Though the Americans were able to take direct control of Jolo from the Spaniards with no lapse in authority, the handoff was usually non-existent in other parts of Muslim dominated Mindanao. Cotabato had finally come under Spanish control in 1846, though upriver, in the so called "Sultanate of Buayan," a self styled ruler popularly known as Datu Utto, the Rajah of Buayan, was able to foster the last bit of rebellion against Spanish control all the way up until 1888, but then he too finally came to heel as well. The key to the Spaniard's success had finally been a combination of advanced, small bore cannonry in combination with the simple, but heretofore unthought of, innovation of a shallow draught keel on their now mechanised gunboats. The low profile keel allowed a previously unimaginable advance up the cataracts of the Pulangi, or as the Spaniards, and later the Americans, called it, the Rio Grande de Mindanao (Big River of Mindanao).
Utto was a Buayanan, a Maguindanowan-speaking tribe that inhabited the plateau on the border of what is now North Cotabato and Bukidnon Provinces. In 1892, just four years after acquiescesing to Spain, Utto died. After a short jockying for power a nephew known as Datu Ali seized power and so it was Ali whom the Americans faced when they arrived at empty Spanish forts along that famed river in 1899. Not bothering to wait as did the garrison on Jolo Island, the Spanish fled as soon soon as they received confirmation that the Insurrectos, or Filipino Independence Forces, had folded under American pressure in Cagayan del Misamis, today's Cagayan del Oro City. At first Datu Ali was amenable to the Americans, trying to gauge them for some possible accomodation. By 1902 though things had turned ugly and Ali threw in his chips and went for broke.
The following excerpt is taken from Chapter 27 from the memoir of Colonel John White, "Bullets and Bolos: Fifteen Years in the Philippine Islands," by John White (New York/London) (1928). Mr.White, an American Colonel in the nascent PC, or Philippine Constabulary, spent 15 years in the Philippines engaging in Counterinsurgency, with nearly 10 of those years on Mindanao.
Factually correct in terms of his recall, his historical context, and so on. He shows a very curious ignorance of the most basic facts of life on Mindanao. For example, despite spending nearly 10 years in Mindanao, most of which was spent commanding Moro Units (as they were known), he obviously believes the Maranaw (Maranao) to be a Maguindanowan Tribe. The Maranaw and Maguindanaw (Maguindanao) DO both descend from the Iranun (Illanun) Tribe, and therefore their languages are very strongly mutually intelligible, their customs, even their form of government was very different.
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Chapter 27: Early in June, 1904, General Wood called upon Colonel Harbord to organize a Constabulary in the District of Cotabato, the largest and perhaps least known division of the Moro Province, where a prominent Moro chief named Datu Ali had recently started on the warpath. Colonel Harbord relieved me as Adjuant for assignment as Senior Inspector of the Constabulary of Cotabato with instructions to recruit as rapidly as possible among the tribes of friendly Moros and organize a force that could be used as Scouts accompanying expeditions of United States troops against the hostiles scattered throughout the length and breadth of the valley of the Rio Grande of Mindanao. Cotabato District consisted of this valley of this broad, deep, muddy stream, a valley some two hundred miles (230KM) long and some ten to fifty miles (13 TO 18KM) broad. This watershed contained large areas of swamp and lakes, with villages of Maguindanowan Moros scattered along the banks of the river and its tributaries or amid the almost trackless and impassable swamps. Back of the valley rose forbidding ranges of mountains, culminating in Mount Apo, eleven thousand feet in height (NEARLY 4,000 METERS). In the jungles of these mountains were legendary pagan tribes rejoicing in the names of Tirurayes (TEDURAYS), Manobos, Bagobos, Bilanes (B'LAANS), and many more such.
The Maguindanowans were the largest tribe of Moros. They controlled practically the whole of the mainland of Mindanao. Although more agricultural and less piratical [SIC] than their cousins in Sulu, they held almost as tightly to their ancient privilege of slavery and control of the pagan tribes, while the situation of their bamboo villages and earthen cottas (forts) (KOTAS) on the shores of the mountain lakes, as in Lanao, or amid the swamps, as in Cotabato, made campaigning against these chiefs who refused to recognise the authority of the United States both difficult and costly.
The Spaniards had sent many an expedition up the Rio Grande, and with shallow-draft [SIC] gunboats had shot their way into the heart of Cotabato District. They obtained concessions from Datu Utu [SIC], the Maguindanowan chief who then ruled that swampy land. But the control exercised by the Spaniards extended little if any further than the range of cannon shot from the toy men of war ("MAN OF WAR"BEING A WAR SHIP,"TOY"REFERRING TO SHALLOW DRAUGHT BOATS), while the price they paid in men and blood for even such a victory was heavy. Futhermore, every inch of ground wrested from the Maguindanowan must be controlled by stone fort or blockhouse. When, in 1899, the Spaniards withdrew before the advancing Americans from the north, anarchy reigned in Cotabato. Datu Utu had gone to the voluptuous reward of good fighting Moros and his nephew, Datu Ali, ruled in his stead.
The American troops came to Cotabato. A wise officer, Colonel Febiger, was appointed Governor of the District. Datu Ali paid his respects to Colonel Febiger and for awhile all went pleasantly along the Rio Grande. The Military Government was busy subduing Aguinaldo's Insurrection in the northern islands and was quite willing to leave the Moro hornets alone as long as they refrained from stinging American soldiers. Colonel Febiger cemented friendship with Datu Ali and at one time even made tenative arrangements to send him on an educational tour in the United States. The cautious Governor shut the other eye at such exhibitions of Moro customs, such as slavery, an occasional raid on the pagan hillmen (LUMAD), or a little inter-tribal bloodshed by way of keeping the young braves fit (USE OF NATIVE AMERICANISMS LIKE "BRAVES" WAS RIFE AMONGST THE AMERICANS IN THE PHILIPPINES).
It is likely that had Colonel Febiger remained at Cotabato, gradually enlarging his influence and control of the Maguindanowan (MAGUINDANOAN) and especially their fighting chief Datu Ali, the bloody chapter of our campaign in Cotabato of which I shall sketch but the highlights, might never have been written. It is safe to say that nine tenths of the trouble in Mindanao has been due to the impermanence of officials; no sooner did an officer like Febiger get to know his Moro men and manners than military orders carried him off to some other sphere of usefulness; and his successor came with no fund of stored up experience upon which to draw. Of course, it was not to be expected that the feudal conditions of Moro misgovernment in Mindanao and Sulu could be replaced by an administration modeled on American ideas of the rights of man without a certain amount of friction and even bloodshed. But the amount of each might have been reduced by a policy which used personal influence rather than the Krag (A RIFLE) to enforce necessary and wholesome changes.
General Wood recognized this. He soon appointed civilian understudies and District Secretaries under Army Governors, but before many years the General himself was , after having become skilled in Moro administration, spirited away to another command. Colonel Febiger left Cotabato. Datu Ali heard of the new laws passed by the legislative council of the Moro Province, which prescribed penalties for slave holding, together with new and altogether hateful restrictions on the authority of proud Moro chieftains.
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Of course the next step is Datu Ali entering into alliances with other datus chafing under American rule and finally, entering into open rebellion. In the end Ali was shot dead on the porch of his home after being ferreted out by both a right hand of Datu Piang, the half Chinese, half Buayan man who although of non-royal blood himself, would become the most powerful Maguindanowan/Buayuan Tribesman of the 20th Century, and the richest man on Mainland Mindanao to boot. The right hand man, the giant- even by Western standards- Datu Ituk, had been waiting to take a swipe at Ali for a number of years, after the love of his life, his wife, had run away with Ali. The other man aiding the Americans was a mestiso of Bisaya parentage who did it solely for self-enrichment. With Ali's death Piang rose to unchallenged heighys.
I should add, the MILF Peace Panelist, Datu Michael O.Mastura? The ex-Congressman who now fashions himself an uber-patriot to the MILF's cause? It was his own grandfather who joined with Piang to support the Americans against their own people. Interesting, but what would be even more interesting is to have someone call him on it next time he segues into another one of his hate filled rants.
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