First Lieutenant Francisco R.Sayoc was enjoying a rare visit to Zamboanga City. The CMO (Civil Military Operations) for MBLT-3 (Marine Battalion Landing Team-3) had recently arrived from his posting on Jolo Island, one of Mindanao's offshore provinces, and had quickly requisitioned a Marine jeep and driver to chaufer him, his wife Sukran Sahiban Sayoc and their daughter. After all, what good was it if an officer didnt exercise his perogative now and again?
On the morning of January 28th, 2012, Sayoc devoted a couple of hours towourards taking his wife and daughter shopping. Having his driver head into Barangay Santa Maria, and angle into a parking space in front of the Hapi Conveniece Store on Salvador Street, Sayoc handed a fistful of pesos to his wife and watched her and their daughter happily enter the store. As he sat in the front passenger seat the young Marine officer probably never even noticed a motorcycle pull alongside the rear of his jeep. As the store's CCTV (Closed Circuit TV) recorded what was about to take place, Sayoc and his driver were deep in conversation.
A man riding tandem on the back of the motorcycle quickly stepped around the jeep and onto the sidewalk. Quickly making his way towards the front seat he pulled a 45 caliber pistol from his waistband and from point blank range pulled the trigger. Running back to the idling motorcycle the gunman quickly hopped back onto the rear and wrapped his arms around the waist of the driver as the bike peeled out and drove away at a high rate of speed.
From inside the store First Lieutenant Sayoc's wife and daughter witnessed screaming onlookers gathered around the jeep. Running outside both screamed at the driver to take them to the nearest hospital. Speeding through city streets the jeep finally arrived at Western Mindanao Medical Center only to have First Lieutenant Francisco R.Sayoc declared dead on arrival.
Showing posts with label History of Jolo Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label History of Jolo Island. Show all posts
Monday, June 11, 2012
Saturday, July 2, 2011
History of Mindanao,Part VII: History of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi Tawi Provinces, Part 3: Jolo City at the Beginning of the 20th Century
As in my last two History entries, "History of Mindanao,Part VII: Geography of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi Tawi Provinces at the Dawn of the 20th Century, Parts 1 and 2," this current entry relies on Dr.Najeeb Mitry Saleeby's "History of Sulu" (Manila:Bureau of Printing) (1908), Chapter I. While the previous two entries were absolutely boring, the reading begins to appeal to a wider audience. Saleeby focuses on Jolo City, then simply known as "Jolo."
Chapter I (continuation)
Buildings and Streets: Town of Jolo: General Plan, Buildings, and Streets:
Jolo is the Spanish representation (or rather misrepresentation) of the word Sulu, sometimes written Sooloo. The early Spaniards wrote it "Xolo," which later changed to Jolo. The complete form of the word is Sulug, as it is represented in Magindanao (MAGUINDANAO, THE LANGUAGE, NOT PLACE NAME NOR TRIBE). The Tausugs pronounce it and write it Sug. Sug means a sea current. The flow of the tide through the innumerable narrow channels separating the numerous islands of the Archipelago give rise to the unusually strong currents which figure prominently in the seafaring life of the people. Therefore the term is an appropriate designation for the Archipelago as a whole (IN FACT, A LARGE NUMBER OF HISTORIANS AND LINGUISTS BELIEVE THAT THE WORD "JOLO" IS ROOTED IN FUKIENESE, A DIALECT OF SOUTHERN CHINA, MEANING "LAND OF GOOD FORTUNE," GIVEN TO THE ISLAND BY CHINESE TRADERS AND MIGRANTS BETWEEN THE 13th AND 15th CENTURIES. SO, SALEEBY WAS CORRECT THAT IT WAS A SPANISH BASTARDISATION BUT WAS MISTAKEN IN ITS ETYMOLOGICAL PEDIGREE).
The rulers of the island state have changed their island capital four times. The most ancient capital was Maymbung (MAIMBUNG, I WILL USE ITS MODERN SPELLING FROM NOW ON), the second was Bwansa (BUANSA), which lies on the north coast of the island about 3 miles west of Jolo City. Here ruled Raja Baginda (RAJAH BAGUINDA, THE FIRST SULTAN OF SULU) and the first three sultans of Sulu. The fourth sultan moved to Sug (JOLO CITY), the third capital and the town remained the capital of the Sultunate until 1876, the date of the Spanish conquest and occupation. Sultan Jamalul A'lam then moved to Maimbung and the Spaniards occupied the town. Since the term Jolo has become so intimately associated with it, that it is deemed more preferable to use it as a name for the town, while the term. Sulu,which is more correct and commonly used,is retained in all other applications.
Jolo City has been so closely identified with the history of the Sultunate as to claim considerable attention. The Spanish buildings and improvements were sufficiently extensive to obscure the ancient landmarks of the town and to render a complete and intelligent understanding of the early history and traditions of the place impracticable. A few words describing the location of Jolo City, its ancient landmarks, and the Spanish improvements will therefore be of primary interest.
The town as it stands at present is divided into four distinct parts. The main or central part is Jolo City proper or the "walled town." This is known to the Moros (MUSLIMS) as Tiyangi Sug meaning the "shops or market of Jolo." The western half of this part bordering on Suba' Bawang (BAWANG RIVER) formerly was termed Luway. The second part, called San Remondo, lies back and south of the walled town and is separated from it by a little stream called Tubig Hasa'an. The third part is Tulay and lies on the west side; the fourth is Busbus, on the east side.
At the head of the roadstead separating the Pueblo Nuevo (NEW TOWN, IN SPANISH) or Tulay from Jolo City proper or Luway is a small tidal stream formerly called Suba' Bawang. Some maps designate it as Rio del Sultan (THE SULTAN'S RIVER). This stream extends back into a swamp and divides into two branches. The main or direct branch extends in more or less southerly direction to a point about 700 meters from the mouth of the stream, where it rises in copius springs of fresh water at the edge of the swamp. The other branch is formed by the junction of the rivulet that rises in the springs of San Remondo with Tubig Hasa'an. The latter has its origin at the foot of the hills above the cemetery and Blockhouse No.2 (SPANISH FORTIFICATION BUILT IN MID-1870s). Hasa'an means grindstone,and the springs are said to have burst out of the spot where a grindstone was set for use. Another stream, terned Suba' Ligayan, drains the northern slopes of Buds Datu and Agad, and running north, passes by Fort Asturias (A SPANISH FORT) and through Tulay, and empties into the roadstead of Jolo City at a point about 250 meters west of the mouth of Suba'Bawang. A branch of this stream formerly issued at (FORT) Asturias and connnected with the main stream of Suba'Bawang. The land which thus lay between Suba' Bawang and Suba'Ligayan was a delta. It was called by the Moros U-laya (that is, the "Head of the Net") because of its triangular shaped net was mostly marshy, but it had a central longitudinal strip of dry land which practically connected Tulay with the base of the hills at Asturias. At the upper end of this strip there existed at one time a well defined, sandy spot, different in formation from the surrounding land, which was considered sacred and was supposed to be the first land that formed on the island. This spot was Sug proper, after it was named the whole settlement which was built along the banks of Suba' Bawang and at the head of the roadstead.
The Sultan's palace, termed istana, his kuta (fort), and stockades were built along the lower left bank of the stream Bawang; hence the name Rio of Sultan [SIC]. On the right bank lay the houses and stockades of the other datus of high rank. Two bridges connected one side of the stream with the other.
On the outskirts of the town lay various kuta belonging to subordinate datus, which defended the approaches to the town. The most famous of these kuta was Daniel's Fort, the best stronghold of Jolo Island. On the site of this fort was built in 1878 the fort or redoubt of Alfonso XIII, which was lately replaced by the present headquarters building of the military post of Jolo City. Another strong fort was built at the foot of the hills just above the head of the delta above described; it defended the inland approach to the town. This was Panglima Arabi's kuta, on the site of which Fort Asturias was erected. Another kuta (FORT, KNOWN AS KOTA IN MOST MAINLAND MINDANOWAN LANGUAGES) was located on Point Baylam.
The principal part of the town was formerly built over the shoal and beach at the head of the bay. Extensive rows of buildings stretched out into the roadstead and in front of the buildings now occupied as the clubhouse and military hospital. The present "Chinese Pier" is constructred on the same plan. This extensive row of houses and shops begins at the lower point of the Tulay delta and stretches straight out into the sea. The bay is very shallow here and appears to be fairly well protected from severe storms. A variety of fish called Tulay, after which the Moro (MUSLIM) town of Tulay is named, is caught in the bay. A swamp bounds the town on the south and west, affording it considerable protection from assault. However, it is open to attack from the sea and from the east. The land on the east is high and affords the only desireable site for residences. Here the strongest forts and defenses were erected .
The Spaniards built the central part of Jolo City first. They raised it considerably above sea level by extensive fillings, and surrounded it by a loop-holed wall, 8 feet high and 1 1/2 feet thick for protection from Moro assaults. The new town was beautifully laid out with broad, clean streets lined with double rows of arbol de fuego (fire trees), ylang-ylang, acacia, and other varieties of trees, some of which are large and magnificient. Three parks, each one block in size, added considerable picturesqueness to the place. Substantial quarters were built for the officers, all houses were painted white or whitewashed, and none of them had the nipa (THATCHED) roofs so common in the Archipelago. Business places, storehouses, a large market place, a church, a theater, two schoolhouses, and a hospital were erected and a public water supply provided. A stone pier was built extending 120 meters into the sea, and provided with a light-house at its outer end.
The town wall had five gates, two of which lay on the northwest or sea front, one at the foot of the pier, and the other close to it. Through the latter gate cargo was permitted from small boats, which can always come up to this point at high water. The three other gates lay on the land side, one at the south end of the town toward Tulay, another at the opposite extremity facing Busbus, and a third one at the southern end of Calle Buyon (BUYON STREET), directly facing San Remondo. This last is the only gate of the three kept open at present and is the only entrance into the town from the land side.A tower called Torre de la Farola (FAROLA TOWER)surmounts the gate facing the bay on the side of Busbus.At the extreme end of the wall beyond the barracks was the tower at the south gate was termed Torre Sur (SOUTH TOWER). At the intersection of the south wall and the beach line was a strong building called Cuartel Defensivo de las Victorias (GARRISON IN THE DEFENSE OF VICTORIES). The block lying diagonally between this cuartel and the market had eight buildings which were known to be Casas de la Colonia para Deportados (HOMES FOR COLONIAL DEPORTEES). Two roads and two bridges connected the south and southeast gates with San Remondo. The continuation of these roads formed the two main streets of this part of the town.San Remondo has six small town blocks, nearly all of which are on reclaimed swamp land. The buildings here are mere nipa huts and the streets are muddy and narrow, unlike those of the walled town. Back of the town lies a large coconut grove which extends to Blockhouse No.2 on one side and Asturias (FORT ASTURIAS) on the other. A straight and well laid out road directly connects these two latter points and marks the southern limit of the town.
A good road runs outside the wall connecting Busbus and Tulay. Latter usage has applied the term Tulay to all parts of the town lying west of Suba' Bawang (BAWANG RIVER, "SUBA" DENOTES A RIVER OR CREEK). Formerly the name Tulay was applied only to that part lying west of Suba'Ligayan, while the intermediate section was known as Pueblo Nuevo (NEW TOWN). The bridge across the mouth of Suba' Bawang was termed Puente del Sultan (THE SULTAN'S BRIDGE). On the other side of this bridge this street extends through Pueblo Nuevo and along the central strip of u-laya, or the delta, to Fort Asturias, thus separating the waters of Suba' Bawang from Suba' Ligayan. Midway between Tulay and (FORT) Asturias stands an obelisk-like monument erected by General Arolas and bearing the date 1892. Further fillings in Tulay have provided for several streets, the chief one of which is the direct street running to the Chinese Pier and then on to the blockhouse of the playa (BEACH) and the Ligayan River. A large bridge crosses this river to Tulay proper. The road ends at the beach a little beyond the bridge. In the central plaza at Tulay stands (ANOTHER) monument erected by General Arolas in 1891 in memory of the three renowned (SPANISH) conquerors of Jolo City. On one side the monument bears the inscription, "A gloria de los que con su esfuerzo hicieron esta tierra Espanola" (TO GLORIFY THOSE WHOSE SUFFERINGS MADE THIS A SPANISH LAND). The second side bears the inscription, "Corcuera, 17 de Abril de 1638" (CORCUERA, APRIL 17, 1638); the third side, "Urbistondo, 28 de Febrero de 1851) (URBISTONDO, FEBRUARY 28, 1851); the fourth side, "Malcampo, 29 de Febrero de 1876 (MALCAMPO, FEBRUARY 29, 1876). A straight road about three-fourths of a mile long called the Asturias Road directly connects (FORT) Asturias with the main entrance of the walled town. Another road starts at this latter part point and running along the right bank of Tubig Hasa'an reaches the cemetery on the opposite side of Blockhouse No.2. The old bridge connecting a branch of this road with the one running from (FORT) Asturias to Blockhouse No.2 was washed away by a severe freshet in 1904, thus breaking what had formerly been a complete circle of roads around the town.
Busbus is wholly occupied by Moros. Its houses are dilapidated nipa huts built on piles over the water. Back of the town is a marsh which extends a little way toward the base of the hills. The water from the marsh escapes into the bay by two rivulets, the first of which runs through the settlement and is known as the Tubig Uhang; the other is artificial, forms the outer limit of the town, and is called Buyung Canal. Persons convicted of capital crimes in the days of the independent sultunate were tied to a tree at this place and there their bodies were chopped to pieces; hence the name "Busbus" which means to "chop up" or "dress wood."
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Chapter I continues with a discussion of Sulu's resources, exports, and the like. As this chapter deals with boring, albeit truly valuable information I decided to include the rest in a future entry to be entitled, "History of Mindanao, Part VII: Sulu's Economy at the Turn of the 20th Century."
Chapter I (continuation)
Buildings and Streets: Town of Jolo: General Plan, Buildings, and Streets:
Jolo is the Spanish representation (or rather misrepresentation) of the word Sulu, sometimes written Sooloo. The early Spaniards wrote it "Xolo," which later changed to Jolo. The complete form of the word is Sulug, as it is represented in Magindanao (MAGUINDANAO, THE LANGUAGE, NOT PLACE NAME NOR TRIBE). The Tausugs pronounce it and write it Sug. Sug means a sea current. The flow of the tide through the innumerable narrow channels separating the numerous islands of the Archipelago give rise to the unusually strong currents which figure prominently in the seafaring life of the people. Therefore the term is an appropriate designation for the Archipelago as a whole (IN FACT, A LARGE NUMBER OF HISTORIANS AND LINGUISTS BELIEVE THAT THE WORD "JOLO" IS ROOTED IN FUKIENESE, A DIALECT OF SOUTHERN CHINA, MEANING "LAND OF GOOD FORTUNE," GIVEN TO THE ISLAND BY CHINESE TRADERS AND MIGRANTS BETWEEN THE 13th AND 15th CENTURIES. SO, SALEEBY WAS CORRECT THAT IT WAS A SPANISH BASTARDISATION BUT WAS MISTAKEN IN ITS ETYMOLOGICAL PEDIGREE).
The rulers of the island state have changed their island capital four times. The most ancient capital was Maymbung (MAIMBUNG, I WILL USE ITS MODERN SPELLING FROM NOW ON), the second was Bwansa (BUANSA), which lies on the north coast of the island about 3 miles west of Jolo City. Here ruled Raja Baginda (RAJAH BAGUINDA, THE FIRST SULTAN OF SULU) and the first three sultans of Sulu. The fourth sultan moved to Sug (JOLO CITY), the third capital and the town remained the capital of the Sultunate until 1876, the date of the Spanish conquest and occupation. Sultan Jamalul A'lam then moved to Maimbung and the Spaniards occupied the town. Since the term Jolo has become so intimately associated with it, that it is deemed more preferable to use it as a name for the town, while the term. Sulu,which is more correct and commonly used,is retained in all other applications.
Jolo City has been so closely identified with the history of the Sultunate as to claim considerable attention. The Spanish buildings and improvements were sufficiently extensive to obscure the ancient landmarks of the town and to render a complete and intelligent understanding of the early history and traditions of the place impracticable. A few words describing the location of Jolo City, its ancient landmarks, and the Spanish improvements will therefore be of primary interest.
The town as it stands at present is divided into four distinct parts. The main or central part is Jolo City proper or the "walled town." This is known to the Moros (MUSLIMS) as Tiyangi Sug meaning the "shops or market of Jolo." The western half of this part bordering on Suba' Bawang (BAWANG RIVER) formerly was termed Luway. The second part, called San Remondo, lies back and south of the walled town and is separated from it by a little stream called Tubig Hasa'an. The third part is Tulay and lies on the west side; the fourth is Busbus, on the east side.
At the head of the roadstead separating the Pueblo Nuevo (NEW TOWN, IN SPANISH) or Tulay from Jolo City proper or Luway is a small tidal stream formerly called Suba' Bawang. Some maps designate it as Rio del Sultan (THE SULTAN'S RIVER). This stream extends back into a swamp and divides into two branches. The main or direct branch extends in more or less southerly direction to a point about 700 meters from the mouth of the stream, where it rises in copius springs of fresh water at the edge of the swamp. The other branch is formed by the junction of the rivulet that rises in the springs of San Remondo with Tubig Hasa'an. The latter has its origin at the foot of the hills above the cemetery and Blockhouse No.2 (SPANISH FORTIFICATION BUILT IN MID-1870s). Hasa'an means grindstone,and the springs are said to have burst out of the spot where a grindstone was set for use. Another stream, terned Suba' Ligayan, drains the northern slopes of Buds Datu and Agad, and running north, passes by Fort Asturias (A SPANISH FORT) and through Tulay, and empties into the roadstead of Jolo City at a point about 250 meters west of the mouth of Suba'Bawang. A branch of this stream formerly issued at (FORT) Asturias and connnected with the main stream of Suba'Bawang. The land which thus lay between Suba' Bawang and Suba'Ligayan was a delta. It was called by the Moros U-laya (that is, the "Head of the Net") because of its triangular shaped net was mostly marshy, but it had a central longitudinal strip of dry land which practically connected Tulay with the base of the hills at Asturias. At the upper end of this strip there existed at one time a well defined, sandy spot, different in formation from the surrounding land, which was considered sacred and was supposed to be the first land that formed on the island. This spot was Sug proper, after it was named the whole settlement which was built along the banks of Suba' Bawang and at the head of the roadstead.
The Sultan's palace, termed istana, his kuta (fort), and stockades were built along the lower left bank of the stream Bawang; hence the name Rio of Sultan [SIC]. On the right bank lay the houses and stockades of the other datus of high rank. Two bridges connected one side of the stream with the other.
On the outskirts of the town lay various kuta belonging to subordinate datus, which defended the approaches to the town. The most famous of these kuta was Daniel's Fort, the best stronghold of Jolo Island. On the site of this fort was built in 1878 the fort or redoubt of Alfonso XIII, which was lately replaced by the present headquarters building of the military post of Jolo City. Another strong fort was built at the foot of the hills just above the head of the delta above described; it defended the inland approach to the town. This was Panglima Arabi's kuta, on the site of which Fort Asturias was erected. Another kuta (FORT, KNOWN AS KOTA IN MOST MAINLAND MINDANOWAN LANGUAGES) was located on Point Baylam.
The principal part of the town was formerly built over the shoal and beach at the head of the bay. Extensive rows of buildings stretched out into the roadstead and in front of the buildings now occupied as the clubhouse and military hospital. The present "Chinese Pier" is constructred on the same plan. This extensive row of houses and shops begins at the lower point of the Tulay delta and stretches straight out into the sea. The bay is very shallow here and appears to be fairly well protected from severe storms. A variety of fish called Tulay, after which the Moro (MUSLIM) town of Tulay is named, is caught in the bay. A swamp bounds the town on the south and west, affording it considerable protection from assault. However, it is open to attack from the sea and from the east. The land on the east is high and affords the only desireable site for residences. Here the strongest forts and defenses were erected .
The Spaniards built the central part of Jolo City first. They raised it considerably above sea level by extensive fillings, and surrounded it by a loop-holed wall, 8 feet high and 1 1/2 feet thick for protection from Moro assaults. The new town was beautifully laid out with broad, clean streets lined with double rows of arbol de fuego (fire trees), ylang-ylang, acacia, and other varieties of trees, some of which are large and magnificient. Three parks, each one block in size, added considerable picturesqueness to the place. Substantial quarters were built for the officers, all houses were painted white or whitewashed, and none of them had the nipa (THATCHED) roofs so common in the Archipelago. Business places, storehouses, a large market place, a church, a theater, two schoolhouses, and a hospital were erected and a public water supply provided. A stone pier was built extending 120 meters into the sea, and provided with a light-house at its outer end.
The town wall had five gates, two of which lay on the northwest or sea front, one at the foot of the pier, and the other close to it. Through the latter gate cargo was permitted from small boats, which can always come up to this point at high water. The three other gates lay on the land side, one at the south end of the town toward Tulay, another at the opposite extremity facing Busbus, and a third one at the southern end of Calle Buyon (BUYON STREET), directly facing San Remondo. This last is the only gate of the three kept open at present and is the only entrance into the town from the land side.A tower called Torre de la Farola (FAROLA TOWER)surmounts the gate facing the bay on the side of Busbus.At the extreme end of the wall beyond the barracks was the tower at the south gate was termed Torre Sur (SOUTH TOWER). At the intersection of the south wall and the beach line was a strong building called Cuartel Defensivo de las Victorias (GARRISON IN THE DEFENSE OF VICTORIES). The block lying diagonally between this cuartel and the market had eight buildings which were known to be Casas de la Colonia para Deportados (HOMES FOR COLONIAL DEPORTEES). Two roads and two bridges connected the south and southeast gates with San Remondo. The continuation of these roads formed the two main streets of this part of the town.San Remondo has six small town blocks, nearly all of which are on reclaimed swamp land. The buildings here are mere nipa huts and the streets are muddy and narrow, unlike those of the walled town. Back of the town lies a large coconut grove which extends to Blockhouse No.2 on one side and Asturias (FORT ASTURIAS) on the other. A straight and well laid out road directly connects these two latter points and marks the southern limit of the town.
A good road runs outside the wall connecting Busbus and Tulay. Latter usage has applied the term Tulay to all parts of the town lying west of Suba' Bawang (BAWANG RIVER, "SUBA" DENOTES A RIVER OR CREEK). Formerly the name Tulay was applied only to that part lying west of Suba'Ligayan, while the intermediate section was known as Pueblo Nuevo (NEW TOWN). The bridge across the mouth of Suba' Bawang was termed Puente del Sultan (THE SULTAN'S BRIDGE). On the other side of this bridge this street extends through Pueblo Nuevo and along the central strip of u-laya, or the delta, to Fort Asturias, thus separating the waters of Suba' Bawang from Suba' Ligayan. Midway between Tulay and (FORT) Asturias stands an obelisk-like monument erected by General Arolas and bearing the date 1892. Further fillings in Tulay have provided for several streets, the chief one of which is the direct street running to the Chinese Pier and then on to the blockhouse of the playa (BEACH) and the Ligayan River. A large bridge crosses this river to Tulay proper. The road ends at the beach a little beyond the bridge. In the central plaza at Tulay stands (ANOTHER) monument erected by General Arolas in 1891 in memory of the three renowned (SPANISH) conquerors of Jolo City. On one side the monument bears the inscription, "A gloria de los que con su esfuerzo hicieron esta tierra Espanola" (TO GLORIFY THOSE WHOSE SUFFERINGS MADE THIS A SPANISH LAND). The second side bears the inscription, "Corcuera, 17 de Abril de 1638" (CORCUERA, APRIL 17, 1638); the third side, "Urbistondo, 28 de Febrero de 1851) (URBISTONDO, FEBRUARY 28, 1851); the fourth side, "Malcampo, 29 de Febrero de 1876 (MALCAMPO, FEBRUARY 29, 1876). A straight road about three-fourths of a mile long called the Asturias Road directly connects (FORT) Asturias with the main entrance of the walled town. Another road starts at this latter part point and running along the right bank of Tubig Hasa'an reaches the cemetery on the opposite side of Blockhouse No.2. The old bridge connecting a branch of this road with the one running from (FORT) Asturias to Blockhouse No.2 was washed away by a severe freshet in 1904, thus breaking what had formerly been a complete circle of roads around the town.
Busbus is wholly occupied by Moros. Its houses are dilapidated nipa huts built on piles over the water. Back of the town is a marsh which extends a little way toward the base of the hills. The water from the marsh escapes into the bay by two rivulets, the first of which runs through the settlement and is known as the Tubig Uhang; the other is artificial, forms the outer limit of the town, and is called Buyung Canal. Persons convicted of capital crimes in the days of the independent sultunate were tied to a tree at this place and there their bodies were chopped to pieces; hence the name "Busbus" which means to "chop up" or "dress wood."
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Chapter I continues with a discussion of Sulu's resources, exports, and the like. As this chapter deals with boring, albeit truly valuable information I decided to include the rest in a future entry to be entitled, "History of Mindanao, Part VII: Sulu's Economy at the Turn of the 20th Century."
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
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."
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
History of Mindanao,Part V:Sulu Province Circa 1920
The following excerpt comes from an interesting book,albeit a bit questionable."Where the Strange Trails go Down"by E.Alexander Powell (New York:Charles Scribner's Sons) (1921).The book was written to cash in for the adventure travelogue fad that permeated American publishing immediately following WWI.With the sons of Middle America returning to their one stop light towns after carousing in gay Paree' American youth wanted to be titillated,intrigued.Southeast Asia,especially at that juncture,was the epitome of exotica.Sent by a motion picture studio chief to bring home an impression of the region in the capacity of a producer,Powell got more than he bargained for.Using impeccable connections he was introduced to future-President and then President of the Philippine Senate Manuel Quezon and the American Governor-General of the Philippine Colony,Francis Burton Harrison.It was Governor-General Harrison in turn who was able to get Powell and his entourage a couple of cabins aboard a Philippine Coast Guard cutter,the"Negros."It was Senator Quezon though who was able to field a very creative interpretation to a Philippine Law that allowed deployment of a Philippine Coast Guard vessel far outside Philippine Territorial Waters when the Governor-General insisted on ferrying the expedition throughout the region.
Powell,his lover Margaret Campbell McCutchen whom he only refers to as the"Winsome Widow,"an American physician then in charge of the Manila Quarantine Station,Dr.Edward C.Ernst,a cameraman and an assistant then travelled 9000 kilometers to Borneo,the Malay Peninsula,Siam (now Thailand) and Cambodia.Though by all accounts Governor-General Harrison was a bit of a film-buff,he had three friends in from the States who were keen on joining the"expedition"...so it was that a multi-hued group set sail in February of 1920 and got to spend 3 months travelling in relative style throughout all of Southeast Asia.
Chapter I: Magic Isles and Fairy Seas
Governor-General Harrison believed,by methods that are legitimate,in adding to the American public's knowledge of the Philippines,and it was owing to his broad-minded point of view and to the many cablegrams which he sent ahead of us,that at each port in the islands at which we landed we found the local officials waiting on the pier-head to bid us welcome and to assist us.At Jolo,which is the capital of the Moro country,two lean,sun-tanned,youthful-looking men came aboard to greet us;one was the Honorable P.W.Rogers,Governor of the Department of Sulu;the other was Captain Link,a former officer of the constabulary (PHILIPPINE CONSABULARY,AMERICAN COUNTERINSURGENCY FORCE) who is now the Provincial Treasurer.In the first five minutes of our conversation I discovered that they knew exactly the sort of picture material that I wanted and that they would help me to the limit of their ability to get it.For that matter,they themselves personify adventure in its most exciting form.
Rogers,who was originally a soldier,went to the Philippines as an orderly for General Pershing long before the days when"Black Jack"was to win undying fame in battlefields half the world away.The young soldier showed such marked ability that,thanks to Pershing's assistance,he obtained a post as a stenographer under the civil government,thence rising by rapid steps to the difficult post of Governor of Sulu.A better selection could hardly have been made,for there is no white man in the islands whom the Moros more heartily respect and fear than their boyish-looking governor.Mrs.Rogers is the daughter of a German trader who lived in Jolo and died there with his boots on.A year or so prior to her marriage she was sitting with her parents at a tiffin when a Moro,with whom her father had had a trifling business disagreement,knocked at the door and asked for a moment's conversation.Telling the native that he would talk with him after he had finished his meal,the trader returned to the table.Scarcely had he seated himself when the Moro,who had slipped unobserved into the diningroom,sprang like a panther,his broad-bladed barong describing a glistening arc,and the trader's head rolled among the dishes.Another sweep of the terrible weapon and the mother's hand was severed at the wrist,while the future Mrs.Rogers owes her life to the fact that she fainted and slipped under the table.I relate this incident in order to give you some idea of the local atmosphere.
A few weeks before our arrival at Jolo,Governor Rogers,in compliance with instructions from Manila,had ordered a census of the inhabitants.But the Moros are a highly suspicious folk,so,when someone started a rumor that the government was planning to brand them,as it brands its mules and horses,it promptly gained wide creedence.By tactful explanations the suscpicions of most of the natives were allayed,but one Moro,notorious a bad man,barricaded himself,together with five of his friends,three women,and a boy in his house-a nipa hut (TRADITIONAL HOUSE IN USE IN MOST OF MINDINAO UNTIL THE PRESENT.A SINGLE ROOMED,BAMBOO FRAMED,THATCHED DWELLING) raised above the ground on stilts-and defied the Governor to enumerate them.Now,if the Governor had permitted such open defiance to pass unnoticed,the entire population of Jolo,always ready for trouble,promptly would have gotten out of hand.So,accompanied by five troopers of the constabulary,he rode out to the outlaw's house and attempted to reason with him.The man obstinately refused to show himself,however,even turning a deaf ear to the appeals of the village imam (ISLAMIC PREACHER).Thereupon,Rogers ordered the constabulary to open fire,their shots being answered by a fussilade from the Moros barricaded in the house.In twenty minutes the flimsy structure looked more like a sieve than a dwelling.When the firing ceased a six-year-old boy descended the ladder and,approaching the Governor,remarked unconcernedly,"You can go in now.They're all dead."Then Rogers called up the census-taker and told him to go ahead with his enumeration.
The provincial treasurer,Captain Link,is a lean,lithe South Carolinian who has spent fifteen years in Moroland.He is what is known in cattle country as a"go-gitter"(IS MOTIVATED).It is told of him that he nearly lost his commission,while in the constabulary,by sending to the Governor,as a Christmas present,a package which,upon being opened,was found to contain the head of a much-wanted outlaw.
"I knew he wanted that fellow's head more than anything else in the world,"Captain Link said naively,in telling me the story,"so it struck me it would be just the right thing to send him for a Christmas present.I spent a lot of time and trouble getting it too,for the fellow sure was a bad hombre.It would have gotten by all right,but the Governor's wife,thinking it was a present for herself,had to go and open the package.She went into hysterics when she saw what was inside and the Governor was so mad that he nearly fired me.Some people have no sense of humor."
Atop of the bookcase in Captain Link's study-the bookcase,by the way,contains Burton's"Thousand and One Nights,"the"Discourses"by Epictetus,and President Eliot's tabloid classics-is the skull in question,surmounted by a Moro fez.Across the front of the fez is printed this significant legend:
"This is John Henry
John Henry Disobeyed Captain Link
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi"
While we are on the subject,let me tell you about another of these advance-guards of civilisation who,single-handed,transformed a worthless island in the Sulu Sea into a veritable Garden of the Lord and its inhabitants from warlike savages into peaceful and prosperous farmers.In 1914 a short,bespectacled Michagander (FROM THE AMERICAN STATE OF MICHIGAN) named Warner was sent by the Philippine Bureau of Education to Siasi,one of the islands of the Sulu Group,to teach its Moro inhabitants the rudiments of American civilisation.Warner's sole equipment for the job consisted,as he candidly admitted,of a medical education.He took with him a number of Filipino assistants,but as they did not get along with the Moros,he shipped them back to Manila and sent for an Airedale dog.He also sent for all the works on agriculture and gardening that were to be had in the bookshops of the capital.For five years he remained on Siasi,the only white man.As even the little inter-island steamers rarely find their way there,months sometimes passed without him hearing from the outside world.But he was too busy to be lonely.His jurisdiction extended over two islands,separated by a narrow channel,but this he never crossed at night,and in the daytime only when he was compelled to,as the narrow channel was home of giant crocodiles which not infrequently attacked and capsised the frail native vintas,killing their occupants as they struggled in the water.
Warner,who had spent four years among the Visayans before going to Siasi,and who was,therefore,eminently qualified to compare the northern islanders with the Moros,told me that the latter possess a much higher type of intelligence than the Filipinos and assimilate new ideaa far more quickly.He added that they have a highly developed sense of humor;that they are quick to appreciate subtle stories,which the Tagalogs and the Visayans are not;and that they are much more ready to accept advice on agricultural and economic matters than the Christian Filipinos,who have a life- sized opinion of their own ability.When the day's work was over he said,he would seat himself in the doorway of his hut,surrounded by a group of Moros,and discuss crops,and weather prospects,and swap jokes and tell stories,just as he might have done with lighter skinned sons of toil around the cracker-barrel of a cross-roads store in New England (NORTHEASTERN REGION OF US).He added that he was sadly in need of some new stories to tell his Moro protoges,as after six years on the island,his own fund was about exhausted.But he was growing weary of life on Siasi,he told me;he wanted action and excitement;so he was preparing to move,with his Airedale,to Bohol,in the Visayas,where,he had heard it rumored,there was another white man.
Still another of the picturesque characters with whom I foregathered nightly on the after-deck of the Negros during our stay in Jolo was a former soldier,John Jennings by name.He was an operative of of the Philippine Secret Service,being engaged at the time in breaking up the running of opium from Borneo across the Sulu Sea to the Moro islands.Jennings is a short,thickset,powrtfully-built man,all nerve and no nerves.Adventure is his middle name.He has lived more stories than I could invent.Shortly before our arrival at Jolo Jennings had learned from a native in his pay that a son of the Flowery Kingdom,the propitier if a notorious gambling resort situated on the quarter_mile long ramshackle wharf known as the Chinese pier was driving a roaring trade in the forbidden drug.So one afternoon Jennings,his hands in his pockets,and in each pocket a service automatic,sauntered carelessly along the pier and upon reaching the reputed opium den,knocked briskly on the door.The Chinese propitier evidently suspected the purpose of his visit,however,for he was unable to gain admittance.So that night,wearing the huge straw sun-hat (MOUNTAIN HAT AS FILIPINOS CALL THEM TODAY) and flapping garments of blue cotton,of a coolie,he tried again.This time in response to his knock the heavy door swung open.Within all was black and silent as a tomb.The lintel was low and Jennings was compelled to stoop in order to enter.As he cautiously set foot across the threshold there was a sudden swish of steel in the darkness and the blade of a barong whistled past his face slicing off the front of his hat and missing his head by the width of an eyelash.As he sprang back the door slammed in his face and he heard the bolts shot home,followed by the sound of a weapon clattering on the floor and the patter of naked feet.Realising that the men he was after were making their escape by another exit,Jennings hurled himself against the door,an automatic in either hand,it gave way before his assault and he was precipitated headlong into the inky blackness of the room.Taking no chances this time,he raked it with a stream of lead from end to end.Then,there being no further sound,he swept the place with a beam of light from his electric torch.Stretched on the floor were three dead Chinamen and beside them was enough opium to have drugged everyone on the island.That little episode,Jennings remarked dryly,put quite a crimp in the opium traffic in Jolo.
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Powell,his lover Margaret Campbell McCutchen whom he only refers to as the"Winsome Widow,"an American physician then in charge of the Manila Quarantine Station,Dr.Edward C.Ernst,a cameraman and an assistant then travelled 9000 kilometers to Borneo,the Malay Peninsula,Siam (now Thailand) and Cambodia.Though by all accounts Governor-General Harrison was a bit of a film-buff,he had three friends in from the States who were keen on joining the"expedition"...so it was that a multi-hued group set sail in February of 1920 and got to spend 3 months travelling in relative style throughout all of Southeast Asia.
Chapter I: Magic Isles and Fairy Seas
Governor-General Harrison believed,by methods that are legitimate,in adding to the American public's knowledge of the Philippines,and it was owing to his broad-minded point of view and to the many cablegrams which he sent ahead of us,that at each port in the islands at which we landed we found the local officials waiting on the pier-head to bid us welcome and to assist us.At Jolo,which is the capital of the Moro country,two lean,sun-tanned,youthful-looking men came aboard to greet us;one was the Honorable P.W.Rogers,Governor of the Department of Sulu;the other was Captain Link,a former officer of the constabulary (PHILIPPINE CONSABULARY,AMERICAN COUNTERINSURGENCY FORCE) who is now the Provincial Treasurer.In the first five minutes of our conversation I discovered that they knew exactly the sort of picture material that I wanted and that they would help me to the limit of their ability to get it.For that matter,they themselves personify adventure in its most exciting form.
Rogers,who was originally a soldier,went to the Philippines as an orderly for General Pershing long before the days when"Black Jack"was to win undying fame in battlefields half the world away.The young soldier showed such marked ability that,thanks to Pershing's assistance,he obtained a post as a stenographer under the civil government,thence rising by rapid steps to the difficult post of Governor of Sulu.A better selection could hardly have been made,for there is no white man in the islands whom the Moros more heartily respect and fear than their boyish-looking governor.Mrs.Rogers is the daughter of a German trader who lived in Jolo and died there with his boots on.A year or so prior to her marriage she was sitting with her parents at a tiffin when a Moro,with whom her father had had a trifling business disagreement,knocked at the door and asked for a moment's conversation.Telling the native that he would talk with him after he had finished his meal,the trader returned to the table.Scarcely had he seated himself when the Moro,who had slipped unobserved into the diningroom,sprang like a panther,his broad-bladed barong describing a glistening arc,and the trader's head rolled among the dishes.Another sweep of the terrible weapon and the mother's hand was severed at the wrist,while the future Mrs.Rogers owes her life to the fact that she fainted and slipped under the table.I relate this incident in order to give you some idea of the local atmosphere.
A few weeks before our arrival at Jolo,Governor Rogers,in compliance with instructions from Manila,had ordered a census of the inhabitants.But the Moros are a highly suspicious folk,so,when someone started a rumor that the government was planning to brand them,as it brands its mules and horses,it promptly gained wide creedence.By tactful explanations the suscpicions of most of the natives were allayed,but one Moro,notorious a bad man,barricaded himself,together with five of his friends,three women,and a boy in his house-a nipa hut (TRADITIONAL HOUSE IN USE IN MOST OF MINDINAO UNTIL THE PRESENT.A SINGLE ROOMED,BAMBOO FRAMED,THATCHED DWELLING) raised above the ground on stilts-and defied the Governor to enumerate them.Now,if the Governor had permitted such open defiance to pass unnoticed,the entire population of Jolo,always ready for trouble,promptly would have gotten out of hand.So,accompanied by five troopers of the constabulary,he rode out to the outlaw's house and attempted to reason with him.The man obstinately refused to show himself,however,even turning a deaf ear to the appeals of the village imam (ISLAMIC PREACHER).Thereupon,Rogers ordered the constabulary to open fire,their shots being answered by a fussilade from the Moros barricaded in the house.In twenty minutes the flimsy structure looked more like a sieve than a dwelling.When the firing ceased a six-year-old boy descended the ladder and,approaching the Governor,remarked unconcernedly,"You can go in now.They're all dead."Then Rogers called up the census-taker and told him to go ahead with his enumeration.
The provincial treasurer,Captain Link,is a lean,lithe South Carolinian who has spent fifteen years in Moroland.He is what is known in cattle country as a"go-gitter"(IS MOTIVATED).It is told of him that he nearly lost his commission,while in the constabulary,by sending to the Governor,as a Christmas present,a package which,upon being opened,was found to contain the head of a much-wanted outlaw.
"I knew he wanted that fellow's head more than anything else in the world,"Captain Link said naively,in telling me the story,"so it struck me it would be just the right thing to send him for a Christmas present.I spent a lot of time and trouble getting it too,for the fellow sure was a bad hombre.It would have gotten by all right,but the Governor's wife,thinking it was a present for herself,had to go and open the package.She went into hysterics when she saw what was inside and the Governor was so mad that he nearly fired me.Some people have no sense of humor."
Atop of the bookcase in Captain Link's study-the bookcase,by the way,contains Burton's"Thousand and One Nights,"the"Discourses"by Epictetus,and President Eliot's tabloid classics-is the skull in question,surmounted by a Moro fez.Across the front of the fez is printed this significant legend:
"This is John Henry
John Henry Disobeyed Captain Link
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi"
While we are on the subject,let me tell you about another of these advance-guards of civilisation who,single-handed,transformed a worthless island in the Sulu Sea into a veritable Garden of the Lord and its inhabitants from warlike savages into peaceful and prosperous farmers.In 1914 a short,bespectacled Michagander (FROM THE AMERICAN STATE OF MICHIGAN) named Warner was sent by the Philippine Bureau of Education to Siasi,one of the islands of the Sulu Group,to teach its Moro inhabitants the rudiments of American civilisation.Warner's sole equipment for the job consisted,as he candidly admitted,of a medical education.He took with him a number of Filipino assistants,but as they did not get along with the Moros,he shipped them back to Manila and sent for an Airedale dog.He also sent for all the works on agriculture and gardening that were to be had in the bookshops of the capital.For five years he remained on Siasi,the only white man.As even the little inter-island steamers rarely find their way there,months sometimes passed without him hearing from the outside world.But he was too busy to be lonely.His jurisdiction extended over two islands,separated by a narrow channel,but this he never crossed at night,and in the daytime only when he was compelled to,as the narrow channel was home of giant crocodiles which not infrequently attacked and capsised the frail native vintas,killing their occupants as they struggled in the water.
Warner,who had spent four years among the Visayans before going to Siasi,and who was,therefore,eminently qualified to compare the northern islanders with the Moros,told me that the latter possess a much higher type of intelligence than the Filipinos and assimilate new ideaa far more quickly.He added that they have a highly developed sense of humor;that they are quick to appreciate subtle stories,which the Tagalogs and the Visayans are not;and that they are much more ready to accept advice on agricultural and economic matters than the Christian Filipinos,who have a life- sized opinion of their own ability.When the day's work was over he said,he would seat himself in the doorway of his hut,surrounded by a group of Moros,and discuss crops,and weather prospects,and swap jokes and tell stories,just as he might have done with lighter skinned sons of toil around the cracker-barrel of a cross-roads store in New England (NORTHEASTERN REGION OF US).He added that he was sadly in need of some new stories to tell his Moro protoges,as after six years on the island,his own fund was about exhausted.But he was growing weary of life on Siasi,he told me;he wanted action and excitement;so he was preparing to move,with his Airedale,to Bohol,in the Visayas,where,he had heard it rumored,there was another white man.
Still another of the picturesque characters with whom I foregathered nightly on the after-deck of the Negros during our stay in Jolo was a former soldier,John Jennings by name.He was an operative of of the Philippine Secret Service,being engaged at the time in breaking up the running of opium from Borneo across the Sulu Sea to the Moro islands.Jennings is a short,thickset,powrtfully-built man,all nerve and no nerves.Adventure is his middle name.He has lived more stories than I could invent.Shortly before our arrival at Jolo Jennings had learned from a native in his pay that a son of the Flowery Kingdom,the propitier if a notorious gambling resort situated on the quarter_mile long ramshackle wharf known as the Chinese pier was driving a roaring trade in the forbidden drug.So one afternoon Jennings,his hands in his pockets,and in each pocket a service automatic,sauntered carelessly along the pier and upon reaching the reputed opium den,knocked briskly on the door.The Chinese propitier evidently suspected the purpose of his visit,however,for he was unable to gain admittance.So that night,wearing the huge straw sun-hat (MOUNTAIN HAT AS FILIPINOS CALL THEM TODAY) and flapping garments of blue cotton,of a coolie,he tried again.This time in response to his knock the heavy door swung open.Within all was black and silent as a tomb.The lintel was low and Jennings was compelled to stoop in order to enter.As he cautiously set foot across the threshold there was a sudden swish of steel in the darkness and the blade of a barong whistled past his face slicing off the front of his hat and missing his head by the width of an eyelash.As he sprang back the door slammed in his face and he heard the bolts shot home,followed by the sound of a weapon clattering on the floor and the patter of naked feet.Realising that the men he was after were making their escape by another exit,Jennings hurled himself against the door,an automatic in either hand,it gave way before his assault and he was precipitated headlong into the inky blackness of the room.Taking no chances this time,he raked it with a stream of lead from end to end.Then,there being no further sound,he swept the place with a beam of light from his electric torch.Stretched on the floor were three dead Chinamen and beside them was enough opium to have drugged everyone on the island.That little episode,Jennings remarked dryly,put quite a crimp in the opium traffic in Jolo.
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