MILF Armed Contacts for the Third Quarter of 2011, Part I: The 106 Base Command Battles BIFF in Datu Piang

Datu Piang was a half Chinese, half Maguindanowan Tribesman who lived at the tail end of the 19th Century. Piang was more or less a self made man. Son of a Maguindanowan concubine to the Rajah of Buayan and a favoured Chinese merchant she was gifted to he gambled his future on an alliance with the Americans. As Datu Ali inherited what was left of Buayan Datu Piang moved down river into the Cotabato Basin, to a lowland site in what is today Maguindanao Province. Eventually becoming the richest man in the Southern Philippines his climb to riches and fame was made over the broken backs of countless enemies and more than a few innocent bystanders. Like its namesake, the municipality of Datu Piang, in Maguindanao Province has never enjoyed more than a few peaceful days. Datu Piang is perhaps the most violent town in an extremely violent province which itself exists on the Philippine's most violent island.

In early August of 2010 a clash took place in Datu Piang between sub-Kumander Ustadz Akas "Adzmie" Kasim of the BIAF, or Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (the military wing of the MILF) and sub-Kumander Ustadz Abu Nuwas "Bayawak" Ibad Maniog of the BIAF's 104 Base Command (see my entry entilted "MILF Armed Contacts for the Second and Third Quarters of 2010"). Both men are natives of Datu Piang's Barangay Alonganen and in fact are related to one another as indeed are most villagers living in that barangay. At stake was a 6 hectare tract of arable land immediately adjacent to the Pulangi River (Rio Grande del Mindanao), situated directly on the border of Datu Piang's Barangays Alonganen and Liong and a stone's throw from the infamous Liguasan Marsh. The conflicting claims on the untitled tract first turned violent in 2009 but was largely ignored by the Philippine Government and world at large. After all, any armed conflict in Central Mindanao must automatically be connected to War of 2008, a larger conflict that continued unabated until July of 2009, or so goes the popular assumption.

The firefights lasted only as long as the rice harvest since most of that 6 hectare tract had been cultivated with rice. As soon as the paddy was plowed under life returned to normal, at least as "normal" as it ever gets in Mindanao. Just before New Year 2011 sub-Kumander Bayawak (Abu Nawas) tendered his formal resignation to the MILF Central Committe and almost immediately afterward joined Kumander Ustadz Ameril Ombra Kato's Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, or BIFF. Fast forward to July 20th, 2011. BIFF's Chief of Staff, sub-Kumander Karialan Indong personaly led an attack on BIAF 106 Base Command positions in Barangay Balanaken's Sitio Nimao after BIAF guerillas had been sighted on a security permiter established around that 6 hectare collection of rice paddies in Barangay Alonganen. As the BIAF responded by launching retaliattory strikes the wife of sub-Kumander Bayawak (Abu Nuwas) was critically wounded during a mortar volley.

After that initial attack in July both sides took a step back from that bloody abyss and orally agreed to resolve their differences in a non-violent manner, despite the wounds inflicted on sub-Kumander Adzmie. That agreement held fast for a little more than two weeks. On August 6th Abu Nuwas led his men on an attack against Adzmie's men in their camp in Barangay Alonganen. Even before the shooting began that morning hundreds of families had began fleeing. Quickly joining them were families from the adjacent barangays Liong and Balanaken. The town's Datu Gumbay Piang Elementary School has long served as the municipality's IDP, or Internally Displaced Persons centre. By night fall on August 6th the official IDP tally stood at 482 families, of which 190 came from Balakaken, 180 from Liong, and 112 from Alonganen. In the Philippines a "family" is assumed to include five people but that figure borders on useless since demographers make no allowances for cultural, religious or even regional differences. A "family in Luzon will on average contain much less people than a socio-economically disadvantaged Tribal family whose head of household practices polygamy and whose religion commands a high reproductive rate. Moreover, the figures offered only take into account the number of heads of household that have managed to undergo the official registration process. Most IDPs take succor in other households and a fair number, distrustful of the Government or fearing disease and other negative aspects found in the state IDP centres make the best of it alongside hiways and in isolated jungle clearings. The displaced people themselves, known as "Bakwit" in the local dialect have had their daily lives disrupted every couple of months since 1972 and yet we have politicians in Manila asking why Maguindanao is the poorest province in the nation. Go figure

The day, August 7th, intermittent firefights took place in Barangays Alonganen, Liong, Balanaken with IDPs fleeing from the adjacent municipality of Guindulungan, home to the BIFF's main camp, the former-BIAF camp Omar ibn Khattab on Perez Hill. The resident of Barangay Muslim had received word that the BIAF was considering a direct attack on the camp and the news caused widespread apprehension that very quickly devolved into sheer panic. The day's fighting ended at nightfall with a finall tally (including the initial clash the day before) of five BIAF KIAs, or Killed in Actions with one known wounded. BIFF made out slightly better with three KIAs.

On August 8th BIFF launched the first attack with a moderate salvo of mortar shells against BIAF positions in Barangays Alonganen, now devoid of all civilians with the entire population having fled and Barangay Balanaken, itself nearly a carbon copy with the rest of its residents fleeing during a lull between salvos.

August 9th saw the heaviest fighting yet since this latest round commenced on August 6th. Fighting began at 630AM with the BIAF initiating a firefight and continued unabated until 330PM. At 700PM fighting began once again and only ended right before 11PM. During the morning exchanges fighting did finally spread to Guindulungan's Barangay Muslim although not related to any BIAF tactical strike against the main BIFF camp on Perez Hill. Most of Barangay Muslim's population had already fled in the preceding days but the remaining residents fled as the combatants entered the barangay with BIFF guerillas attempting to implement a Blocking Force there to deal more than 100 re-inforcements from the BIAF's 105 Base Command, co-incidentally the old command of BIFF leader Kumander Ustadz Kato. The IDPs from Barangay Muslim made their way into the ajoining municipality of Talayan's Barangays Binangga North, Tambunan, and Katibpuan. Gunidulungan's Barangay Damablak then fled en masse, totally emptying the barangay with most villagers taking shelter in Talayan's Barangay Katibpuan as well, along with the IDPs from Barangay Muslim.

August 10th FINALLY saw the Government respond. In cases of intercine conflict within the BIAF, or in this case between the BIAF and its recent offshoot BIFF, the AFP, or Armed Forces of the Philippines almost always takes a hands off approach. This isn't an absolute rule as in last year's BIAF 104 Base Command throwdown with the MNLF/BMA's newest faction, MMSC, or Mainland Mindanao State Committee on the Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao Provincial borders. In that imbroglio the AFP entered the fray AGAINST the BIAF, but then BIAF on BMA (Bangsamoro Army, armed wing of the MNLF) isn't exactly an intercine affair. The AFP's 40IB (Infantry Battalion) implemented Blocking Force positions along the riverfront of Midsayap, in North Cotabato Province.

Midsayap sits directly parallel to Datu Piang, across the Pulangi River. It is also home to a camp of the BIAF's 105 Base Command, the Base Command most likely to re-inforce the 106th despite a bit of anomosity between the two Base Commands (after all, this anomosity led to the recent creation of the 118 Base Command, an episode I covered in a "MILF Armed Contacts for the Second Quarter of 2011" entry). In addition PNP, or Philippine National Police's PRO-12, or Police Regional Office for Region 12 deployed its PSCs, or Public Saety Companies (aaaah, the Filipino penchant for acronyms, gotta' love it) in key entrances to all North Cotabato municipalities fronting the Pulangi River. Until August 10th the only AFP element involved was the 1st Mechanised Brigade (M 1st Bde), attached to 6ID (Infantry Division) from 1ID, tasked with aiding IDPs and providing security at the IDP centre at Datu Gumbay Piang Elementary School.

The next day, August 11th, fighting finally spread across the river into North Cotabato Province's municipality of Midsayap when the predicted re-inforcement from the 105 Base Command began and their guerillas happened upon BIFF re-inforcements making their way into Maguindanao Province. Resident's of Midsayap's Barangay Damatulan fled as they witnessed BIAF guerillas from the 105 Base Command moving through their barangay en route. As night fell and fighting continued most residents living across the river in Puroks #4 and 5 in Guindulungan's Barangay Binangga North fled en masse with most IDPs ending up in that barangay's Purok #1.

On August 12th the AFP actually deployed non-lethal munitions as it dropped smoke in Datu Piang in an effort to separate both sides. On Mindanao smoke is used as a warning that should belligerents not heed the warning and cease and desist, the next munition will not be innocuous. The smoke did manage to soften the exhanges from incessant to sporadic but did not come close to shutting down the firefights raging in barangays Alonganen, Liong and Balanaken and just then spreading into Barangay Masigay. As fighting began in Barangay Masigay 170 of its families fled to Datu Gumbay Piang Elementary School.

On the following day, August 13th fighting petered out shortly after re-commencing just after daybreak. Sub-Kumander Adzmie, leader of the BIAF forces in this nightmare finally paid heed to the MILF's Central Command directive issued on August 10th in which he was ordered to stand down "unless attacked." As for sub-Kumander Bayawak (Abu Nuwas), he was under no such orders with Kumander Kato brusquely telling the media that IF the BIAF doesn't want trouble IT should NOT attack BIFF guerillas. Aaah, can't you just feel the love?

History of Mindanao, Part XIV: America Enters Cotabato, Summer of 1904

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.
***************************************************************************************************

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.
*************************************************************************************************************


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.