.Granting their request,he provided all that was needed for the long trip.Directly they made their way to Alanchan,the capitol of Lao.Though they were warmly received by the King of Lao,they were shocked to discover that not only had King Langara died,but so had his eldest son and heir apparent.One son did survive,Prince Prauncar,and through him Belloso and Blas Ruiz learned that since the murder of Anacaparan (by Belloso et al),the pretender's son Chupinanu had seized power and was ruling as King.
Belloso and Blas Ruiz were able to convince Prince Prauncar that were he to only re-appear in the Kingdom his people would flock to his cause and readily restore him to power.Fortuitously,after Prauncar agreed to take part in Belloso's scheme,one of Cambodia's many petty lords made his way to Lao seeking out the prince,speaking as the representative of a powerful faction wanting to restore the Kingdom to its rightful heir.The representative,Ocuna de Chu,brought with him 10 medium watercraft well appointed with artillery and other capable weaponry.Prince Prauncar departed Lao with Ocuna de Chu,Blas Ruiz and Belloso by his side.Sailing down the Mekong they found the Northern Cambodian provinces in disarray but just as Blas Ruiz and Belloso had suggested,the people rallied around the rightful heir to the throne.Among those flocking to his cause were 2 Malay adventurers,Acuna Lacasamana and and the epononymously named Cancona who were there on the orders of a Malay sultan.the two Malays sat at the head of a well equipped force that included war elephants and artillery.
As the force moved south their progress slowed,with resistance growing as they approached the pretender Chupinanu's seat of power.Finally the self-appointed "King"fell in battle with most of his supporters and so Prince Prauncar was made master of all but a handful of fringe districts.Beholden to Blas Ruiz and Belloso he made the pair Ministers of War and when finally they conquered even those few districts holding out on the fringe,the two were made lords of the kingdom.Each was given a province but they felt that the young king had failed to reward them sufficiently.According to the Spaniards,it was the Malay Acuna Lacasamana who they believed had had undue influence with the King's stepmother,the Queen Dowager.In fact,one famuous history has the Malay having an afair with the Queen.
All the while Gallinato had been hovering off of Tongking in negotiations for that which he sought.He was warned by a native woman at court that the King of Tongking planned to not only never return the Spanish property,but to rob Gallinato of his small fleet.Gallinato then issued orders forbidding all unofficial shore excursions.Disobeying this order,Father Alonso Jimenez,a Dominican Friar,and 2 men who accompanied him were captured almost as soon as they went ashore and the Tonkgking Navy proceeded to move against the Spanish.Because of his vigiliance Gallinato was able to fend off the attack,incurring significant casualties against the assailants before immediately weighing anchor and leaving the obstinate priest and his two companions behind on a direct heading for Manila.
It was during Gallinato's beeline back to the Philippines that orders arrived from Spain commanding the younger Dasmarinas,who had succeeded his father as Governor-General of the colony,to conclude the deal on the expedition to Mindanao that his father had made with Esteban Rodriguez de Figueroa.Figueroa would conquer Mindanao at his own expense and in exchange he would be granted its governorship for two lives.Simply put,in exchange for Figueroa funding the campaign to capture the island,he and one of his children would get to rule the island until that child died.At that point the Crown would decide whom to appoint.
What is known as that when the document supposedly naming this successor was actually found in a monastery almost 7 weeks after the elder Dasmarina's murder,his son Don Luis' name was on it.Locked out of Manila's hierarchy the ambitious Figueroa finally hatched what he felt was a sure fire scheme,having gotten permission for it before Dasmarina's murder.Bankrolling a military campaign he himself would lead,he would gain the Governorship over the entire island of Mindanao.Newly installed Governor-General Don Luis Dasmarinas was beset by the proverbial host of problems.As we will see in the following entry,both Japan AND China are breathing down his back,constantly probing for weaknesses.The fact that Manila had very large Chinese and Japanese communities didn't help things at all.
At the same time Siam,today's Thailand,and Cambodia were trying to use the Spanish colony against each other.Then,even more pressing,the many ambiitious military men who all imagined themselves his father's successor would for the most past not take his ascencion lying down.Figueroa was the front runner from among all these prospective threats to his rule.Having Figueroa saddled with the large,unconquered island would be a blessing in disguise.Not only did Governor-General Dasmarinas green light the plan,he went one better.IF Figueroa could pacifiy the large southern island it would remain under Figueroa's total control for two generations and he proposed as much to the King of Spain.
The World Around Mindanao:
A Cambodian embassy under the Portugese adventurer Diego Belloso,perhaps best described as the Marco Polo of the 16th Century,failed to secure badly needed military aid from the Spanish at Manila and as a result,Belloso returned to Cambodia to find it once again under Siamese domination,Siam of course being today's Thailand.Belloso was captured by the Siamese Army and while prisoner,via intemediaries,convinced the King of Siam to re-deploy him to Manila but as a Siamese Embassy.Obstensibly it would also be an intelligence gathering mission because after capturing Cambodia,the King had dispatched a treasure-laden junk by sea to carry booty and foreign prisoners.The foreign prisoners,3 Spaniards and 2 Portugese conspired with some of the Chinese crewmen of the junk to overtake the small Siamese contingent while at sea in the Gulf of Siam.Successful,they made a beeline south into the China Sea and onward to Manila.
The King of Siam was at a loss as to what had transpired and was convinced by Belloso's entreaties to deploy a junk to Manila in embassy.Though Belloso would be Ambassador he was placed under control of a Siamese member of court named Aconsi.Putting into Mallacca,then controlled by the Portugese,Aconsi learned that the junk in question had put into Manila and was now highly dubious about Belloso's intentions.Aconsi had the valuable gifts being sent to the Spanish at Manila off loaded in Mallacca and was considering whether to return to Siam.In the morning he was found murdered which put Belloso in charge.Belloso of course had everything re-loaded and left for Manila.
Governor Gomez Perez Dasmarinas had died in 1593,not long after Belloso had returned to Cambodia,while at anchor off of Southern Luzon,killed by a mutinous Chinese crew at the start of what was to be a strong military campaign to capture Ternate and establish a presence in what is today Indonesia.Dasmarinas had not only NOT appointed a successor as he had been ordered to do by the King when dispatched from Spain in 1590,he had very stupidly tried to maintain control amongst extremely ambitious subordinates by strongly inferring that each one was his chosen successor.In the end it was his son,Don Luis Dasmarinas whom the Administration in Manila cajoled into assuming the position after a 40 day interval in which an underling of the elder Dasmarinas had attempted to impose himself upon the office.
As both Japan and China seemed to be pressing Manila in a powerplay a competitor of the new Governor,named Estebean Rodriguez Figueroa finally resigned himself to never sitting as Governor in Manila.A favourite of the elder Dasmarinas he had been waiting at a southerly position to link up with the fleet for the attack on Ternate.When he found that the Governor had been murdered he rushed to Manila like many hopefuls,having believed that Dasmarinas had named him as successor.Upon his arrival though it soon became apparent that Dasmarinas' son,Don Luis Dasmarinas had grabbed the brass ring.
Newly installed Don Luis Dasmarinas faced competitors like Figueroa,threatening Chinese and Japanese and now Belloso speaking for the King of Siam.Belloso though had an ulterior motive.With the Portugese prisoners who had overtaken the Siamese treasure laden-junk he resolved to enlist the new Governor's aid against his new employer,the King of Siam.Though the young Dasmarinas was harshly advised against any intervention he was seduced by Belloso's plan and dispatched 1 ship,2 junks,120 Spanish soldiers and a full complement of Filipinos with a smattering of Japanese.Leaving at the start of 1596.Dasmarinas began playing a dangerous game.The Siamese Embassy that had brought Belloso was still in Manila.Graciously accepting its lavish gifts he sent gifts of his own but with a non-committal response to the King of Siam's entreaties for friendship.Meanwhile,Belloso's expedition to Cambodia to support the vanquished king of that country AGAINST the King of Siam ran headlong into a storm that split the small convoy.The expedition's flagship,the 1 ship in the group,captained by Juan Suarez Gallinato took safe harbour in the Strait of Singapore at the bottom of the Malay Peninsula while Belloso and the other junk slowly made their way to the coast of Cambodia.As Belloso hovered off the coast the other junk,under Blas Ruiz,entered the Mekong Delta.Reaching the city of Chordemuko they were very suprised to learn that the petty rulers of Cambodia had managed to unite and throw the Siamese yoke off.More suprisingly,one of the petty rulers,Anakaparan,had seized power from amongst all his competitors and for the time being at least,was King of Cambodia.
Belloso soon followed and joined Ruiz in Chordemuko.As they waited for what they still believed would be the arrival of their flag ship they bided their time.As they did so 6 Chinese junks put into the river port.In short order the Spaniard had seized all 6 junks,their cargo and whatever crew members hadn't already been killed.The Spanish version is that the Chinese arrogantly disrespected them and they felt the need to avenge their honour.The reality probably is that much different given the tumultuous relationship between the Spaniards and Chinese back in Manila.Of course it is also worth noting that the murder of the elder Governor Dosmarinas was still less than three years old and so that very well may have been a factor.
The new Cambodian"King"was absolutely livid.Sitting at court 9 leagues away,at Sistor,was on the verge of having the foreigners arrested and killed.Belloso tried to smoothe things over by sending the official correspondance he'd been given back in Manila so as to communicate that the group was in Cambodia on official business and to aid the Cambodians against their Siamese oppressors.Diplomatic Protocol dictated that the King should respond with at least a royal audience.Instead he sent word that if they didn't return the ships and their cargoes post haste they themselves would be killed post haste.
Kept under virtual house arrest in a pension outside the city the party finally grew so anxious over their predicament that they infiltrated the King's capitol at Sistor and began setting buildings on fire in a haphazard fashion to sow panic.In doing so they were able to infiltrate the palace and murdered King Anacaparan.Making their way to their impounded ships they had just liberated them when the long awaited flagship under Gallinato entered Chordemuco,near their ships.Gallinato was furious at what had transpired and argued for immediately departing for Manila.Belloso et al were more inclined to stay as is and try to restore the crown to the actual King of Cambodia,Langara.As a compromise they agreed instead to sail for Cochinchina where rumor held that the flagship of the late Governor-General Gomez Perez Dasmarinas had been taken by the Chinese mutineers after they had killed him.The objective was to recover the ship and with it their collectively besmirched honour.
Gallinato departed and upon dropping anchor deployed Gregorio de Vargas as an embassy to the King of Tongking (Tunquin),the strongest of the principalities outside of Champa.The objective was to at least recover the Spanish Standard (Flag) and the artillery which was invaluable,if not the ship itself.As the ship sat at anchor Belloso and Blas Ruiz managed to convince Gallinato into to agreeing to their plan to restore King Langara.Landing on shore Belloso and his companions set off overland to the Kingdom of Lao where the deposed King had first taken refuge at the start of the Siamese Invasion.
Belloso and Blas Ruis first made their way to the King of Sinua,son of the King of Tongking and sought his assistance in their endeavour.Granting their request,he provided all that was needed for the long trip.Directly they made their way to Alanchan,the capitol of Lao.Though they were warmly received by the King of Lao,they were shocked to discover that not only had King Langara died,but so had his eldest son and heir apparent.One son did survive,Prince Prauncar,and through him Belloso and Blas Ruiz learned that since the murder of Anacaparan (by Belloso et al),the pretender's son Chupinanu had seized power and was ruling as King.
Belloso and Blas Ruiz were able to convince Prince Prauncar that were he to only re-appear in the Kingdom his people would flock to his cause and readily restore him to power.Fortuitously,after Prauncar agreed to take part in Belloso's scheme,one of Cambodia's many petty lords made his way to Lao seeking out the prince,speaking as the representative of a powerful faction wanting to restore the Kingdom to its rightful heir.The representative,Ocuna de Chu,brought with him 10 medium watercraft well appointed with artillery and other capable weaponry.Prince Prauncar departed Lao with Ocuna de Chu,Blas Ruiz and Belloso by his side.Sailing down the Mekong they found the Northern Cambodian provinces in disarray but just as Blas Ruiz and Belloso had suggested,the people rallied around the rightful heir to the throne.Among those flocking to his cause were 2 Malay adventurers,Acuna Lacasamana and and the epononymously named Cancona who were there on the orders of a Malay sultan.the two Malays sat at the head of a well equipped force that included war elephants and artillery.
As the force moved south their progress slowed,with resistance growing as they approached the pretender Chupinanu's seat of power.Finally the self-appointed "King"fell in battle with most of his supporters and so Prince Prauncar was made master of all but a handful of fringe districts.Beholden to Blas Ruiz and Belloso he made the pair Ministers of War and when finally they conquered even those few districts holding out on the fringe,the two were made lords of the kingdom.Each was given a province but they felt that the young king had failed to reward them sufficiently.According to the Spaniards,it was the Malay Acuna Lacasamana who they believed had had undue influence with the King's stepmother,the Queen Dowager.In fact,one famuous history has the Malay having an afair with the Queen.
All the while Gallinato had been hovering off of Tongking in negotiations for that which he sought.He was warned by a native woman at court that the King of Tongking planned to not only never return the Spanish property,but to rob Gallinato of his small fleet.Gallinato then issued orders forbidding all unofficial shore excursions.Disobeying this order,Father Alonso Jimenez,a Dominican Friar,and 2 men who accompanied him were captured almost as soon as they went ashore and the Tonkgking Navy proceeded to move against the Spanish.Because of his vigiliance Gallinato was able to fend off the attack,incurring significant casualties against the assailants before immediately weighing anchor and leaving the obstinate priest and his two companions behind on a direct heading for Manila.
It was during Gallinato's beeline back to the Philippines that orders arrived from Spain commanding the younger Dasmarinas,who had succeeded his father as Governor-General of the colony,to conclude the deal on the expedition to Mindanao that his father had made with Esteban Rodriguez de Figueroa.Figueroa would conquer Mindanao at his own expense and in exchange he would be granted its governorship for two lives.Simply put,in exchange for Figueroa funding the campaign to capture the island,he and one of his children would get to rule the island until that child died.At that point the Crown would decide whom to appoint.
NPA Armed Contacts for the Second Quarter of 2011, Part VI: A Resurgence in Surigao del Norte Province
As I have noted in other recent NPA entries the island of Mindanao has 4 provinces that have been officially pacified:
1) Misamis Oriental
2) Camiguin
3) Dinagat
4) Surigao del Norte
Being declared as such doesn't depend upon any type of established protocol. It is an entirely arbitrary decision made by the nearest ID CO (Infantry Division Commanding Officer). Upon making his decision the CO will formally turn over command and control of counterinsurgency operations to the Provincial Peace and Order Committee, or PPOC. From then on it is the PPO,or Provincial Police Office of the PNP (Philippine National Police) that handles the day to day aspects of what is supposed to be, at that point,a policing operation. Surigao del Norte Province was declared insurgency free in mid-April of 2010 along with the other 3 provinces, all of which lie within the AOR (Area of Responsibilty) of the 4ID (4th Infantry Division). Less than 2 weeks later, as if to thumb its nose at 4ID's then CO (Commanding Officer), Major General Mario Chan, the NPA disarmed a large security contingent escorting a campaigning incumbent mayor and absconded with all the weaponry. As I noted in my entry then, "Famous last words."
Since then the NPA's Northeast Mindanao Regional Committee under NDFP Spokesperson for Mindanao, Jorge "Ka Oris" Madlos, made a strategical decision to marshall its firepower in the more valuable Andap Valley Complex on the Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Sur provincial nexus. Though Surigao del Norte has a bit of chromite and nickel mining it pales in comparison to the gold and timber in Andap. Mining and Logging are two of the major cash cows of the NPA. Multi-national gold mines pay on average P1 Million ($22,000) a month in "Revolutionary Taxes." Everyone from the independent small scale miner to the person owning the ball mill offers up a percentage of their gross to avoid any problems, small trifling things, like a bullet in the face.
The modus operandi of the NPA is extremely basic Maoist in strategy and tactics as well as ideology. Strategically they ebb and flow, gravitating towards the weakest point as long as they have even a minimum base of support. This is why the NPA will ALWAYS break off contact if given the chance, which of course the AFP is always happy to provide. This allows the NPA to determine whether or not it will be unable to meet its well defined tactical objective within 15 to 30 minutes of launching an assault. If not, there is no sense in wasting valuable resources, withdraw, regroup, and live to try another day. With the province having been de-militarised it was only a matter of time before the NPA gravitated back into the province.
In early May of 2011 the NPA's Front 19A of the Northeast Mindanao Regional Commitee (NEMRC) began building momentum in a sector of Agusan del Norte Province very near the Surigao del Norte border, moving through a 50 kilometer radius, centered in Agusan del Norte Province's Zapanta Valley. On May 12th, thirty guerillas from Front 19A infiltrated Surigao City, the capitol of Surigao del Norte Province, via watercraft that landed in Barangay Silop. Moving inland they entered Barangay Luna and just before 10PM entered an unattended quarry. The night watchman, Pastor Apostado Quiban only makes periodic checks most nights. Targeting a Komatsu excavator, a TCM payloader, and an Isuzu dumptruck the guerillas poured gasoline over each piece. The owner of the equipment, Enrique Baguio,had refused to pay his "Revolutionary Taxes" despite recently gaining work as a subcontractor for Tinio Construction. Tinio in turn is a subcontractor for the Gaisano Capitol Group which is constructing a new mall, the Gaisano Capitol in that same barangay, Luna. Mr.Baguio's equipment is employed in excavating sand and gravel for the job. Lighting the gasoline the guerillas quickly exited the quarry and re-traced their route to the shore and left as they had arrived.
On May 25th the same thirty Front 19A guerillas re-entered the city and rendevouzed with a detachment of ten guerillas who had crossed overland by stolen truck. The guerillas quickly removed two dozen tyres from the vehicle and set them in a line across National Hiway in Barangay Bonifacio at two separate positions. Pouring gasoline over them the guerillas then set them on fire just as the sun began setting.Quickly moving they surrounded a compound in between the two burning roadblocks as six men entered through its open gates. Kicking in the frontdoor of Chary T.Mangacop's home, ex-Mayor of Placer in Surigao del Norte Province, they began ransacking the dwelling from top to bottom. Capturing three M16s and one 45 caliber pistol, two bulletproof vests, two ICOM base radios and four ICOM handhelds they then exited the home. Shooting out the left front tyre of Mangacop's SUV they then doused his minivan, straight truck, backhoe and two dumptrucks with gasoline which they then set on fire before exiting the compound and making their way to the shore for an escape by sea.
Mangacop, who was defeated in the May 10th, 2010 Election, claims that the guerillas also stole jewlery and a significant amount of cash. He says the cash was to be used as payroll for a mine he owns in Placer. The burned equipment belonged to his company, CTM Construction. The attack on the Mangacop compound was the second to strike Surigao City in two weeks. Knowing that the NPA element responsible, Front 19A was momentarily centered in the municipality of Kitcharao in neighbouring Agusan del Norte Province, the AFP's (Armed Forces of the Philippines) 30IB (Infantry Battalion) undertook a heavy push into Kitcharao. In fact, the 30IB had been operating in Kitcharao for two days already, even losing a soldier by sniper the afternoon before, or so says the NPA. Now deploying heavily and concentrating on the remote Barangay Bangayan in the Zapanta Valley, the operation commenced just 12 hours after the guerillas left the Mangacop compound. The 30IB began by softening up the ground with several hours of 81MM mortar shelling into the valley.
Of course Front 19A's main force hadn't been able to return to Kitcharao in the interim since its attack the preceding evening. There were 40 odd kilometers between the points but that didn't occur to the 30IB or its overlords in the 4ID (Infantry Division) which signed off on this large operation. So what were those long 81MM mortar shells hitting if there were no NPA guerillas?
The Zapanta Valley is home to a small band of Mamanwa Tribesmen. The Mamanwa are Negritos. Unlike the Lumad, the various Animist Tribes of Malay stock, the Negritos on Mindanao do not involve themselves in conflict in any part of the equation. In fear for their lives the Mamanwa fled to the barangay hall down hill but still they weren't out of the crosshairs. By the end of the month members of multi-sectoral front organisations like the two partist organisations Gabriela and Bayan Muna convinced the Mamanwa to travel 40 odd kilometers into Surigao City where they assured them they would be safe from harm.
In Surigao City's Barangay Luna, in Sitio Bacud, Bayan Muna representatives, assisted by the provincial chapter of the Rotary Club co-ordinated the IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons, a euphanism for "Refugees") arrival with Provincial Board member Leonilo Aldonza who donated the usage of an empty lot he owns. Quickly volunteers erected a tent city and so when the 147 members of thirty-seven Mamanwa families arrived they were able to move right in.
From their arrival on June 1st there was mounting tension between the IDP's supporters and detractors. Among the detractors were the city's Mayor, Enrique Matugas, and such community pillars as the Chairman of the local Chamber of Commerce. Some had the audacity to suggest that the Mamanwa weren't IDPs at all but rather actors in a psychodrama engineered by the aforementioned party list organisations. The Mayor was livid that he hadn't been consulted but unfortunately for him he didn't need to be apprised of anything. The IDPs were staying on a privately owned lot with the owner's full consent.
On June 10th, CAA Isidro L.Sanches was enjoying himself at a cockpit in Barangay Camamonan's Sitio Buya in the municipality of Gigaquit, in Surigao del Norte Province. As Sanches left the cock fight though, five guerillas from Front 16A of the NEMRC approached him and shot him to death with a 45 caliber pistol. CAAs,or Civilian Active Auxiliaries, are men serving in one of four entities that are themselves collectively known as "CAAs" as well. In Mr.Sanches' case he served with the CAFGU, or Civilian Auxiliary Force Geographical Unit. CAFGU platoons serve under an AFP NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer), known as a "CAFGU Cadre." Ostensibly under direct supervision of a cadre battalion, in this case the 23IB, in reality they aren't supervised all that much. The CAA serves as the lynchpin in the AFP's counterinsugency strategy.
On June 15th, the 30IB was on patrol in the municipality of Gigaquit's Barangay Lahi, when it stumbled upon six NPA guerillas from Front 16A of the NEMRC and initiated a firefight before allowing the small detachment of NPA to withdraw without casualties.
Later that same day, June 15th, in Surigao City's Barangay Poctoy two of the AFP's KM450 trucks carrying nine soldiers, all from the 30IB en route to a patrol in Barangay Mat-i, were ambushed by IED (Improvised Explosive Device, as in "bomb") which was followed by a cross-fire. The AFP returned fire with the Front 19A guerillas withdrawing without casualties on either side after 15 minutes.
On June 20th everybody's favorite rabid anti-Communist, ANAD Party List Congressman Pastor Jun Alcover jumped into the mix with a letter to CHR (Commission on Human Rights) Commissioner Etta Rosales urging her to"investigate" the IDPs ending up in Surigao City saying that the Government should determine who "forced" the Negritos to travel 40 kilometers into the city. His inference of course is that fellow Party List organisations Bayan Muna and Gabriela should be held liable. Pray tell, does Alcover plan to crucify the Rotary Club as well? For those unfamiliar with that organisation, they are an American-based group that is about Right Wing as it gets. On the same day the 30IB deployed a 6 X 6 truck to the lot housing the IDPs. When questioned on his intentions the 30IB's CO (Commanding Officer) LTC. (Lieutenant Colonel) Rommel P.Lamzon said that his men were only there to serve the terrified tribesmen and vehemently denied any suggestions that he had sent men in full combat array to try and force the 147 shell shocked Mamnwa back across the provincial border.
My favorite LTC.Lamzon quote has got to be his response to claims by the Negritos that his men had been lobbing 81MM mortar rounds into the Mamanwa's thatched huts. What did our gallant Lieutenant Colonel reply? "We always ensure that in all of our operations no civilians will be hurt or worse,k illed. "That's fantastic! The AFP is the only military in history to never incur Collateral Damage! My thought? The AFP is so used to lying through its teeth that the bullshi* just flows naturally. Even if the AFP had GPS mortars, and it does NOT, shells go errant. It is a fact of life. Launching mortars into a village of thatched huts where you haven't deployed spotters or scouts borders on a War Crime but hey, in the Southern Philippines that is a daily occurrence. Remember, this is a world where the AFP claims 6 year old girls carry M16s with grenade launchers, after killing the child of course.
On June 22nd the IDPs climbed aboard 3 dumptrucks and were driven home to Kitcharao, led by their tribal chief, Datu Rolando "Lando" Anlagan whose actual tribal name is "Maribuhok." Finally home in the Zapanta Valley the chief appealed to both the AFP and the NPA and asked them, politely, to take their war elsewhere.
1) Misamis Oriental
2) Camiguin
3) Dinagat
4) Surigao del Norte
Being declared as such doesn't depend upon any type of established protocol. It is an entirely arbitrary decision made by the nearest ID CO (Infantry Division Commanding Officer). Upon making his decision the CO will formally turn over command and control of counterinsurgency operations to the Provincial Peace and Order Committee, or PPOC. From then on it is the PPO,or Provincial Police Office of the PNP (Philippine National Police) that handles the day to day aspects of what is supposed to be, at that point,a policing operation. Surigao del Norte Province was declared insurgency free in mid-April of 2010 along with the other 3 provinces, all of which lie within the AOR (Area of Responsibilty) of the 4ID (4th Infantry Division). Less than 2 weeks later, as if to thumb its nose at 4ID's then CO (Commanding Officer), Major General Mario Chan, the NPA disarmed a large security contingent escorting a campaigning incumbent mayor and absconded with all the weaponry. As I noted in my entry then, "Famous last words."
Since then the NPA's Northeast Mindanao Regional Committee under NDFP Spokesperson for Mindanao, Jorge "Ka Oris" Madlos, made a strategical decision to marshall its firepower in the more valuable Andap Valley Complex on the Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Sur provincial nexus. Though Surigao del Norte has a bit of chromite and nickel mining it pales in comparison to the gold and timber in Andap. Mining and Logging are two of the major cash cows of the NPA. Multi-national gold mines pay on average P1 Million ($22,000) a month in "Revolutionary Taxes." Everyone from the independent small scale miner to the person owning the ball mill offers up a percentage of their gross to avoid any problems, small trifling things, like a bullet in the face.
The modus operandi of the NPA is extremely basic Maoist in strategy and tactics as well as ideology. Strategically they ebb and flow, gravitating towards the weakest point as long as they have even a minimum base of support. This is why the NPA will ALWAYS break off contact if given the chance, which of course the AFP is always happy to provide. This allows the NPA to determine whether or not it will be unable to meet its well defined tactical objective within 15 to 30 minutes of launching an assault. If not, there is no sense in wasting valuable resources, withdraw, regroup, and live to try another day. With the province having been de-militarised it was only a matter of time before the NPA gravitated back into the province.
In early May of 2011 the NPA's Front 19A of the Northeast Mindanao Regional Commitee (NEMRC) began building momentum in a sector of Agusan del Norte Province very near the Surigao del Norte border, moving through a 50 kilometer radius, centered in Agusan del Norte Province's Zapanta Valley. On May 12th, thirty guerillas from Front 19A infiltrated Surigao City, the capitol of Surigao del Norte Province, via watercraft that landed in Barangay Silop. Moving inland they entered Barangay Luna and just before 10PM entered an unattended quarry. The night watchman, Pastor Apostado Quiban only makes periodic checks most nights. Targeting a Komatsu excavator, a TCM payloader, and an Isuzu dumptruck the guerillas poured gasoline over each piece. The owner of the equipment, Enrique Baguio,had refused to pay his "Revolutionary Taxes" despite recently gaining work as a subcontractor for Tinio Construction. Tinio in turn is a subcontractor for the Gaisano Capitol Group which is constructing a new mall, the Gaisano Capitol in that same barangay, Luna. Mr.Baguio's equipment is employed in excavating sand and gravel for the job. Lighting the gasoline the guerillas quickly exited the quarry and re-traced their route to the shore and left as they had arrived.
On May 25th the same thirty Front 19A guerillas re-entered the city and rendevouzed with a detachment of ten guerillas who had crossed overland by stolen truck. The guerillas quickly removed two dozen tyres from the vehicle and set them in a line across National Hiway in Barangay Bonifacio at two separate positions. Pouring gasoline over them the guerillas then set them on fire just as the sun began setting.Quickly moving they surrounded a compound in between the two burning roadblocks as six men entered through its open gates. Kicking in the frontdoor of Chary T.Mangacop's home, ex-Mayor of Placer in Surigao del Norte Province, they began ransacking the dwelling from top to bottom. Capturing three M16s and one 45 caliber pistol, two bulletproof vests, two ICOM base radios and four ICOM handhelds they then exited the home. Shooting out the left front tyre of Mangacop's SUV they then doused his minivan, straight truck, backhoe and two dumptrucks with gasoline which they then set on fire before exiting the compound and making their way to the shore for an escape by sea.
Mangacop, who was defeated in the May 10th, 2010 Election, claims that the guerillas also stole jewlery and a significant amount of cash. He says the cash was to be used as payroll for a mine he owns in Placer. The burned equipment belonged to his company, CTM Construction. The attack on the Mangacop compound was the second to strike Surigao City in two weeks. Knowing that the NPA element responsible, Front 19A was momentarily centered in the municipality of Kitcharao in neighbouring Agusan del Norte Province, the AFP's (Armed Forces of the Philippines) 30IB (Infantry Battalion) undertook a heavy push into Kitcharao. In fact, the 30IB had been operating in Kitcharao for two days already, even losing a soldier by sniper the afternoon before, or so says the NPA. Now deploying heavily and concentrating on the remote Barangay Bangayan in the Zapanta Valley, the operation commenced just 12 hours after the guerillas left the Mangacop compound. The 30IB began by softening up the ground with several hours of 81MM mortar shelling into the valley.
Of course Front 19A's main force hadn't been able to return to Kitcharao in the interim since its attack the preceding evening. There were 40 odd kilometers between the points but that didn't occur to the 30IB or its overlords in the 4ID (Infantry Division) which signed off on this large operation. So what were those long 81MM mortar shells hitting if there were no NPA guerillas?
The Zapanta Valley is home to a small band of Mamanwa Tribesmen. The Mamanwa are Negritos. Unlike the Lumad, the various Animist Tribes of Malay stock, the Negritos on Mindanao do not involve themselves in conflict in any part of the equation. In fear for their lives the Mamanwa fled to the barangay hall down hill but still they weren't out of the crosshairs. By the end of the month members of multi-sectoral front organisations like the two partist organisations Gabriela and Bayan Muna convinced the Mamanwa to travel 40 odd kilometers into Surigao City where they assured them they would be safe from harm.
In Surigao City's Barangay Luna, in Sitio Bacud, Bayan Muna representatives, assisted by the provincial chapter of the Rotary Club co-ordinated the IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons, a euphanism for "Refugees") arrival with Provincial Board member Leonilo Aldonza who donated the usage of an empty lot he owns. Quickly volunteers erected a tent city and so when the 147 members of thirty-seven Mamanwa families arrived they were able to move right in.
From their arrival on June 1st there was mounting tension between the IDP's supporters and detractors. Among the detractors were the city's Mayor, Enrique Matugas, and such community pillars as the Chairman of the local Chamber of Commerce. Some had the audacity to suggest that the Mamanwa weren't IDPs at all but rather actors in a psychodrama engineered by the aforementioned party list organisations. The Mayor was livid that he hadn't been consulted but unfortunately for him he didn't need to be apprised of anything. The IDPs were staying on a privately owned lot with the owner's full consent.
On June 10th, CAA Isidro L.Sanches was enjoying himself at a cockpit in Barangay Camamonan's Sitio Buya in the municipality of Gigaquit, in Surigao del Norte Province. As Sanches left the cock fight though, five guerillas from Front 16A of the NEMRC approached him and shot him to death with a 45 caliber pistol. CAAs,or Civilian Active Auxiliaries, are men serving in one of four entities that are themselves collectively known as "CAAs" as well. In Mr.Sanches' case he served with the CAFGU, or Civilian Auxiliary Force Geographical Unit. CAFGU platoons serve under an AFP NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer), known as a "CAFGU Cadre." Ostensibly under direct supervision of a cadre battalion, in this case the 23IB, in reality they aren't supervised all that much. The CAA serves as the lynchpin in the AFP's counterinsugency strategy.
On June 15th, the 30IB was on patrol in the municipality of Gigaquit's Barangay Lahi, when it stumbled upon six NPA guerillas from Front 16A of the NEMRC and initiated a firefight before allowing the small detachment of NPA to withdraw without casualties.
Later that same day, June 15th, in Surigao City's Barangay Poctoy two of the AFP's KM450 trucks carrying nine soldiers, all from the 30IB en route to a patrol in Barangay Mat-i, were ambushed by IED (Improvised Explosive Device, as in "bomb") which was followed by a cross-fire. The AFP returned fire with the Front 19A guerillas withdrawing without casualties on either side after 15 minutes.
On June 20th everybody's favorite rabid anti-Communist, ANAD Party List Congressman Pastor Jun Alcover jumped into the mix with a letter to CHR (Commission on Human Rights) Commissioner Etta Rosales urging her to"investigate" the IDPs ending up in Surigao City saying that the Government should determine who "forced" the Negritos to travel 40 kilometers into the city. His inference of course is that fellow Party List organisations Bayan Muna and Gabriela should be held liable. Pray tell, does Alcover plan to crucify the Rotary Club as well? For those unfamiliar with that organisation, they are an American-based group that is about Right Wing as it gets. On the same day the 30IB deployed a 6 X 6 truck to the lot housing the IDPs. When questioned on his intentions the 30IB's CO (Commanding Officer) LTC. (Lieutenant Colonel) Rommel P.Lamzon said that his men were only there to serve the terrified tribesmen and vehemently denied any suggestions that he had sent men in full combat array to try and force the 147 shell shocked Mamnwa back across the provincial border.
My favorite LTC.Lamzon quote has got to be his response to claims by the Negritos that his men had been lobbing 81MM mortar rounds into the Mamanwa's thatched huts. What did our gallant Lieutenant Colonel reply? "We always ensure that in all of our operations no civilians will be hurt or worse,k illed. "That's fantastic! The AFP is the only military in history to never incur Collateral Damage! My thought? The AFP is so used to lying through its teeth that the bullshi* just flows naturally. Even if the AFP had GPS mortars, and it does NOT, shells go errant. It is a fact of life. Launching mortars into a village of thatched huts where you haven't deployed spotters or scouts borders on a War Crime but hey, in the Southern Philippines that is a daily occurrence. Remember, this is a world where the AFP claims 6 year old girls carry M16s with grenade launchers, after killing the child of course.
On June 22nd the IDPs climbed aboard 3 dumptrucks and were driven home to Kitcharao, led by their tribal chief, Datu Rolando "Lando" Anlagan whose actual tribal name is "Maribuhok." Finally home in the Zapanta Valley the chief appealed to both the AFP and the NPA and asked them, politely, to take their war elsewhere.
NPA Armed Contacts,Second Quarter of 2011,Part V:Front 51 Reeks Havoc in North Cotabato Province and Front 18 Spills Blood in Davao Oriental Province
On June 5th,2011 18 year old Renel Jeff Haganas,an NPA Irregular under Front 51,the Magtanggol Roque Command of the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC) and a resident of Makilala in North Cotabato paid the ultimate price for having guided the AFP,or Armed Forces of the Philippines,in its search for Front 51's camp last March.As the teenager was walking in Barangay Biangan his fellow NPA guerillas approached him and shot him in the face.Often times,NPA member or not,the AFP will"interrogate"individuals in an extreme manner after which,no matter your convictions,you aren't left with very much choice but to comply with the military's demands.Having co-operated though,young Mr.Haganas made the fatal mistake of assuming his betrayal would remain undiscovered.The camp in question,in Makilala's Barangay New Israel,wasn't that important.In fact,iit wasn't even in use when the AFP"captured"it,but the act of co-operation isn't taken lightly by the NPA and so the young man was made an example of.
On June 11th Front 51 launched an assault under the command of"Ka Enoy"on a temporary post of the 6DRC,or 6th Division Reconaissance Company,under 1Lt (First Lieutenant) Rito Petinglay in Makilala's Purok #6 in Barangay Batasan.The 30 minute firefight ended up killing PFC.(Private First Class) Arnie Agata but the NPA was unable to overrun the post and so withdrew into the jungle on the lower slopes of Mount Apo.
Two days later,on June 13th,in the municipality of Arakan,also in North Cotabato Province,Front 51 launched an assault on a CAFGU post in Barangay Anapolon but withdrew without success as the CAAs repulsed the assault without incurring,nor inflicting,any casualties.CAFGU,or Civilian Auxiliary Force Geographical Unit,is one of four entities that collectively form the CAA (Civilian Active Auxiliary) programme,which is itself the cornerstone of the AFP's counterinsurgency programme.Members,known as"CAAs,"are enlisted from within the community of deployment.Receiving a minimum of military training they are then issued uniforms and AFP weaponry,usually ancient M1s (Garands).They serve under an AFP NCO (Non-Commisioned Officer) who serves as a cadre but are often deployed rudderless into the field.
That same day,June 13th in the municipality of Magpet's Sito Kata Kulo in Barangay Basak,also in North Cotabato Province, the NPA's Front 51 launched an ambush against two 6 X 6 trucks full of soldiers from the 57IB (Infantry Battalion) as it patrolled that sector.Ten guerillas detonated an IED (Improvised Explosive Device,as in"bomb") that disabled the first of the two trucks and then launched a cross-fire barrage that precipitated a 10 minute firefight.Neither side suffered any casualties before the NPA withdrew into the bush.
The next day,June 14th,the 57IB launched an assault on a nine bunker NPA camp in the municipality of Makilala.After a 3 hour engagement that ended just after 9AM the soldiers were able to lay claim to some very minor IED components and not much else.Five of the bunkers were underground showing that it had been a substantial position but as usual the AFP allowed the NPA a clear route of withdrawal as opposed to actually trying to neutralise their enemy.
On June 15th the AFP launched a major push into Makilala.Deploying most of 3 IBs,the 39th,40th and the 57th,they softened the ground with airstrikes by OV-10 Broncos and MG520 helicopters before unleashing the ground assault on June 16th.On June 13th engagements had created 240 IDPs,or Internally Displaced Persons (i.em"Refugees") but by the 16th there were nearly 3000 who as of today,June 27th,remain in limbo.The AFP finished its operation on June 18th and claimed to have killed 4 NPA guerillas,two of whom they fully identified:
1) Alexander Selano
2) Miguel Oscio
The NPA though says that none of its guerillas were killed and that those two names belong to villagers who are neither dead nor NPA members.Moreover,the NPA claims to have killed 7 soldiers.
On June 25th the Mayor of Makilala,Rudy Goagdan,announced that the municipality was implementing a new programme designed to triage AFP casualties in the field.One would imagine that a huge military like the AFP would have trained combat medics but it does not.Those rare soldiers cross trained as medics are not even equipped to deal with snakebite and so those unlucky enough to be wounded critically in the field more often than not don't make it to the landing point for the long helicopter ride to AFP Hospitals which are only found in Division Headquarters and even then do a piss poor job of caring for their wounded.The programme,"OPlan Sagip Buhay,"or,"Operational Plan Lifesaver,"is also being offered to NPA casualties.It seems that Mayor Goagdan is taking a cue from Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte of Davao City.
Some might remember how in another recent"NPA Armed Contacts,Second Quarter of 2011"entry I discussed the AFP's Scout Rangers overrunning a huge NPA camp in the municipality of Cateel in Davao Oriental Province in late May.Among the NPA casualties were 3 guerillas extremely critically wounded.Evacuated by the NPA to a friendly hospital in Surigao del Sur Province their commander was still deeply concerned,especially so because the lone female casualty,Vanessa"Ka Eching"Tropico de los Reyes of Davao City's Calinan District is his lover.Having a working relationship with Vice Mayor Duterte he called in a big favour.Duterte then used the city's helicopter and personally rode on the flight to retrieve the three casualties whom he then delivered to Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City.Duterte's relationship with the NPA has unfortunately served as a model for other city mayors on Mindanao.
Back when Duterte was a City Prosecutor in the mid-1980s he began playing both sides of the fence.At the time Davao City was in open warfare with the NPA,the organisation then having a parallel government that controlled large portion's of the island'sargest city.In 1984 there was an upsurge in vigilantism inspired by NPA Surrenderees (NPA Defectors) who formed Right Wing paramilitaries.By 1986 the most powerful of the Right Wing groups,Alsa Masa,or Masses Arise,was enjoying an annual budget of US 9,000,a fortune even now in local standards,courtesy of the Davao City budget.Taking strategems learned from his father,a long serving governor of Davao Province (originally there was 1 province,long since sub-divided into four) and reached out to the NPA's powers that be.Consigning 4 of the city's outlying rural districts to the NPA,he received in exchange a commitment by the Maoist guerillas not to operate in any other part of the city.Having taken a terrible beating in other city districts the NPA cut its losses and agreed.
Duterte capitalised on the deal by riding it into cityhall in the mayoral elections.Not long after other local warlords cum mayors copied Duterte's gameplan and brokered deals of their own and so cities like Cagayan del Oro,Iligan,Butuan and Zamboanga avoided the bloodshed that has continued to soak the countryside.Another mayor who copied Duterte's deal with the devil was Francisco Rabat,a long serving mayor in the municipality of Mati,in Davao Oriental Province.Just as in Davao City Rabat kept the NPA out of the town proper by offering them carte blanche in rural,outlying portions of his municipality.In 2007 his daughter Michelle Rabat won the mayoral election and simply assumed that her father's agreement was transferrae to her administration.
On June 7th,2011 Ms.Rabat discovered,much to her suprise,that it wasn't.At 7PM that evening the town's newly installed CCTV system (Closed Circuit Television) zeroed in on the city's bus terminal.Located between that terminal and the adjoining public market was a small MPO (Municipal Police Office) post.Standing outside the post was PO3 Alfredo Salva,cradling his M16.The cameras watched as six men walked towards the post,four of them spreading out as sentinels.Two of the men continued walking towards the unsuspecting police officer and as one of them suddenly pointed a pistol at him,the other lunged for his M16.The quick thinking police officer instantly raised the barrel and shot both of them but as he did this one of the four sentinels ran over and shot the officer in the face with a 45 caliber pistol,instantly killing him.He then reached down and pried the M16 from his hands and disappeared into the evening with his three companions,leaving behind the other two guerillas,one of whom had already died.
Of the two NPA guerillas shot by Officer Salva,the fatality was identified as Ramil"Ka Bunso"Sallanes and the critically wounded guerilla was positively identified as Ariel"Ka Gary"Manuray,both of Front 18,the Wilfredo Zapanta Command,Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC).Manuray was transported to Davao City where he is being held at the same hospital as the aforementioned three wounded guerillas rescused by Vice Mayor Duterte,the Southern Philippines Medical Center.Guarded by AFP soldiers he also lies in critical condition.Mayor Michelle Rabat broke the virtual code of silence on June 25th and discussed the deal her father made.It is no secret to those dealing in the island's counterinsurgency mileu but the fact that the Mayor actually discussed it openly is a huge shock.That she did so hours before Makilala's Mayor Goagdan offered succor to wounded NPA guerillas does make the latter's offer much more understandable.As humane an offer as it is it is troubling that Government officials blur the lines in an already heavily intertwined dynamic.Battling the NPA is difficult enough without having officials cross the line from adversary to ally,all the while skippin disaffected bystander (as if any official on Mindanao could ever be one).
The Church-based sectoral front organisation"Exodus for Peace"is appealing to Major General Segovia of the 10ID (Infantry Division) to release those three NPA guerillas rescued by Vice Mayor Duterte of Davao City.The group reminded Segovia that the NPA always safely releases its AFP and PNP (Philippine National Police) POWs (Prisoners of War).The group says releasing the three would be a wonderful Goodwill Gesture to which Segovia responded that in fact the Government has accorded the NPA many Goodwill Gestures only to have the group repay the Government with bloody attacks.Besides Major General Segovia said,they were charged by the courts on June 5th with Frustrated Murder so it is now a judicial issue.
On June 11th Front 51 launched an assault under the command of"Ka Enoy"on a temporary post of the 6DRC,or 6th Division Reconaissance Company,under 1Lt (First Lieutenant) Rito Petinglay in Makilala's Purok #6 in Barangay Batasan.The 30 minute firefight ended up killing PFC.(Private First Class) Arnie Agata but the NPA was unable to overrun the post and so withdrew into the jungle on the lower slopes of Mount Apo.
Two days later,on June 13th,in the municipality of Arakan,also in North Cotabato Province,Front 51 launched an assault on a CAFGU post in Barangay Anapolon but withdrew without success as the CAAs repulsed the assault without incurring,nor inflicting,any casualties.CAFGU,or Civilian Auxiliary Force Geographical Unit,is one of four entities that collectively form the CAA (Civilian Active Auxiliary) programme,which is itself the cornerstone of the AFP's counterinsurgency programme.Members,known as"CAAs,"are enlisted from within the community of deployment.Receiving a minimum of military training they are then issued uniforms and AFP weaponry,usually ancient M1s (Garands).They serve under an AFP NCO (Non-Commisioned Officer) who serves as a cadre but are often deployed rudderless into the field.
That same day,June 13th in the municipality of Magpet's Sito Kata Kulo in Barangay Basak,also in North Cotabato Province, the NPA's Front 51 launched an ambush against two 6 X 6 trucks full of soldiers from the 57IB (Infantry Battalion) as it patrolled that sector.Ten guerillas detonated an IED (Improvised Explosive Device,as in"bomb") that disabled the first of the two trucks and then launched a cross-fire barrage that precipitated a 10 minute firefight.Neither side suffered any casualties before the NPA withdrew into the bush.
The next day,June 14th,the 57IB launched an assault on a nine bunker NPA camp in the municipality of Makilala.After a 3 hour engagement that ended just after 9AM the soldiers were able to lay claim to some very minor IED components and not much else.Five of the bunkers were underground showing that it had been a substantial position but as usual the AFP allowed the NPA a clear route of withdrawal as opposed to actually trying to neutralise their enemy.
On June 15th the AFP launched a major push into Makilala.Deploying most of 3 IBs,the 39th,40th and the 57th,they softened the ground with airstrikes by OV-10 Broncos and MG520 helicopters before unleashing the ground assault on June 16th.On June 13th engagements had created 240 IDPs,or Internally Displaced Persons (i.em"Refugees") but by the 16th there were nearly 3000 who as of today,June 27th,remain in limbo.The AFP finished its operation on June 18th and claimed to have killed 4 NPA guerillas,two of whom they fully identified:
1) Alexander Selano
2) Miguel Oscio
The NPA though says that none of its guerillas were killed and that those two names belong to villagers who are neither dead nor NPA members.Moreover,the NPA claims to have killed 7 soldiers.
On June 25th the Mayor of Makilala,Rudy Goagdan,announced that the municipality was implementing a new programme designed to triage AFP casualties in the field.One would imagine that a huge military like the AFP would have trained combat medics but it does not.Those rare soldiers cross trained as medics are not even equipped to deal with snakebite and so those unlucky enough to be wounded critically in the field more often than not don't make it to the landing point for the long helicopter ride to AFP Hospitals which are only found in Division Headquarters and even then do a piss poor job of caring for their wounded.The programme,"OPlan Sagip Buhay,"or,"Operational Plan Lifesaver,"is also being offered to NPA casualties.It seems that Mayor Goagdan is taking a cue from Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte of Davao City.
Some might remember how in another recent"NPA Armed Contacts,Second Quarter of 2011"entry I discussed the AFP's Scout Rangers overrunning a huge NPA camp in the municipality of Cateel in Davao Oriental Province in late May.Among the NPA casualties were 3 guerillas extremely critically wounded.Evacuated by the NPA to a friendly hospital in Surigao del Sur Province their commander was still deeply concerned,especially so because the lone female casualty,Vanessa"Ka Eching"Tropico de los Reyes of Davao City's Calinan District is his lover.Having a working relationship with Vice Mayor Duterte he called in a big favour.Duterte then used the city's helicopter and personally rode on the flight to retrieve the three casualties whom he then delivered to Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City.Duterte's relationship with the NPA has unfortunately served as a model for other city mayors on Mindanao.
Back when Duterte was a City Prosecutor in the mid-1980s he began playing both sides of the fence.At the time Davao City was in open warfare with the NPA,the organisation then having a parallel government that controlled large portion's of the island'sargest city.In 1984 there was an upsurge in vigilantism inspired by NPA Surrenderees (NPA Defectors) who formed Right Wing paramilitaries.By 1986 the most powerful of the Right Wing groups,Alsa Masa,or Masses Arise,was enjoying an annual budget of US 9,000,a fortune even now in local standards,courtesy of the Davao City budget.Taking strategems learned from his father,a long serving governor of Davao Province (originally there was 1 province,long since sub-divided into four) and reached out to the NPA's powers that be.Consigning 4 of the city's outlying rural districts to the NPA,he received in exchange a commitment by the Maoist guerillas not to operate in any other part of the city.Having taken a terrible beating in other city districts the NPA cut its losses and agreed.
Duterte capitalised on the deal by riding it into cityhall in the mayoral elections.Not long after other local warlords cum mayors copied Duterte's gameplan and brokered deals of their own and so cities like Cagayan del Oro,Iligan,Butuan and Zamboanga avoided the bloodshed that has continued to soak the countryside.Another mayor who copied Duterte's deal with the devil was Francisco Rabat,a long serving mayor in the municipality of Mati,in Davao Oriental Province.Just as in Davao City Rabat kept the NPA out of the town proper by offering them carte blanche in rural,outlying portions of his municipality.In 2007 his daughter Michelle Rabat won the mayoral election and simply assumed that her father's agreement was transferrae to her administration.
On June 7th,2011 Ms.Rabat discovered,much to her suprise,that it wasn't.At 7PM that evening the town's newly installed CCTV system (Closed Circuit Television) zeroed in on the city's bus terminal.Located between that terminal and the adjoining public market was a small MPO (Municipal Police Office) post.Standing outside the post was PO3 Alfredo Salva,cradling his M16.The cameras watched as six men walked towards the post,four of them spreading out as sentinels.Two of the men continued walking towards the unsuspecting police officer and as one of them suddenly pointed a pistol at him,the other lunged for his M16.The quick thinking police officer instantly raised the barrel and shot both of them but as he did this one of the four sentinels ran over and shot the officer in the face with a 45 caliber pistol,instantly killing him.He then reached down and pried the M16 from his hands and disappeared into the evening with his three companions,leaving behind the other two guerillas,one of whom had already died.
Of the two NPA guerillas shot by Officer Salva,the fatality was identified as Ramil"Ka Bunso"Sallanes and the critically wounded guerilla was positively identified as Ariel"Ka Gary"Manuray,both of Front 18,the Wilfredo Zapanta Command,Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC).Manuray was transported to Davao City where he is being held at the same hospital as the aforementioned three wounded guerillas rescused by Vice Mayor Duterte,the Southern Philippines Medical Center.Guarded by AFP soldiers he also lies in critical condition.Mayor Michelle Rabat broke the virtual code of silence on June 25th and discussed the deal her father made.It is no secret to those dealing in the island's counterinsurgency mileu but the fact that the Mayor actually discussed it openly is a huge shock.That she did so hours before Makilala's Mayor Goagdan offered succor to wounded NPA guerillas does make the latter's offer much more understandable.As humane an offer as it is it is troubling that Government officials blur the lines in an already heavily intertwined dynamic.Battling the NPA is difficult enough without having officials cross the line from adversary to ally,all the while skippin disaffected bystander (as if any official on Mindanao could ever be one).
The Church-based sectoral front organisation"Exodus for Peace"is appealing to Major General Segovia of the 10ID (Infantry Division) to release those three NPA guerillas rescued by Vice Mayor Duterte of Davao City.The group reminded Segovia that the NPA always safely releases its AFP and PNP (Philippine National Police) POWs (Prisoners of War).The group says releasing the three would be a wonderful Goodwill Gesture to which Segovia responded that in fact the Government has accorded the NPA many Goodwill Gestures only to have the group repay the Government with bloody attacks.Besides Major General Segovia said,they were charged by the courts on June 5th with Frustrated Murder so it is now a judicial issue.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Development Aggression,Second Quarter of 2011,Part V:Mount Diwalwal
The Diwata Mountains span a good portion of Eastern Mindanao's interior.From Surigao del Sur Province in the north all the way through Agusan del Sur and ComVal (Compostela Valley) Provinces heading south until finally they slope down onto the fertile plains of Davao del Norte Province.Mount Diwata itself sits on the southern portion of the range,in the municipality of Monkayo in ComVal Province.Home to four Lumad Tribes ("Lumad"is a generic term for all Malayan Animist Hilltribes on Mindanao):
1) Manobo
2) Mandaya
3) Mangguangan
4) Dibabawon
These tribes have inhabited that part of the mountain range since time immemorial.Though gold has been produced and traded there almost as long it didn't adversely effect members of these four tribes until the early 1980s.In August of 1980 Mandaya Tribesmen Datu Camilo"Kamini"Banad began gold panning at a newly discovered site called Bayugan III in the town sharing that name in Agusan del Sur Province.By New Year of 1983 the drought effecting most of the island caused the water levels in the Bayugan River to drop so low that even a manual endeavour like panning for gold became nearly impossible.Holding on as long as he could,by March of that year Banad was forced to return to his home village along the Naboc River in the municipality of Monkayo in the neighbouring province of Davao del Norte,in what is today ComVal,or Compostela Valley Province.
After a non-productive spring and summer Datu Banad decided once again to try his luck panning for gold,beginning in August,this time on the Naboc River itself.Not finding very much of anything he recalled that as a youth,in 1973,he had served as a guide for two Japanese treasure hunters and a Filipino engineer,as they scoured the mountains searching for promising finds.He recalled that on the day their expedition ended they had all been well up river,atop a plateau near the PICOP depot in Sitio Balite.PICOP,or Paper Industries Corporation,held logging concessions over much of Northern Mindanao,feeding their huge paper plants in the neighbouring Region of Caraga.On the day in question the Japanese and their engineer had agreed that 2 kilometers upriver from the depot there was a rich vein of gold.Remembering the conversation Banad resolved to begin searching up river.
On September 21st,1983 Banad and 2 of his fellow villagers,Benjamin Wenceslao and Eugenio"Boy"Avila set off downstream,to throw off the persistent village stragglers who always followed him as he panned the Naboc River.After trekking a considerable distance the three men cut into the jungle and reversed course,upriver,but walking far inland from their village.Reaching the targetted area Datu Bamad instructed his 2 companions to spread out and the three began prospecting.Panning for gold is an incredibly simple process though the actual mechanics,like most any physical act,take a bit of practice.Working on the premise of gravity,using a flat tin pan,a miner scoops up river sand or gravel with just a modicum of water and swirls the contents at a 45 degree angle.By holding it at an angle the heavier sediment in the pan will sink to the bottom.Tipping out the water and excess sediment one keeps swirling the pan's contents until,if one is fortunate,they are left with an iota of gold,usually as dust.Though gold is sometimes found in rivers and creeks,this can only happen when a vein of gold,a large underground deposit of mixed ore,is shattered,exposed to rain or underground streams and then,just as in panning,gravity does the rest.
At the first target site all three men quickly came up with gold dust but because it was late in the day they decided to pack it in and return to their village,after first swearing each other to secrecy.Early the next day,September 22nd,the three men once again feigned as if heading down stream and then retracing their steps made their way to the productive site of the previous day.Again coming up with gold dust rather quickly,Banad decided to try and find the source,the shattered vein of gold.Continuing upstream they eventually passed the now abandoned PICOP depot where Datu Banad had first heard those words 10 years before.Panning again this time their gold dust had large flecks interspersed throughout it,a sure sign that the men were moving in the right direction.In fact,panning was so good that the three decided to bed down for the night so as not to lose the great progress they had made thus far.The next morning,September 23rd the thee men set off before daybreak and began steadily climbing in elevation as they followed the river which had narrowed considerably in the long trek.Before long the river,now little more than a creek,split into 4 feeders,showing the group that they were making progress in their search for the river's headwaters.Now the men panned every other hour and always they achieved more positive results than they had in their previous try.
Walking two hours from where the Naboc River had split into four feeders they reached a high plateau ringed with steep cliff faces.Just past noon they reached the edge of Sitio Balite,an unihabited stretch of jungle that PICOP had just vacated after four years of heavy logging.Just above the plateau was a PICOP bridge,spanning what was now a slow moving,single creek.Not too far away was the PICOP bunkhouse which had quickly fallen into disuse.Here the three men panned again.Starting in sand they were excited to find small nuggets in eack try.Next they tried the creek's gravel bed and there too they found decently sized gold nuggets.It was clear to Banad that the PICOP logging road had been constructed through a gold field,shattering part of the vein.He knew it was the logging road because had it been an old shattering by earthquake there would be very little gold in the gravel bed,it would be instead in residual deposits in sand along the stream bed's edges.Knowing they were very close to a rich find Banad had Avila prepare lunch.Afterwards he had Wenceslao head upstream,and asked him to look and see if the logging road traversed the mountain at any higher elevations.If so Banad said,begin panning just below the road.As Weceslao departed upstream Avila and Banad busied themselves at their present site.
Later that afternoon Wenceslao returned and confirmed that indeed PICOP did have a segment of that newly constructed logging road located near the top of the mountain.With that the 3 rushed upstream reaching it as the sun sat low in the sky.Still,before nightfall the 3 had recovered enough gold dust,flecks and nuggets to fill a small bottle.Wenceslao had,under Banad's direction,discovered the motherlode.
The source stood almost atop Bundok Diwata,or Mount Diwata.The mountain,which gave the entire mountain range its name was known locally as"Bundok Diwalwal,"a play on its actual name.While"Diwata"means"Idol,"as in"religious idol,""Diwalwal"means"Absolutely Exhausted,"named as such for the feelings it generated whenever someone hiked the trail in its entierty.
The next day,a bottle of gold in hand,the three men happily returned home after once again swearing each other to secrecy.Though the three men continued prospecting at the source for another satisfying three weeks,word of the fortuitous discovery spread quickly.Fearing being shut out of their own discovery,Banad,Avila,and Wenceslao jointly filed six separate DOLs,or Declarations of Location,with the BFD (Bureau of Forest Development).DOLs are effectively Prospecting Claims.Following suit other villagers began to file DOLs of their own.In fact,it got to the point where Datu Banad began growing paranoid that one of them,and not him,had staked a claim on the motherlode.With this in mind Banad gathered his fellow villagers and convinced them that they could all increase their chances of striking it rich by forming a partnership.Taking the villagers that agreed with him Banad formed the Balite Communal Portal Mining Corporation,or BCPMC.
By December,less than 60 days later,local clans from all 4 of the tribes living on and around the mountain had begun following suit,filing DOLs of their own up and down the Naboc River.With the flurry in claims came a barrage of disadvantageous offers that tried to manipulate the cooperative into a weak position.Still,Banad lacked the neccessary business savvy and technical know-how needed for a successful endeavour.Realising that not only was he himself in way over his head but that he had led his people into a very vulnerable position as well,Datu Banad began looking for ways in which to navigate what was for him uncharted waters.With more than a little trepidation then he took the plunge and on December 12th,1983 he entered into a Joint Operating Agreement with Apex Mining.Just after New Year,January of 1984,PICOP attempted to re-assert what it felt were its rights inherent within their timberconcession and closed the single logging road leading upcountry into Sitio Balite.Even without a road more and more people crowded the small mountain each day.Then,on February 2nd,1984 local agents filed sixteen separate DOLs for the Marcopper Mining Corporation,all of which were contigious to those filed by Datu Banad's Balite Communal Portal Mining Company,or BCPMC.Marcopper,a subsidiary of the Canadian-based multi-national giant Placer Dome,was the company who would single handedly create the worst mining disaster in world history when 12 million metric tonnes of tailings flowed into a 26 kilometer long river on the Philippine island of Marinduque when an improperly constructed dam gave way,though that was still more than a decade into the future.
By the Summer of 1985 the once isolated village of less than 600 Tribesmen was bursting at the seems with an estimated 20,000 people from every corner of the Philippines.Anytime gold is discovered in a new place people will embellish their stories of newly found riches so that by the end of their tall tale people are already considering making a go of it themselves.Still,even without the gross exaggeration that always accompanies a recent discovery Mount Diwalwal truly is a motherlode.In a country where the average wage is less than 300 Pesos a day in 2011,nearly 30 years after its discovery,the mountain still produces well over 6,000 Pesos a day for each independent prospector.By law all small scale miners at Diwalwal must sell their yield through the Davao City Station of the Banko ng Sentral (Central Bank of the Philippines) which reports well over P2 Billion in purchases a year just out of a 729 hectare site atop the mountain.It is no wonder then that people continuously flocked to thesite in those heady early years,causing the community to increase exponentially with total disregard for planning and infrastructure.As with all small scale mining communities of any size brothels,bars and drug dealing became very well entrenched incredibly early on.
By 1985 Marcopper's attorneys had performed their due dilligence and had learned that in 1931 then Governor-General of the Philippines,Dwight F.Davis,had issued Proclamation #369 creating the"Agusan-Davao-Surigao Forest Reserve."The 1,927,400 hectare reservation covered the length of the island,from north to south.Within this vast tract lay Mount Diwalwal.According to Philippine Law,mining rights within Forest Reserves fall under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Mining and Geosciences,or BMG (today known as the MGB),with whom one must file for a Prospecting Permit (as opposed to the aforementioned DOL which offers the same legal protections).Ergo,a DOL through the BFD was useless.Realising this all-important information Marcopper abandoned its sixteen DOLs and immediately filed for Prospecting Permits instead.On July 1st,1985 Marcopper received its nervously awaited Permits covering a grand total of 4,941.67 hectares that extended across the provincial line into Davao del Norte's municipality of Cateel.Interestingly,showing a huge disconnect between BMG's parent entity the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Bureau of Forest Development the Prospecting Permits fully encompassed every single one of the DOLs issued thus far.This would be the start of a geopolitical clusterfuc* that continues up until the present.Handing out the same parcel of land to different groups is never smart but doing so when that parcel happens to contain some of the world's most valuable gold fields is insane.
Just 4 months later,on November 11th,1985,moving at the speed of light Marcopper applied for an Exploratory Permit.Lo and behold,on March 10th,1986 the Bureau of Mines and Geo-Sciences (BMG) issued Marcopper a two year Exploration Permit,#133,and the company began sinking test holes.Drilling into the mountain they took core samples which aside from confirming the obvious presence of gold also revealed the quality of the metal.The company was astounded,it had almost blindly stumbled into one of the planet's most profitable gold fields.When BGM issued this permit there were already nearly 80,000 people living in a squatter settlement stretching 6 kilometers out from the mountain on all sides.Mining had proliferated to such a degree that it now encompassed more than 10,000 hectares and houses sat atop tunnels creating a potential deadly disaster.
Competition was so keen that adits,or side tunnels off of the portal,or main tunnel,often collapsed because of parallel adits from competitors being excavated mere centimeters away.Despite the huge buildup the mining was relegated to rudimentary methodology.24 hours a day tunnels barely wide enough for a skinny adult held 5 to 6 labourers,sometimes as young as 8 or 9 years of age.Placed head to toe the labourers worked with shovels,picks, mallets,and even chisels to separate ore from the tunnel walls.Filling half-sacks,nylon rice bags holding up to 45 kilograms of materiel they would signal when their bag was full and each labourer would crawl out backwards,centimeter by centimeter as the miner in question dragged their bag of rocks.Placing the sack at the collection point the labourer would re-enter his tunnel,this time near the entrance with the other labourers having quickly crawled back in since they were paid by the bag.
At the collection point young boys and elderly men,sometimes women,swung sledge hammers,mallets and carpenter's hammers as they pulverised the contents of each sack,having first dumped the contents onto the ground.Re-bagging the pulverised contents they hauled the 45 kilogram sacks on their back to rod mills,whose own labourers fed the contents into the mill.For 4 hours the mills ground the ore after which the mill labourers directed the milled ore into a sluice which like panning,indeed the gold vein itself,also operated upon the simple premise of gravity.Gold,being a heavier element,sinks to the bottom with other heavy materiel.If the mine operator owned his own rod mill,which was rarely the case,he would have the top materiel,or slag,re-fed into the mill to be re-processed and might repeat the entire process three times before finally discarding it as waste.The heavier bottom materiel is then processed in a hand mill for 2 hours and then deposited in a tank or small pond,mixed with mercury,and allowed to stand for 30 minutes.
Mercury attracts the gold and together the two substances ammalgamate into a unitary substance.The mercury/gold is then filtered repeatedly through cheese cloth which catches the gold.Still highly impure it is combined with additional chemicals,sometimes even common soap,to try and remove as much of the mercury as possible.In the end the still impure substance is bled by oxy/acetylene torch which evaporates the mercury.The result is commercial grade gold.
By 1986 Diwalwal,as it was then universally known by that nickname,began stratifying between smaller and bigger operations.The bigger operations stopped hiring labourers and instead sub-contracted the labour,hiring foremen who were given a fair share of the production and in turn hired their own labourers,provided their own equipment and so on.The usual split between owner and foreman was 50% of the gross after an initial 20% had been skimmed for"Revolutionary Taxes"to the NPA and costs associated with common industrial sized generators and water pumps that were"rented"on a share basis.Out of what amounted to 40% of the gross production the foreman was responsible for 100% of operating costs inside the mine.Post-production costs like milling came out of the owner's 40% gross share.
As this rampant small scale mining continued increasing to the point where Marcopper felt compelled to neutralise these threats to its bottom line and so on April 11th,1986 the company filed a petition with BMG asking the agency to cancel whatever rights and privileges were exercised by DOL holders within Marcopper's 4,941 hectare tenement.The company's attorneys argued that because the gold field lay within a Forest Reserve DOLs were useless.Moreover they claimed that while extraction of mineral resources was permitted in Forest Reserves it was under the auspices of the BGM and NOT the BFD.
Aware that their DOLs lay within the recently granted Marcopper tenement Apex Mining,its partner,Datu Banad's Balite Communal Portal Mining Co-operative and virtually everybody else involved in gold mining on and around Mount Diwalwal was already deeply opposed to the Canandian-based multi-national.By July Apex had been served with a copy of Marcopper's petition.On September 23rd of that year,1986,,Apex responded and in its petition asking that Marcor's request be denied by claiming that the tract was NOT within a Forest Reserve.Finally,on December 9th the BMG ruled on the case,albeit without explaining how a declared Forest Reserve had lapsed,and suprisingly favoured Apex.It dismissed Marcopper's request and declared Exploration Permit #133 to be null and void.
Marcopper,though shocked at the turn of events didn't miss a step as it filed an appeal with the BMG's parent entity,the Department of Environment and Natural Resources,or DENR.On April 15th,1987 the DENR completely overturned its dubsidiary agency's decision.Exploration Permit #133 was restored in full though it ignored the issue at the crux of the dynamic,the multitude of DOLs (Declarations of Location) placed with the BFD (Bureau of Forest Development),all of which lay within the now re-affirmed Marcopper tenement and how the two conflicting permit systems were parceling out the same valuable rights to different people.
Apex then filed the de riguer Petition for Reconsideration with the DENR but was denied.Not willing to roll over it then filed an Appeal with the Office of the President,of then President Corazon"Cory"Aquino.Channeled via the Office's Assistant Executive for Legal Affairs,Cancio C.Garcia it was ultimately dismissed and in his Decision Mr.Garcia made a point to markedly re-affirm the DENR's Decision to restore Exploration Permit #133.
In the larger world around them the NPA on Mindanao had reached its own apex in terms of manpower and organisational accumen.Dilwalwal's Revolutionary Taxes played a crucial role in this parallel exponential increase across the board.Strategically the mountain is a key position,a Regional lynchpin in its role as the bridge between its own Davao Region and the neighbouring Caraga Region.Both Caraga and Davao,then like now,were heavily infiltrated by the Maoist guerilla movement.However,there were four times as many guerillas at the end of the 1980s than there are today.In terms of mass base of support the NPA received an almost universal acclaim...but that was about to change with a two year long reign of terror as the group purged what it believed to be DPAs,or Deep Penetration Agents.
I will continue with this examination of Diwalwal in my next Development Aggression entry,"Development Aggression,Second Quarter of 2011,Part V:Mount Diwalwal,Part 2".
1) Manobo
2) Mandaya
3) Mangguangan
4) Dibabawon
These tribes have inhabited that part of the mountain range since time immemorial.Though gold has been produced and traded there almost as long it didn't adversely effect members of these four tribes until the early 1980s.In August of 1980 Mandaya Tribesmen Datu Camilo"Kamini"Banad began gold panning at a newly discovered site called Bayugan III in the town sharing that name in Agusan del Sur Province.By New Year of 1983 the drought effecting most of the island caused the water levels in the Bayugan River to drop so low that even a manual endeavour like panning for gold became nearly impossible.Holding on as long as he could,by March of that year Banad was forced to return to his home village along the Naboc River in the municipality of Monkayo in the neighbouring province of Davao del Norte,in what is today ComVal,or Compostela Valley Province.
After a non-productive spring and summer Datu Banad decided once again to try his luck panning for gold,beginning in August,this time on the Naboc River itself.Not finding very much of anything he recalled that as a youth,in 1973,he had served as a guide for two Japanese treasure hunters and a Filipino engineer,as they scoured the mountains searching for promising finds.He recalled that on the day their expedition ended they had all been well up river,atop a plateau near the PICOP depot in Sitio Balite.PICOP,or Paper Industries Corporation,held logging concessions over much of Northern Mindanao,feeding their huge paper plants in the neighbouring Region of Caraga.On the day in question the Japanese and their engineer had agreed that 2 kilometers upriver from the depot there was a rich vein of gold.Remembering the conversation Banad resolved to begin searching up river.
On September 21st,1983 Banad and 2 of his fellow villagers,Benjamin Wenceslao and Eugenio"Boy"Avila set off downstream,to throw off the persistent village stragglers who always followed him as he panned the Naboc River.After trekking a considerable distance the three men cut into the jungle and reversed course,upriver,but walking far inland from their village.Reaching the targetted area Datu Bamad instructed his 2 companions to spread out and the three began prospecting.Panning for gold is an incredibly simple process though the actual mechanics,like most any physical act,take a bit of practice.Working on the premise of gravity,using a flat tin pan,a miner scoops up river sand or gravel with just a modicum of water and swirls the contents at a 45 degree angle.By holding it at an angle the heavier sediment in the pan will sink to the bottom.Tipping out the water and excess sediment one keeps swirling the pan's contents until,if one is fortunate,they are left with an iota of gold,usually as dust.Though gold is sometimes found in rivers and creeks,this can only happen when a vein of gold,a large underground deposit of mixed ore,is shattered,exposed to rain or underground streams and then,just as in panning,gravity does the rest.
At the first target site all three men quickly came up with gold dust but because it was late in the day they decided to pack it in and return to their village,after first swearing each other to secrecy.Early the next day,September 22nd,the three men once again feigned as if heading down stream and then retracing their steps made their way to the productive site of the previous day.Again coming up with gold dust rather quickly,Banad decided to try and find the source,the shattered vein of gold.Continuing upstream they eventually passed the now abandoned PICOP depot where Datu Banad had first heard those words 10 years before.Panning again this time their gold dust had large flecks interspersed throughout it,a sure sign that the men were moving in the right direction.In fact,panning was so good that the three decided to bed down for the night so as not to lose the great progress they had made thus far.The next morning,September 23rd the thee men set off before daybreak and began steadily climbing in elevation as they followed the river which had narrowed considerably in the long trek.Before long the river,now little more than a creek,split into 4 feeders,showing the group that they were making progress in their search for the river's headwaters.Now the men panned every other hour and always they achieved more positive results than they had in their previous try.
Walking two hours from where the Naboc River had split into four feeders they reached a high plateau ringed with steep cliff faces.Just past noon they reached the edge of Sitio Balite,an unihabited stretch of jungle that PICOP had just vacated after four years of heavy logging.Just above the plateau was a PICOP bridge,spanning what was now a slow moving,single creek.Not too far away was the PICOP bunkhouse which had quickly fallen into disuse.Here the three men panned again.Starting in sand they were excited to find small nuggets in eack try.Next they tried the creek's gravel bed and there too they found decently sized gold nuggets.It was clear to Banad that the PICOP logging road had been constructed through a gold field,shattering part of the vein.He knew it was the logging road because had it been an old shattering by earthquake there would be very little gold in the gravel bed,it would be instead in residual deposits in sand along the stream bed's edges.Knowing they were very close to a rich find Banad had Avila prepare lunch.Afterwards he had Wenceslao head upstream,and asked him to look and see if the logging road traversed the mountain at any higher elevations.If so Banad said,begin panning just below the road.As Weceslao departed upstream Avila and Banad busied themselves at their present site.
Later that afternoon Wenceslao returned and confirmed that indeed PICOP did have a segment of that newly constructed logging road located near the top of the mountain.With that the 3 rushed upstream reaching it as the sun sat low in the sky.Still,before nightfall the 3 had recovered enough gold dust,flecks and nuggets to fill a small bottle.Wenceslao had,under Banad's direction,discovered the motherlode.
The source stood almost atop Bundok Diwata,or Mount Diwata.The mountain,which gave the entire mountain range its name was known locally as"Bundok Diwalwal,"a play on its actual name.While"Diwata"means"Idol,"as in"religious idol,""Diwalwal"means"Absolutely Exhausted,"named as such for the feelings it generated whenever someone hiked the trail in its entierty.
The next day,a bottle of gold in hand,the three men happily returned home after once again swearing each other to secrecy.Though the three men continued prospecting at the source for another satisfying three weeks,word of the fortuitous discovery spread quickly.Fearing being shut out of their own discovery,Banad,Avila,and Wenceslao jointly filed six separate DOLs,or Declarations of Location,with the BFD (Bureau of Forest Development).DOLs are effectively Prospecting Claims.Following suit other villagers began to file DOLs of their own.In fact,it got to the point where Datu Banad began growing paranoid that one of them,and not him,had staked a claim on the motherlode.With this in mind Banad gathered his fellow villagers and convinced them that they could all increase their chances of striking it rich by forming a partnership.Taking the villagers that agreed with him Banad formed the Balite Communal Portal Mining Corporation,or BCPMC.
By December,less than 60 days later,local clans from all 4 of the tribes living on and around the mountain had begun following suit,filing DOLs of their own up and down the Naboc River.With the flurry in claims came a barrage of disadvantageous offers that tried to manipulate the cooperative into a weak position.Still,Banad lacked the neccessary business savvy and technical know-how needed for a successful endeavour.Realising that not only was he himself in way over his head but that he had led his people into a very vulnerable position as well,Datu Banad began looking for ways in which to navigate what was for him uncharted waters.With more than a little trepidation then he took the plunge and on December 12th,1983 he entered into a Joint Operating Agreement with Apex Mining.Just after New Year,January of 1984,PICOP attempted to re-assert what it felt were its rights inherent within their timberconcession and closed the single logging road leading upcountry into Sitio Balite.Even without a road more and more people crowded the small mountain each day.Then,on February 2nd,1984 local agents filed sixteen separate DOLs for the Marcopper Mining Corporation,all of which were contigious to those filed by Datu Banad's Balite Communal Portal Mining Company,or BCPMC.Marcopper,a subsidiary of the Canadian-based multi-national giant Placer Dome,was the company who would single handedly create the worst mining disaster in world history when 12 million metric tonnes of tailings flowed into a 26 kilometer long river on the Philippine island of Marinduque when an improperly constructed dam gave way,though that was still more than a decade into the future.
By the Summer of 1985 the once isolated village of less than 600 Tribesmen was bursting at the seems with an estimated 20,000 people from every corner of the Philippines.Anytime gold is discovered in a new place people will embellish their stories of newly found riches so that by the end of their tall tale people are already considering making a go of it themselves.Still,even without the gross exaggeration that always accompanies a recent discovery Mount Diwalwal truly is a motherlode.In a country where the average wage is less than 300 Pesos a day in 2011,nearly 30 years after its discovery,the mountain still produces well over 6,000 Pesos a day for each independent prospector.By law all small scale miners at Diwalwal must sell their yield through the Davao City Station of the Banko ng Sentral (Central Bank of the Philippines) which reports well over P2 Billion in purchases a year just out of a 729 hectare site atop the mountain.It is no wonder then that people continuously flocked to thesite in those heady early years,causing the community to increase exponentially with total disregard for planning and infrastructure.As with all small scale mining communities of any size brothels,bars and drug dealing became very well entrenched incredibly early on.
By 1985 Marcopper's attorneys had performed their due dilligence and had learned that in 1931 then Governor-General of the Philippines,Dwight F.Davis,had issued Proclamation #369 creating the"Agusan-Davao-Surigao Forest Reserve."The 1,927,400 hectare reservation covered the length of the island,from north to south.Within this vast tract lay Mount Diwalwal.According to Philippine Law,mining rights within Forest Reserves fall under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Mining and Geosciences,or BMG (today known as the MGB),with whom one must file for a Prospecting Permit (as opposed to the aforementioned DOL which offers the same legal protections).Ergo,a DOL through the BFD was useless.Realising this all-important information Marcopper abandoned its sixteen DOLs and immediately filed for Prospecting Permits instead.On July 1st,1985 Marcopper received its nervously awaited Permits covering a grand total of 4,941.67 hectares that extended across the provincial line into Davao del Norte's municipality of Cateel.Interestingly,showing a huge disconnect between BMG's parent entity the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Bureau of Forest Development the Prospecting Permits fully encompassed every single one of the DOLs issued thus far.This would be the start of a geopolitical clusterfuc* that continues up until the present.Handing out the same parcel of land to different groups is never smart but doing so when that parcel happens to contain some of the world's most valuable gold fields is insane.
Just 4 months later,on November 11th,1985,moving at the speed of light Marcopper applied for an Exploratory Permit.Lo and behold,on March 10th,1986 the Bureau of Mines and Geo-Sciences (BMG) issued Marcopper a two year Exploration Permit,#133,and the company began sinking test holes.Drilling into the mountain they took core samples which aside from confirming the obvious presence of gold also revealed the quality of the metal.The company was astounded,it had almost blindly stumbled into one of the planet's most profitable gold fields.When BGM issued this permit there were already nearly 80,000 people living in a squatter settlement stretching 6 kilometers out from the mountain on all sides.Mining had proliferated to such a degree that it now encompassed more than 10,000 hectares and houses sat atop tunnels creating a potential deadly disaster.
Competition was so keen that adits,or side tunnels off of the portal,or main tunnel,often collapsed because of parallel adits from competitors being excavated mere centimeters away.Despite the huge buildup the mining was relegated to rudimentary methodology.24 hours a day tunnels barely wide enough for a skinny adult held 5 to 6 labourers,sometimes as young as 8 or 9 years of age.Placed head to toe the labourers worked with shovels,picks, mallets,and even chisels to separate ore from the tunnel walls.Filling half-sacks,nylon rice bags holding up to 45 kilograms of materiel they would signal when their bag was full and each labourer would crawl out backwards,centimeter by centimeter as the miner in question dragged their bag of rocks.Placing the sack at the collection point the labourer would re-enter his tunnel,this time near the entrance with the other labourers having quickly crawled back in since they were paid by the bag.
At the collection point young boys and elderly men,sometimes women,swung sledge hammers,mallets and carpenter's hammers as they pulverised the contents of each sack,having first dumped the contents onto the ground.Re-bagging the pulverised contents they hauled the 45 kilogram sacks on their back to rod mills,whose own labourers fed the contents into the mill.For 4 hours the mills ground the ore after which the mill labourers directed the milled ore into a sluice which like panning,indeed the gold vein itself,also operated upon the simple premise of gravity.Gold,being a heavier element,sinks to the bottom with other heavy materiel.If the mine operator owned his own rod mill,which was rarely the case,he would have the top materiel,or slag,re-fed into the mill to be re-processed and might repeat the entire process three times before finally discarding it as waste.The heavier bottom materiel is then processed in a hand mill for 2 hours and then deposited in a tank or small pond,mixed with mercury,and allowed to stand for 30 minutes.
Mercury attracts the gold and together the two substances ammalgamate into a unitary substance.The mercury/gold is then filtered repeatedly through cheese cloth which catches the gold.Still highly impure it is combined with additional chemicals,sometimes even common soap,to try and remove as much of the mercury as possible.In the end the still impure substance is bled by oxy/acetylene torch which evaporates the mercury.The result is commercial grade gold.
By 1986 Diwalwal,as it was then universally known by that nickname,began stratifying between smaller and bigger operations.The bigger operations stopped hiring labourers and instead sub-contracted the labour,hiring foremen who were given a fair share of the production and in turn hired their own labourers,provided their own equipment and so on.The usual split between owner and foreman was 50% of the gross after an initial 20% had been skimmed for"Revolutionary Taxes"to the NPA and costs associated with common industrial sized generators and water pumps that were"rented"on a share basis.Out of what amounted to 40% of the gross production the foreman was responsible for 100% of operating costs inside the mine.Post-production costs like milling came out of the owner's 40% gross share.
As this rampant small scale mining continued increasing to the point where Marcopper felt compelled to neutralise these threats to its bottom line and so on April 11th,1986 the company filed a petition with BMG asking the agency to cancel whatever rights and privileges were exercised by DOL holders within Marcopper's 4,941 hectare tenement.The company's attorneys argued that because the gold field lay within a Forest Reserve DOLs were useless.Moreover they claimed that while extraction of mineral resources was permitted in Forest Reserves it was under the auspices of the BGM and NOT the BFD.
Aware that their DOLs lay within the recently granted Marcopper tenement Apex Mining,its partner,Datu Banad's Balite Communal Portal Mining Co-operative and virtually everybody else involved in gold mining on and around Mount Diwalwal was already deeply opposed to the Canandian-based multi-national.By July Apex had been served with a copy of Marcopper's petition.On September 23rd of that year,1986,,Apex responded and in its petition asking that Marcor's request be denied by claiming that the tract was NOT within a Forest Reserve.Finally,on December 9th the BMG ruled on the case,albeit without explaining how a declared Forest Reserve had lapsed,and suprisingly favoured Apex.It dismissed Marcopper's request and declared Exploration Permit #133 to be null and void.
Marcopper,though shocked at the turn of events didn't miss a step as it filed an appeal with the BMG's parent entity,the Department of Environment and Natural Resources,or DENR.On April 15th,1987 the DENR completely overturned its dubsidiary agency's decision.Exploration Permit #133 was restored in full though it ignored the issue at the crux of the dynamic,the multitude of DOLs (Declarations of Location) placed with the BFD (Bureau of Forest Development),all of which lay within the now re-affirmed Marcopper tenement and how the two conflicting permit systems were parceling out the same valuable rights to different people.
Apex then filed the de riguer Petition for Reconsideration with the DENR but was denied.Not willing to roll over it then filed an Appeal with the Office of the President,of then President Corazon"Cory"Aquino.Channeled via the Office's Assistant Executive for Legal Affairs,Cancio C.Garcia it was ultimately dismissed and in his Decision Mr.Garcia made a point to markedly re-affirm the DENR's Decision to restore Exploration Permit #133.
In the larger world around them the NPA on Mindanao had reached its own apex in terms of manpower and organisational accumen.Dilwalwal's Revolutionary Taxes played a crucial role in this parallel exponential increase across the board.Strategically the mountain is a key position,a Regional lynchpin in its role as the bridge between its own Davao Region and the neighbouring Caraga Region.Both Caraga and Davao,then like now,were heavily infiltrated by the Maoist guerilla movement.However,there were four times as many guerillas at the end of the 1980s than there are today.In terms of mass base of support the NPA received an almost universal acclaim...but that was about to change with a two year long reign of terror as the group purged what it believed to be DPAs,or Deep Penetration Agents.
I will continue with this examination of Diwalwal in my next Development Aggression entry,"Development Aggression,Second Quarter of 2011,Part V:Mount Diwalwal,Part 2".
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