History of Basilan

Pre-Hispanic Taguima

Basilan's earliest settlers were the Orang Dampuans originating from the islands of Eastern Indonesia, who were the ancestors of the native Yakans. They are variously called the Orang Dyaks or the Tagihamas.The Yakans, an inland pagan tribe, inhabited the Sulu Archipelago before the Muslims from Sumatra and Borneo gained control of the area in the 14th century. [ [http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ru9/R9tourism/bas_facts.htm Philippine National Statistical Coordination Board] ] .

Historians have scant knowledge of the pre-Spanish history of the indigenous Yakans simply because they have little contact with other ethnic groups. Basilan's nearness to Borneo led to the theory that the Yakan originated from the Dyak, but it is safe to say that Basilan's history is related to that of the Sulu archipelago.

Yakan Kingdom of Kumalarang

Records of pre-Hispanic Philippines gleaned from the extensive archives of China's Imperial courts mentions a "Kingdom of Kumalarang" located in one of the southern islands of Ma-yi (the Chinese name for the Philippine archipelago), whose King sent regular tribute to the Chinese emperor through Chinese traders who frequented the place in the 13th to 14th centuries. Local historians attribute this long lost kingdom to modern-day Kumalarang (now reduced to a Barangay) located along the northwestern coast of Basilan island.

Specifically, according to the Ta Min Hui Tien (Great Ming compendium of laws), a report gleaned from the records of Tehchow, Shantung, China (archived and researched in the years 1673, 1788 and 1935): 3 months after the death of Paduka Batara (the Tausug potentate who visited the Chinese Emperor Yung Lo and died on October 23, 1417), a High Court Mandarin, Chan Chien, was ordered to sail to Kumalarang (Chinese texts refer to "Kumalalang"), a vassal state of the Sulu Sultanate located on the northwestern coast of Taguima (Basilan Is.).

Chan Chien was received by Lakan Ipentun (Ch. ref. "Kanlai Ipentun"), presumably a Yakan Prince, who ruled the Kingdom as a vassal to the Sultan of Sulu. The Mandarin official stayed in Kumalarang for 2 years before returning to China.

He was accompanied by Lakan Ipentun and an entourage of several hundred, composed of his immediate family, minor chieftains (datus), and servants. They were finally given an audience with the Chinese Emperor on November 16, 1420 where he formally asked the latter to proclaim him as a recognized sovereign and vassal to the Dragon Throne.

Lakan Ipentun wrote a missive to the Chinese Emperor on December 28, 1420, complaining about the time it took for the Chinese Emperor to act on his request. The Chinese Emperor received the petition and finally granted Lakan Ipentun with the title of "wang" (king). After his request was granted, a satisfied Lakan Ipentun, along with his entire retinue, started for home.

On May 27, 1421, however, unaccustomed to the cold climate of the preceding winter and due to his advancing age, Lakan Ipentun died in Fujian, China, just as they were about to embark on Chinese junks that would have brought them home. His funeral was supervised by Yang Shan, administrator of the temples, and was likewise honored by a eulogy sent by the Chinese Emperor which extolled his virtues of "determination and serenity". His son, Lapi, was then proclaimed as rightful successor to the just bestowed title of "wang". Lapi sent one of his father's most trusted officials, Batikisan, to petition for an audience with the Chinese Emperor where he presented a "memorial" in gold plaque on November 3, 1424.

The party, with its newly proclaimed King, eventually returned to Kumalarang, and almost just as promptly faded from the historical records of the period.

Tausug Kingdom of Maluso

Historical records about Basilan shifted then to the archives found in the Royal courts of the maritime power that is right next door - the Sulu Sultanate.

The sultanate of Sulu became a center of power in the 1700s, ruled over the island of Basilan nominally, and had little influence over the Yakan who were gradually driven far into the island's interior (Sherfan 1976:11; Haylaya 1980:43).

It is widely assumed that by this time, Kumalarang has either ceased to exist as a kingdom or was eventually broken up and its Yakan inhabitants forced to migrate enmasse towards the hinterlands. The Yakans, having retreated from any considerable direct contact with the invading Tausugs, have retained their ancient animist beliefs in large measure, only embracing Islam at a much later date.

Islam is said to have started in the Philippines in 1380 but some scholars believe that Islam spread in some areas of the archipelago during the early 1200s. Then and now, the inhabitants of the Sulu archipelago have been described as Muslims who have retained much of their pre-Islamic beliefs. Such folk-Islamic culture resulted from the fact that Islamic conversions were mostly undertaken not by full-time religious teachers but by Arab Muslim traders who traversed the Malacca-Borneo-Sulu-Luzon- Taiwan route (Sherfan 1976: 12-13).

By the early 1700s, the Sultan of Sulu had defeated the Sultan of Maguindanao, signaling the rise of the Sulu sultanate in southern Philippines, with Jolo as the seat of power. The Yakans paid a yearly tribute to the Sultan.

The Royal Archives of the Sulu Sultanate records that Sultan Azim ud-Din I, son of Badar ud-Din, and who was known to the Spaniards and most Tausugs as Alimuddin, ruled from 1735 to 1748. He was dethroned, exiled, then returned as Sultan from 1764 to 1774. His father proclaimed him ruler of Tawi-Tawi in 1735. In 1736, in a bid to cement the Sultanate's control over the busy trade routes that criss-crossed the area, the new Sultan decided to transfer his court from Dungun (Tawi-Tawi) to the more strategic settlement at Bauang (Jolo), which was deemed to be a more central location and therefore a more suitable way-station for "paraws" that plied the Sulu Sea between Borneo and Mindanao.

This, however, did not please the powerful Datus at the old court in Tawi-Tawi. These Datus grew increasingly hostile to Azim ud-Din I as the years progressed. They hatched a plot that would eventually lead to Azim ud-Din's removal as Sultan in favor of his younger brother, who was known to Spanish officials and missionary priests as Pangiran Bantilan or Datu Bantilan. In 1748, Sultan Azim ud-Din was forced to leave Jolo for Taguima and then Zamboanga. His younger brother, famed and respected for repulsing a Dutch invading force in 1747, having been conferred his Royal name Muizz ud-Din, was then proclaimed sultan.

Still a strapping youth when he became a Sultan, Datu Bantilan ruled the Sultanate of Sulu for sixteen (16) productive years (1748-1764), having vigorously promoted trade that linked Bauang (Jolo) with major trading ports straddling the Sulu Sea. He likewise launched several raids on the Spanish settlements in Zamboanga and the Visayas islands of Panay and Negros, and greatly profited from the slave-trade of captives taken from these raids.

Having recognized early on the importance of Bauang (Jolo) as a more strategically located trading center, however, he also refused to return the Royal Household to Dungun. This courted the ire of some of his brother's staunchest critics.

In the meantime, Azim ud-Din, fearful that his enemies might seek him out even in exile, sailed off to Manila where he remained for sometime, relatively out of reach from his brother's lieutenants. His Manila sojourn included a few years of imprisonment at Fort Santiago.

To further strengthen his naval superiority in the Sulu Sea, several Tausug warriors were sent to establish a base on the northernmost island of the Sulu Archipelago, which until then was called Taguima, after the Tagihamas (descended from the Orang Dyaks and ancestors of the modern-day Yakans who are the acknowledged natives of the place). This base was built on the island's southwestern coast facing Sulu, an area already thickly populated by Tausug traders and fisherfolk. Maluso as it was called then, and is so to this day, was the same site where the young Datu Bantilan met and vanquished the Dutch, one year before he became Sultan.

This Tausug base became a vital jump-off point for raids on Zamboanga. As a major military naval base, Maluso was staffed with some of Sulu's best blade-smiths and boat-builders to see to it that the Sultan's raiders were properly equipped before any raid was launched. Slave-raids into the island's interior likewise commenced.

As these raids became more and more frequent, the native Yakans retreated farther and farther inland, away from the coasts which were periodically harried by Datu Bantilan's Tausug warriors and slave-raiders. The biggest and most advanced Yakan coastal settlement was located on the northeastern shores of Basilan, in Lamitan, and far from the usual routes of pirate raiders on their way to Zamboanga from Sulu and Maluso. The Yakans were understandably wary of the Tausugs who proceeded to occupy much of the lowlands of the island's southeast coast, and have remained hostile to the Tausug kingdom that eventually flourished in the area.

After several successful incursions on Zamboanga were known to originate from this new Tausug base, Spanish surveyors stationed in Zamboanga took note of this and recorded Datu Bantilan's settlement, which they believed to be a a vassal kingdom of Sulu, as the territory of "Bantilan".

Datu Bantilan died in the middle of 1763. His son, Azim ud-Din II governed Sulu with his brother after the death of their father. By the end of that year, he had become, for all practical purposes, the Sultan.

Azim ud-Din, now an old man, finally returned to Jolo in 1764. In the same year, on June 8, he was formally reinstated to the throne. In 1774, tired of affairs of state, he formally handed over the throne to his son Muhammad Israil. With the arrival of his uncle Azim ud-Din I from Manila in 1764, whom he received well, Azim ud-Din II left his followers for Parang. Azim ud-Din II returned in 1778 after his cousin's sudden death (which some claim was poisoned by Azim ud-Din II himself), and was promptly proclaimed Sultan and reigned until his death in 1791.

panish Era

The first Europeans to ever document Basilan were the remainder of the ill-fated Ferdinand Magellan expedition, led by Juan Sebastian Elcano, and extensively documented by Italian scholar Antonio Pigafetta in the later part of 1521. Fresh from the debacle in Mactan, and after having their numbers reduced from 254 to less than a hundred scurvy-ridden sailors, the Spanish party scoured the area of the Sulu Archipelago for a route to the Moluccas (Spice Islands). After passing reefs and bountiful seaweeds, they came to an archipelago, the main islands Pigafetta recorded as "the islands of Zolo and Taghima (Sulu and Basilan) near which pearls are found". Food and water were difficult to come by in this episode of their voyage, however, so they eventually returned to Mindanao. The expedition eventually found its way to the Moluccas and then finally returned to Spain. They were the first Europeans to circumnavigate the world. Only 18 of them survived the long voyage and made it back to Spain.

Colonization & the Jesuit "reducciones"

The legendary Sultan Kudarat of Maguindanao maintained a base in Lamitan for some time until the Spaniards under the command of Governor General Sebastián Hurtado de Corcuera crushed it in 1637, just one year after the Spanish Fort in nearby Zamboanga was established.

The proselytization of Basilan started in earnest when Fr. Francisco Lado, a Jesuit, established the first Catholic mission, in an area called Pasangen by the native Yakans. This coastal area, however, was already predominantly populated by Tausug and Samal settlers. The Jesuit missionaries from Zamboanga arrived on the same year that the removal of Sultan Kudarat from Lamitan was effected, and established themselves in Pasangen on the island's northwestern coast. They constructed the first wooden mission and palisade wall near the mouth of the Aguada River, and dedicated the Island to St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order.

The Spaniards made several attempts to control Jolo, but failed to do so until 1876. Basilan, however, was a wholly different story. Catholic missionaries together with Spanish soldiers who inter-married into the native population were able to successfully penetrate Basilan. So much so that by 1654 there were about 1,000 Christian families living in the island. Foremost among these pioneering families is the extended Lazaro Clan who, together with its cadet branches, the Saavedra, Generalao, Suson, Pardo, Barrios and Guevarra families, owned most of the cultivated lands that was to form part of the growing Christian settlement.

Thus, the veil of Catholicism began to slowly spread across the island with the spirited drive of the militant Jesuits. With no spices or gold to enrich the Spanish king’s coffers, except for local taxes, the Jesuits refocused the Spanish government’s agenda and made religion the object of their expansion and conquest here.

In anticipation of an invasion from the Chinese pirate-warlord Koxinga, that was expected to devastate Manila, the Spanish authorities withdrew all stations in the south of the country to augment their forces holed up in Intramuros, temporarily freeing Zamboanga and Isabela from direct Spanish administration in 1663.

In the absence of Spanish Royal authorities the Jesuits formed a sort of Christian city-state, called "reductions" (Spanish Reducciones, Portuguese Reduções) in and around their 3-decade old Presidios both in Zamboanga and Basilan. These were societies set up according to an idealized theocratic model. The same type of communities were likewise established by the Jesuits throughout South America, but especially in present-day Brazil and Paraguay. The Jesuit-administered "reducciones", however, composed of Christian settlers and native converts, together withstood incessant attacks from both the Tausugs from the sea and the Yakans from the interior for 56 years.

The Spanish royal authorities eventually returned in 1718. After having re-established lucrative trading agreements with the native kingdoms that dotted the area, nearby Zamboanga experienced a revival in its economy. The increasingly wealthy Spanish trading post in Zamboanga became an even more sought after prize for the Moro pirates of the era, so much so that the surrounding islands started to attract the attention of other foreign powers, and chief among these coveted islands was Basilan.

Dutch Attack & the Jesuit expulsion

The Dutch East India Company attacked Basilan in 1747 but were repulsed by Tausug warriors, sailing from Sulu and led by a Tausug prince, Datu Bantilan. (The site of the short-lived Dutch encampment is still called Port Holland, a coastal barangay of Maluso town, to this very day.)

Towards the second part of the 18th century, pirate raids from Sulu increasingly harassed the Spanish settlement in nearby Zamboanga, usually using their heavily fortified base in Maluso as a staging ground for some of their more successful forays. The Tausug raids reached a fevered intensity by 1754. By this time, a flourishing kingdom of Yakans and Samals was established in the area of modern-day Lamitan City. Headed by a Datu (local tribal chieftain), the kingdom traded with the Yakan communities farther inland.

In the meantime, the Jesuits were expelled from Portugal, France, the Two Sicilies, Parma and the Spanish Empire in 1768. Jesuit missions were very controversial in Europe, especially in Spain and Portugal, where they were seen as interfering with the proper colonial enterprises of the royal governments. The Jesuits were often the only force standing between the natives and slavery. It is partly because the Jesuits protected the natives whom certain Spanish and Portuguese colonizers wanted to enslave that the Society of Jesus was eventually suppressed. The Recoletos de San Jose (Recollects) took over territories previously assigned to the Jesuits.

French Blockade

By the 1840s, colonial interests other than Spanish focused over western Mindanao, particularly the territories under the Sulu sultanate. The British, French, Germans, and Americans all became interested in these rich islands.

In 1843, the French Foreign Minister François Guizot sent a fleet to Vietnam under Admiral Cécille and Captain Charner,Chapuis, p.5 [http://books.google.com/books?id=9RorGHF0fGIC&pg=PA5&dq=C%C3%A9cille+Guizot&sig=EFw1AYqwhju1qOBhB3KBEEUXQSM Google Book] Quote: "Two years later, in 1847, Lefebvre was again captured when he returned to Vietnam. This time Cecille sent captain Lapierre to Danang. Whether Lapierre was aware or not that Lefebvre had already been freed and on his way back to Singapore, the French first dismantled masts of some Vietnamese ships. Later on April 14 1847, in only one hour, the French sank the last five bronze-plated vessels in the bay of Danang."] which started the French intervention in Vietnam. The move responded to the successes of the British in China in 1842, and France hoped to counterbalance these successes by accessing China from the south. The pretext however was to support British efforts in China, and to fight the persecution of French missionaries in Vietnam. [Tucker, p.27] The fleet, accompanied by the diplomat Lagrene, tried to seize the island of Basilan in order to create a base similar to Hong Kong, but projects had to be abandoned following the strong opposition of Spain claiming the island was part of the Philippines. [Chapuis, p.5]

When the French under Admiral Cécille blockaded Basilan in 1844-45, [cite web|url=http://jamalashley.wordpress.com/2007/04/17/bangsa-moro-conflict-historical-antecedents-and-present-impact/ |title=Bangsa Moro Conflict - Historical Antecedents and Present Impact |publisher=The Setting Sun |date=2007-04-17 |accessdate=2008-10-05Rs|date=October 2008] an island which they called Taguime, intent on establishing a network of naval stations to protect French trade in the area, the Spanish governor protested that Basilan had recognized Spain’s sovereignty just the year before, in February 1844. The French then forced the Basilan datus to sign a document affirming the “absolute independence of Basilan vis-a-vis Spain” on January 13, 1845 aboard the steamer Archimede.

On February 20, 1845, France forced the Sulu Sultan to formally cede Basilan Island to France in exchange for 100,000 piastres or 500,000 French francs. The French Admiral totally ignored Spanish protests. However, the inhabitants of Basilan who remained loyal to Spain, fought against the French for a year, however, forcing the French King, Louis Philippe to ultimately decide against taking Basilan although the French Cabinet already approved the annexation, even allocating the budget for Basilan for that year.

France's claims on Basilan were based on a formal cession from the Sultan of Sulu as well as formal written agreement from the Basilan datus. These claims were eventually withdrawn by France, formalized in a proclamation dated August 5, 1845, turning over full sovereignty of the island to Spain. During the same year, a US survey mission studied the potentials of the Sulu archipelago, but American intervention did not start until 1899.

Fort Isabela Segunda

To check the inroads of both the increasingly bloody Tausug pirate raids and the growing influence of Lamitan's Yakan kingdom, as well as to thwart any further attempt by other European powers to colonize Basilan (the Dutch in 1747 and the French in 1844) the Spanish commandery in Zamboanga City sent over an expeditionary force tasked at establishing Spanish fortifications on Basilan island, both to serve as an early beacon and defensive perimeter against the pirate parties, and as a trading post for Spanish interests on the island.

In 1845, Don Ramon Lobo, the Marine Chief of Zamboanga, accompanied Don Cayetano Suarez de Figueroa, District Governor of Zamboanga, to the coastal settlement of Pasangen. Wooden fortifications were initially erected on the settlement's highest point facing the narrow channel about 800 meters from the shore. The 200-year old Jesuit mission was situated half-way between the Fort and the shore. The fortification proved to be easily defensible as nearby Malamawi Island blocked direct attacks and raids from the sea.

By 1848, a stone fort was constructed to replace the wooden fortifications. In the meantime a sizeable and growing Christian settlement continued to flourish around the Recollect mission, re-dedicated since the expulsion of the Jesuits, to Sta. Isabel de Portugal(St. Elizabeth of Portugal). The Fort thus established was subsequently named in honor of Isabella II, Queen of Spain and the Indies, and was named Fuerte dela Reina Isabela Segunda. The military garrison was initially placed under the direct command of the Fuerza dela Nuestra Senora del Pilar de Zaragosa (Fort Pilar) in Zamboanga.

On July 30, 1859, a royal decree was issued allowing the Jesuits to recover their Missions in Mindanao from the Recollects. The Jesuits finally returned to Basilan and Tetuan on 1862.

By 1863, Fort Isabela Segunda became the focal point of the 6th District of the Police-Military Government of Mindanao. And in 1879, the Spanish garrison built a "floating" Naval Hospital on shallows guarding the eastern entrance to the Isabela Channel.

Conquest of Lamitan

On the island's northeastern coastal plains, the bustling Yakan community was in the midst of a native festival when intrepid Spanish explorers from Zamboanga pulled ashore. When the visitors asked the astonished natives where they were, the Yakans replied that this was their "meeting place" or Lami-Lamihan, which when roughly translated, refers to merry-making or conference. The Spanish explorers recorded this as Lamitan, thus the name.

Throughout most of the Spanish regime the advance of Spanish interests was cultivated chiefly in the area around Fort Isabela Segunda or Isabela. A few adventurous colonists from Zamboanga settled in Lamitan over the years, but the area was fairly isolated from Spanish military incursions from Isabela by impenetrable jungles. Even so, a few Christian settlers, mostly traders, lived in Lamitan.

For a time, the Maguindanao warlord Sultan Kudarat established a base for his warriors on Lamitan's shores, to be used as a way-station for attacks carried out against the Spanish in Zamboanga, as well as to guard the sea approach to the Maguindanao Kingdom of Kuta Bato (Cotabato) from the Spanish navy that roamed the area. This fortified garrison eventually became a bustling community of thousands as Yakan farmers, artisans and traders, attracted by the relative safety that the Maguindanao base offered against both Spanish and Tausug attacks.

The Yakans of Lamitan, however, did not fully unite themselves under a single Datu or Chieftain, choosing instead to consult clan elders and showing fealty to Sultan Kudarat who exercised a form of loose suzerainty over the Yakans protected by his base.

Despite such progress in Basilan, the Yakan remained in the interior, hostile to lowlanders. But in the year 1842, a fugitive from Cavite named Pedro Cuevas escaped to Basilan where he fought and killed a Yakan chieftain named Datu Kalun (also spelled Kalung and Kalum). Cuevas then adopted the name of Datu Kalun (Haylaya 1980:43). The Yakans accepted Cuevas as their leader because he embraced the Yakan way of life, married one of the daughters of the defeated Yakan chieftain, and instituted meaningful socio-political changes in their lives. Datu Kalun consolidated the Yakans, led battles against the slave-raiders from Jolo, and rid Basilan of pirates and marauders.

With his advanced knowledge of Spanish armaments and military tactics of the day, he commanded a group of Yakan warriors, by then converted to Christianity, as well as some Chavacano conscripts from nearby Zamboanga, and proceeded to subjugate the remaining Yakan tribal leaders in the area by force of arms.

After having consolidated his power over the flourishing Yakan enclave, Don Pedro Cuevas, sent emissaries to the Spanish authorities in Isabela and Zamboanga. He was eventually recognized by the Spanish authorities, having formalized his position as leader of the Lamitan District of Basilan island organized finally and officially in 1886. Thus, the Spaniards now considered Cuevas/Datu Kalun an ally and pardoned him for his earlier offense.

Treaty of 1878 and the Philippine Revolution

After a series of less-than-successful attempts during the centuries of Spanish rule in the Philippines, Spanish forces captured the city of Jolo, the seat of the Sultan of Sulu, in 1876. The Spanish and the Sultan of Sulu signed the Spanish Treaty of Peace on July 22, 1878. The Spanish language version of the Treaty gave Spain complete sovereignty over the Sulu archipelago, this includes Basilan, while the Tausug version described a protectorate instead of an outright dependency.Citation
url=http://www.philippineupdate.com/Bates.htm
title=The Bates Treaty
author=Madge Kho
publisher=philippineupdate.com
accessdate=2007-12-02]

In 1895, the Sultan of Sulu sent one of his most accomplished generals, Datu Julkarnain, to regain control over Basilan, only to be defeated by the combined forces of the Spanish and their local ally, Datu Kalun. The ensuing peace encouraged more Christians to settle in Basilan.

By this time, the Katipunan (revolutionary organization) had gained enough momentum in Luzon and the Philippine War of Independence was engaged in 1896. In Mindanao, locals' resistance contributed greatly to the weakening of the Spanish colonizers. The Spanish campaigns against the "Moros" - a derogatory term used by the Spanish against the Muslim Filipinos - likewise caused heavy casualties and depleted Spanish resources (Haylaya 1980).

While Zamboanga and Sulu were the centers of Spanish-Muslim hostilities, Basilan's inhabitants remained fairly unaffected by the social upheavals. Still, the indigenous Yakans, together with the considerable Tausug, Samal and Bajau populations on the island were among those natives called Moros by the Spaniards (Jundam 1983:8-9).

American Regime

By 1898, Basilan Island was administratively divided into three districts, the Spanish-controlled towns of Isabela and Lamitan, and the Tausug trading outpost in Maluso, which the Sulu Sultanate handed-over to Spain, subsequent to the razing and occupation of Jolo by the Spanish from 1876 up to 1899, formalized by the Treaty of 1878.

Spain ceded the Philippine islands to the United States in the Treaty of Paris which ended the Spanish-American War. Following the American occupation of the northern Philippine Islands during 1899, Spanish forces in Mindanao were cut off, and they retreated to the garrisons at Zamboanga and Jolo. American forces relieved the Spanish at Zamboanga on May 18, 1899, and at Jolo and Basilan in December 1899. [Citation
url=http://www.bakbakan.com/swishkb.html
title=Swish of the Kris
last=Hurley
first=Victor
year=1936
chapter=17. Mindanao and Sulu in 1898
chapter-url=http://www.bakbakan.com/swishk/swk3-17.html
publisher=E.P.Dutton & co., inc
accessdate=2007-12-02]

American occupation

On 19 May 1899, American troops took over the Spanish garrison in Zamboanga, one of the last strongholds of the Filipino revolutionaries in Mindanao. By December 1899, the Americans led by Col. James S. Petit occupied the Spanish naval base of Isabela de Basilan. In Basilan, an old and sickly Datu Kalun (Pedro Cuevas) supported the new colonizers. Sovereignty over both Isabela and Lamitan then was effectively transferred from Spain to the Americans.

At that time, the Philippine-American War was raging in Luzon. So as not to spread out their forces, the Americans employed the classic divide-and-rule tactic. Maj. Gen. E.S. Otis, commander-in-chief of the US Forces, sent Gen. Bates to negotiate with the Sultan of Sulu. Known as the Bates treaty, the agreement provided for the exercise of American authority over the Sulu archipelago in exchange for the recognition of Muslim culture and religion.

The Bates Treaty of 1899 between Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram II and American Brigadier General John C. Bates, further acknowledged American administrative control over the Sulu Archipelago, including Basilan.

Initially Sultan Kiram was disappointed by the hand-over of control to the Americans and had expected to regain sovereignty over the Sulu archipelago after the defeat of the Spanish. Bates' main goal though, was to guarantee the Sultanate's neutrality in the Philippine-American War, and to establish order in Mindanao. After some negotiations, the Bates Treaty was signed.

This treaty was based on the earlier Spanish treaty, and it retained the translation discrepancy: the English version described a complete dependency, while the Tausug version described a protectorate. Although the Bates Treaty granted more powers to the Americans than the original Spanish treaty, the treaty was still criticized in America for granting too much autonomy to the Sultan. One particular clause, which recognized the Moro practice of slavery, also raised eyebrows in Washington, D.C. Bates later admitted that the treaty was merely a stop-gap measure, signed only to buy time until the war in the north was ended and more forces could be brought to bear in the south.

The peace created by the Bates Treaty did not last, however. This became evident when the Muslims repudiated the Moro province, a politico-military government in Mindanao lasting from 1903 to 1914, and the Moro Rebellion soon broke out. It is important to note that barely two months before the creation of the Moro province, the American colonial government declared and classified all unoccupied lands as public lands. Immediately after the declaration, American investments entered Mindanao and mass migration of Christians was encouraged. (Rodil 1985:4).

The Department of Mindanao and Sulu under Gov. Frank W. Carpenter was created by Philippine Commission Act 2309 (1914) and ended on February 5, 1920 by Act of Philippine Legislature No. 2878. The Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes was organized and briefly headed by Teofisto Guingona, Sr. With the enactment by the US Congress of the Jones Law (Philippine Autonomy Law) in 1916, ultimate Philippine independence was guaranteed and the Filipinization of public administration began.

Datu Kalun died in Basilan on 16 July 1904 at the age of 58, soon after his first contract with the Americans. His nephew Gabino Pamaran became his successor and adopted the name Datu Mursalun. Mursalun, also pro-American, founded the town of Lamitan which became an American model of civil government and development. Mursalun worked for the material progress of Basilan, and sought ways to fight banditry and piracy in the area.

Philippine Commonwealth

Politically, Basilan became a part of the Moro Province (1899-1914, encompassing most of Mindanao Island). Basilan was then included in the Department of Mindanao and Sulu (1914-1920), a district of Zamboanga Province (1920-1936), and then of the Chartered City of Zamboanga (1936-1948), before it became a Chartered City on its own right at the beginning of the Philippine Republic.

Alongside military suppression came a policy of education. Public schools were built but Muslim enrollment was way below Christian school attendance. Muslims considered public education a threat to their culture and religion.

To ensure Muslim participation in government affairs, the Americans soon adopted a Policy of Attraction for western Mindanao. Moreover, the Philippine Constabulary (PC) replaced the United States Army units pursuant to colonial efforts to reduce American presence. The replacement of American troops, mostly by Christians under the PC, increased the hostility between Muslims and Christians.

In the political sphere, the management of Muslim affairs through the organization of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu in 1914 was unsuccessful, as leadership in the department fell in the hands of Christians. Thus, the Muslim leaders were historically opposed to the idea of independence, which meant the incorporation of Muslim areas into a political system dominated by Christians.

Early in the American period, American plantation owners cleared vast expanses of Basilan's virgin forest land and established what was to be Basilan's primary economic activity - plantation agriculture, mainly rubber and copra. American Dr. James D. W. Strong, the Father of the Philippine Rubber Industry, inaugurated the first rubber plantation in the Philippines (inauguration was attended by President Manuel L. Quezon no-less) in Baluno, a plaque and shrine to this pioneering individual may be visited in the same Barangay to this day.

The success of what was soon to be the B. F. Goodrich rubber concession in the northern part of Isabela City, enticed other multi-national firms, such as the British-Malaysian Sime Darby and the Hispano-German Hans Menzi Corporation to open rubber plantations in the City's southern areas. The first Filipino-owned plantation was established on Malamawi Island by Don Juan S. Alano, originally of Malolos, Bulacan, who served as Representative of the entire Moro Province (Mindanao) during the Commonwealth Era (1936-1942), and the first Congressman of Zamboanga Province (now comprising Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga City and Basilan) in the Republic's first Congress (1946-1949). He authored the Charter of both the Cities of Basilan and Zamboanga.

More Filipino settler families, such as the Cuevas-Flores-Pamaran-Antonio clan (progeny of the legendary Datu Kalun) in Lamitan and the Pardo, Barandino, Brown, Dans and Nuñal families of Isabela itself soon followed suit, establishing sizeable plantations, usually engaged in coconut/copra production.

Japanese Invasion

The outbreak of World War II disrupted Commonwealth administration. In 1942 Japanese soldiers landed in Basilan and occupied it until 1945.

Christians and Muslim officers and men of the military district in Mindanao and Sulu shifted to guerilla activities against the Japanese. A civil government called Free Sulu Government administered activities in the locality.

The Japanese Occupation forces established a government in Basilan to govern both Zamboanga and Basilan. The Japanese Occupation of Basilan was rather uneventful, however, it barely affected the residents, except in terms of Japanese demand for food for their military machinery. In fact, Datu Mursalun and his family watched, without much interest, the American bombings of the Spanish fort and naval hospital in Isabela which signaled the retaking of Basilan by the Filipino and American troops in 1945.

Liberation

On 10 March 1945, the U.S. Eighth Army under Lt. Gen. Robert L. Eichelberger was formally ordered by Gen. Douglas MacArthur to clear the rest of Mindanao was supported by the Filipino soldiers and guerilla fighters, with the start of Operation VICTOR V, with expectations that the campaign would take four months. Eichelberger had misgivings about the projected timetable for the operation, but nonetheless, his Eighth Army staffers came up with a more effective plan.

On the same day Eichelberger's forces were ordered to invade Mindanao, remnants of Maj. Gen. Jens A. Doe's 41st Infantry Division carried out Operation VICTOR IV, the seizure of Zamboanga, which was concurrent with the recapture of Palawan, dubbed Operation VICTOR III. A sizable force, numbering about 9,000 men of the 54th Japanese Independent Mixed Brigade (IMB), had established strong defensive positions around Zamboanga City at the southern tip of the peninsula.

The slow construction of the airfield at Palawan posed a problem for tactical air support augmenting the Zamboanga operation. The seizure of a makeshift airstrip at Dipolog, about 145 miles (230 km) to the northeast of Zamboanga City, the Americans rapidly exploited the opportunity, airlifting two reinforced companies from the 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Division to ensure control of the airstrip. Soon thereafter, Marine Aircraft Groups Zamboanga (MAGSZAM) under Col. Clayton C. Jerome was flying sorties off the airstrip to cover naval bombardment and landing preparations off Zamboanga City.

After bombings of the landing areas by the 13th Air Force and a three-day bombardment by the U.S. Navy, the 162nd and 163rd Infantry Regiments landed three miles (5 km) west of Zamboanga City. Japanese opposition to the landings were minimal, and the 41st Division troops quickly captured the city, which was decimated by the pre-invasion bombardments. The next day, 11 March, the Americans and the Filipinos encountered strong resistance when they attacked Japanese positions in the hills, overlooking the coastal plain. For two weeks, U.S. infantry, ably supported by Marine aviation and naval gunfire together with the Philippine Commonwealth Army forces, fought the Japanese along a five-mile (8 km) front, in terrain so rugged that tanks could not be used, and in positions heavily fortified with deep earthen emplacements, barbed wire, minefields, and booby traps.

On 23 March, after heavy fighting, the center of the Japanese line finally broke, and in the next three days, the 162nd Infantry continued eliminating resistance in the central sector. The 186th Infantry, replacing the 163rd, continued the attack and the 54th Japanese IMB was forced to pull out a week later, harried by the Philippine Commonwealth troops & guerrilla units, retreating through the peninsula and into the jungle. After some time, mopping up operations resulted in 220 Americans and 460 Filipinos killed compared with 6,400 Japanese dead.

Alongside the Zamboanga operation, smaller units of the Military Forces of the Philippine Commonwealth and the Soldiers of the U.S. 41st Division invaded the Sulu Archipelago, a long stretch of islands reaching from the Zamboanga Peninsula to North Borneo. Rapidly taken in succession were Basilan, Malamaui, Tawi-Tawi, Sanga Sanga and Bongao. On 9 April, strong resistance at Jolo was encountered. Anchoring their stubborn defense around Mount Dabo, some 3,900 Japanese troops held off the U.S. 163rd Infantry supported by Filipino soldiers and other local Moro guerrillas. By 22 April, the Allies took the position after hard fighting and the rest of the troops fled and held out in the west for another two months. The 163rd suffered 40 dead and 125 wounded by mid-June, 1945, while some 2,000 Japanese perished.

Philippine Republic

When the town of Zamboanga became a chartered city in 1936, it included Basilan. On July 1, 1948, by virtue of a bill filed by then Congressman Juan S. Alano, Basilan itself became a separate city after Republic Act. No. 288 was passed by the 1st Philippine Congress. The first city mayor was Nicasio S. Valderroza appointed by President Elpidio Quirino.

Mayor Nicasio S. Valderroza was considered a builder of cities, having been variously a Provincial Treasurer, an acting Provincial Governor of the old Province of Zamboanga, Mayor of Baguio City, first Mayor of Zamboanga City, First Mayor of Davao City and the first appointed Mayor of the new City of Basilan.

When President Ramon Magsaysay became the Chief Executive of the land in 1954, he appointed Leroy S. Brown as mayor of Basilan City. He served as the second and the last appointive mayor of this city until December 31, 1955. The city was then classified as a first class city.

With the approval of Republic Act. No. 1211 amending the charter of the City of Basilan, the position of the City Mayor became elective.

The first election for local officials in Basilan was held in November 8, 1955. Mayor Brown was overwhelmingly elected as the first elective mayor of the city. He was responsible for the construction of several concrete bridges, notably the Aguada Bridge and the impressive Balagtasan Bridge in Lamitan, as well as the construction of a number of public buildings, the expansion of the Isabela wharf, and many more, all of which greatly benefited the people of Basilan.

He was the first and the last elected city executive of Basilan. He served uninterrupted from January 1954 to December 31, 1975, under the Administrations of Presidents Carlos Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal and Ferdinand Marcos. During his term, the city council gave birth to a new breed of legislators and leaders from 1954 to 1975. These years have since been called Basilan's "Golden Years".

City of Basilan

* Mayor NICASIO S. VALDERROZA (Appointed, 1948-1953)

Mayor : Nicasio S. Valderroza

Councilors :

1. Filoteo Dianala Jo, Chairman of the City Council

2. Rupino Diaz

3. Pedro Cuevas Jr.

4. Teofilo Saavedra

5. Jose Pamaran

6. Marcelino Navarro

7. Leroy S. Brown

* Mayor LEROY S. BROWN, 1st Term (Appointed, 1954-1955)

Mayor : Leroy S. Brown

Vice Mayor : Exequiel Dayot, Sr.

Councilors :

1. Pedro Fernandez

2. Jaabil Abdulaup

3. Rupino Diaz

4. Pedro Cuevas Jr.

5. Teofilo Saavedra

6. Jose Pamaran

7. Marcellano Navarro

* Mayor LEROY S. BROWN, 2nd Term (Elected, 1955-1959)

Mayor : Leroy S. Brown

Vice Mayor : Jose Legaspi

Councilors :

1. Pedro Pamaran

2. Jaabil Abdulaup

3. Exequiel Dayot, Jr.

4. Carlos Valdez

5. Effanio Anoos

6. Segundino Mariano

7. Jose Segundo Martinez

8. Pedro Fernandez

* Mayor LEROY S. BROWN, 3rd Term (1959-1963)

Mayor : Leroy S. Brown

Vice Mayor : Exequiel Dayot, Sr.

Councilors :

1. Jose Legaspi

2. Asan Camlian

3. Mohammad Edris

4. Purificacion Arquiza

5. Atty. Ricardo G. Mon

6. Loyola Gadayan

7. Jesus Tabilon

8. Pedro Pamaran

* Mayor LEROY S. BROWN, 4th Term (1963-1967)

Mayor : Leroy S. Brown

Vice Mayor : Exequiel Dayot Sr.

Councilors :

1. Purificacion Arquiza

2. Atty. Ricardo G. Mon

3. Mohammad Edris

4. Asan G. Camlian

5. Loyola Gadayan

6. Cirilo Garcia

7. Jose Legaspi

8. Elegio Yabyabin

* Mayor LEROY S. BROWN, 5th Term (1967-1971)

Mayor : Leroy S. Brown

Vice Mayor :Exequiel Dayot Jr.

Councilors :

1. Purificacion Arquiza

2. Ricardo G. Mon

3. Asan G.Camlian

4. Jose legaspi

5. Wilfredo Furigay

6. Jesus Tabilon

7. Mohammad Edris

8. Boy Garcia

* Mayor LEROY S. BROWN, 6th Term (1971-1975)

Mayor : Leroy S. Brown

Vice Mayor : Pedro Pamaran

Councilors :

1. Asan G. Camlian

2. Ulbert Ulama Tugung

3. Cecilio Martin

4. Boy Garcia

5. Wilfredo Furigay

6. Purificacion Arquiza

7. Ricardo G. Mon

8. Ramon Barandino

Martial Law Years

On December 21, 1972 President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared Martial Law. At that time, Basilan was in the middle of the Moro National Liberation Front Uprising prompted by the expose of the Jabidah Massacre on March 18, 1968. A number of native Moro leaders joined the MNLF rebellion, making Basilan a veritable warzone. The first-ever armed confrontation occurred around the heavily forested hills of Bagbagon and Canibungan in Lantawan on the island's western area. This was followed by the occupation of the Alano Plantation (declared "No Man's Land" by the military) by MNLF "munduhin" and "blackshirts" and the ensuing aerial bombardment by the military which left the plantation totally devastated. MNLF rebels then laid siege over Lamitan's poblacion, but was eventually staved off by fierce resistance from Lamitan residents who volunteered to fight valiantly beside elements of the Armed Forces and the Philippine Constabulary.

Several more raids and ambushes were made throughout the island, which succeeded in stopping all the operations of the plantations. Sporadic gun-battles, too, broke out within Isabela's poblacion, and pirate raids harried fishing operations as well as passenger ferry traffic between Basilan and Zamboanga.

After more than two years of incessant fighting, a substantial number among Basilan's Christian populace left the place altogether reducing the Christian tribes to minority status once again. After nearly 50 years of continuous immigration from Zamboanga, the Visayas and Luzon, Basilan experienced, for the very first time, a net outflow of people.

On December 27, 1973, President Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 356, converting the City of Basilan into the Province of Basilan "to provide the close government attention and for the purpose of spurring its growth". Another Presidential Decree numbered 593 dated December 2, 1974, amended P.D. 356. The law not only defines the City's territory but also provided that the capital of Basilan shall be the Municipality of Isabela. It also created ten (10) Municipalities to comprise the new Province of Basilan.

Presidential Decree No. 593 was later amended by Presidential Decree No. 840 dated December 11, 1975, reducing the number of municipalities to seven (7) in order to render its " territorial portion more complementary to the size of the area and more responsive to pacification, rehabilitation and total development of the province". The municipalities specified in the said amendment were the the following: Isabela, Lamitan, Tuburan, Tipo-Tipo, Sumisip, Maluso and Lantawan, of which five (5) municipalities are now in existence. It also provided for the absorption of the territorial jurisdiction of the City of Basilan into the Municipality of Isabela with its poblacion as the capital seat of the province.

The conversion to Province-hood, and the creation of Municipalities ensured that Basilan's sparsely populated areas were "given" to Muslim warlords and surrendering MNLF Commanders by Presidential fiat, as a form of bounty or reward for laying down their arms. The once-progressive First-Class City of Basilan was emasculated beyond recognition, having been reduced to an area exactly One-Kilometer radius within the Isabela Poblacion.

Under Martial Law, Basilan had its first military governor in the person of Col. Tomas G. Nanquil, Jr., then the Brigade Commander of 24th Infantry Brigade stationed in Basilan. There were three (3) Vice-governors during his tenure as military governor. Col. Nanquil served for about a year and half.

Before Basilan was converted to a province, it had three regular municipalities, Isabela, Lamitan, and Maluso which are districts of the city of Basilan. Even when Col. Nanquil was appointed Military Governor, the city of Basilan was still functioning under Mayor Brown until December 31, 1975 due to its territorial boundary dispute with the Province of Basilan.

The second military Governor was Rear Admiral Romulo M. Espaldon. Due to his numerous functions and responsibilities as Commanding General of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Southern Command (SouthCom), South Sulu Sea Frontiers Command, over all military supervisor of Mindanao, Deputy Chief of Staff of the AFP and Regional Commissioner for Islamic Affairs in Region IX, Adm. Espaldon could not possibly attend to his duties as Military Governor of Basilan. To this effect, he designated Col. Florencio Magsino, Brigade Commander of the 21st Infantry Brigade as Military Supervisor for Basilan and Officer-In-Charge. His Deputy Brigade Commander Col. Recaredo Calvo ably assisted Col. Magsino. When Col. Magsino was appointed Superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in Baguio City and Col. Calvo was recalled to Headquarters, Col. Alfredo Rillera assumed command of the Brigade and became the Military Supervisor of Basilan. He was succeeded by Col. Salvador Mison. Col. Augusto Narag, Jr., later replaced him. The last military Supervisor was Gen. Rodolfo Tolentino, consequently, the first military with a star rank to be appointed Military Supervisor in Basilan. Admiral Espaldon was the last military governor of the province, his term lasted until December 31, 1975.

On December 11,1975, President Marcos appointed then Vice-Governor for Administration Asan G. Camlian, a thrice-elected City Councilor.

Together with Gov. Asan G. Camlian, the first mayors of the seven municipalities were also appointed they were: Ricardo G. Mon, Isabela; Pedro C. Pamaran, Lamitan; Jean S. Yasin, Maluso; Herman H. Hatalan, Sumisip; Muhtamad S. Akbar, Lantawan, Candu I. Muarip, Tuburan; and Abduca Osani, Tipo-Tipo.

In the local elections held on January 30, 1980, and running under the banner of Marcos-led Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL or New Society Movement), a huge majority elected Gov. Camlian. He served for ten (10) years (1976-1986).

The first representative of the Federation of the ABC in the SP was Yusan A. Ismael while Sahak Habil represented the KB after Nasser Mustafa.

The representative of the Province in the Batasang Pambansa was Kalbi T. Tupay, a former MNLF Commander who was among the first to return to the folds of the law. In the second election after martial law, however, he lost to a native son of Basilan, Candu I. Muarip, the first and last Yakan to serve as Assemblyman in the Batasang Pambansa until its abolition in 1986; the first and only Basileno to get a Cabinet Portfolio when he served as Secretary of the Office of Office of Muslim Affairs and Cultural Communities (OMACC) from 1986-1987 under the the Administration of Corazon C. Aquino; and the first Yakan Congressman to represent Basilan Province in the House of Representatives (1995-1998).

In 1984, Basilan had three (3) representatives in the Autonomous Government of Region IX; namely; Ulbert Ulama Tugung, Chairman, LTP, Sagga H. Ismael and Hudan Abubakar.

Elnorita Pamaran Tugung widow of LTP Chairman Ulbert Ulama Tugung became Chairman of the Lupong Tagapagpaganap ng Pook and later represented Basilan in the House of Representatives (1992-1995) after the term of Cong. Alvin G. Dans who served from 1987-1992.

Province of Basilan

The composition of the appointed Martial Law Military Administration were the following:

* MILITARY ADMINISTRATION (Appointed, 1974-1975)

1st Military Governor : Col. Tomas Nanquil Jr.

2nd Military Governor : Rear Adm. Romulo Espaldon

Military Supervisors under Rear Adm. Romulo Espaldon :

Col. Florencio Magsino

Col. Alfredo Rillera

Col. Salvador Mison

Col. Augusto Narag, Jr.

Gen. Rodolfo Tolentino

Provincial Board:

Vice Governor for Administration : Asan Camlian

Vice-Governor for Peace and Order : Kalbi i. Tupay

Vice-Governor for Development : Mohammad P. Edris

Provincial Board Members :

1. Pedro C. Cuevas

2. Ulbert Ulama Tugung

3. Jean S. Yasin

4. Mario M. Mamang

5. Pio B. Dumadaug

6. Romulo Lopez

The composition of the first Provincial Administration under a civilian governor were:

* Gov. ASAN G. CAMLIAN, 1st Term (Appointed, 1975-1980)

Governor : Asan G. Camlian

Vice Governor : Pedro Pamaran

Provincial Board Members

1. Mario M. Mamang

2. Sagga H. Ismael

3. Avelino K. Ilimin

4. Roberto A. Anoos

5. Kalbi I. Tupay

6. Lahe M. Atalad

7. Inoy D. Osamad

8. Ricardo N. Nualia

9. Pio B. Dumadaug

10. Aurea B. Maulod

The first elected Provincial Officials were:

* Gov. ASAN G. CAMLIAN, 2nd Term (Elected, 1980-1986)

Governor : Asan G. Camlian

Vice Governor : Pedro Pamaran

Provincial Board Members

1. Atty. Antonio S. Alano

2. Roberto Anoos

3. Mario M. Mamang

4. Inoy D. Osamad

5. Lahe Atalad

6. Isabel K. Gahapon

7. Muhammadnur Hassan, ABC

8. Nasser Mustafa, KB

People power

The Snap Presidential Election of February 7, 1986, followed by the famous and historic EDSA People Power Revolution toppled President Marcos and installed President Aquino to power. The Batasang Pambansa was abolished and all local officials were replaced. President Aquino appointed Louis W. Alano, grandson of Cong. Juan S. Alano, and Basilan's Lead Convenor of the Concerned Citizens' Aggrupation (CCA) founded by the late Zamboanga City Mayor, and staunch Marcos Oppositionist, Cesar C. Climaco, as interim governor of Basilan together with Vice-Governor Ping A. Kasim, the members of the Provincial Board, the mayors of the seven municipalities and all municipal councilors in the province. This is preparatory to the local election in 1988.

Prior to the appointment of Gov. Alano, the Department of Interior and Local Government installed government Operations Officer Pepito Pamolana as Officer-In-Charge of the province, through it lasted for only 2 hours. When the local officials filed their candidacy for the 1988 elections, Poe Reynera and Hji. Calama Ibama served as Governor and Vice-Governor respectively. The Board Members appointed with them were: Isidro A. Sta. Elena, Abdulgani Ismael, Ust. Abdulla Baja, Hassan Hajiri, Mario Cabanlit and Romeo Belocura.

The Provincial Officials under Gov. Alano were:

* PEOPLE POWER REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT (Appointed, 1986-1988)

Governor : Louis W. Alano

Vice Governor : Ping A. Kasim

Provincial Board Members

1. Abdulgapor Abubakar

2. Harisul T. Samanul

3. Miskuddin Tupay

4. Abdurahman U. Sahi

5. Antonio Enriquez

6. Cecilio Martin

7. Muhammadnur Hassan, ABC

8. Yusoph Sali, Youth

Gov. Abdulgani "Gerry" Salapuddin won the elections on February 2, 1988. He was the first Provincial Governor from the Yakan tribe and served for three consecutive terms, from 1988-1998.

The Administration of Gov. Salapuddin started the re-construction of the Provincial Capitol Building (burned on June 6, 1993), supported trade missions to neighboring countries, established joint peace and order development councils, improved and rehabilitated major road networks, offered medical and financial assistance to the needy, loan assistance and livelihood program to new entrepreneurs and cooperatives, employees amelioration and welfare.

He likewise served as representative of the Lone District of Basilan in the House of Representatives, for three consecutive terms, during his second term, he became the First Yakan representative to become Deputy Speaker for Mindanao in the Philippine Congress' Lower House during the 12th Congress, he was returned as Deputy Speaker for Mindanao on his third and last term as Representative in the 13th Congress.

Abu Sayyaf

In the early part of the 1990s, the widespread confusion brought about by the implementation of CARP which severely affected Basilan's traditional plantation agriculture economy, was beset by the establishment of the Al-Harakatul Al-Islamiyah, better known as the bandit group Abu Sayyaf, founded by Yakan firebrand Abdurajak Janjalani and a preacher-classmate from Syria and Afghanistan, Wahab Akbar.

This band of brigands stormed Ipil town of present Zamboanga Sibugay Province and planted a bomb on American Library ship M/V Doulos, docked in Zamboanga's port. They then engineered a series of arguably successful kidnap-for-ransom operations which reached its fever point in 2000 and 2001, when high profile hostages from Malaysia's resort island of Sipadan and then tourists from a Palawan resort were kidnapped and brought to Basilan and Sulu.

This prompted the government, assisted by a hawkish post-9/11 America, to inaugurate the Balikatan 02-1 in 2002, wherein a contingent of about 3,000 US troops were deployed to Basilan to offer training and technical assistance to the Philippine Armed Forces, as well as humanitarian services to the general populace.

This led to an avalanche of NGOs and ODA-funded projects which transformed Basilan from the Philippines' "Wild, Wild West" to a showcase for US/foreign-assisted efforts in former terrorist hotbeds, dubbed the "Basilan Model". ODA-funded initiatives from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, EU, UK, Belgium, Japan, Germany and Spain complemented the larger US presence in the area.

The Provincial Officials from 1988-1998 were:

* Gov. GERRY A. SALAPUDDIN, 1st Term (Elected, 1988-1992)

Governor : Gerry A. Salapuddin

Vice Governor: Ping A. Kasim, P.O. pro tempore

Provincial Board Members

1. Hunasil A. Asmawil

2. Mario M. Mamang

3. Ahmad U. Puyo

4. Abdulgapor A. Abubakar

5. Adam A. Musa, SK

6. Andriel B. Asalul, ABC

* Gov. GERRY A. SALAPUDDIN, 2nd Term (1992-1995)

Governor : Gerry A. Salapuddin

Vice Governor : Ping A. Kasim

Provincial Board Members

1. Mario M. Mamang

2. Nato Asmawil

3. Eddie Otoh Fernandez

4. Perfecto C. Antonio

5. Susan B. Yu

6. Alexander V. Estabillo

7. Miskuddin S. Tupay

8. Nasser A. Edris, ABC

9. Nasser A. Salain, SK

* Gov. GERRY A. SALAPUDDIN, 3rd Term (1995-1998)

Governor : Gerry A. Salapuddin

Vice Governor : Ping A. Kasim

Provincial Board Members

1ST DISTRICT BOARD MEMBER

1. Susan B. Yu

2. Sakiran Hajan

3. Miskuddin S. Tupay

2ND DISTRICT BOARD MEMBER

4. Andriel B. Asalul

5. Mohammad B. Abdullah

6. Bonnie C. Balamo

7. Alih Salih, ABC

8. Alton T. Angeles, Councilors' League

9. Nasser A. Salain, SK

Days of dynasty, dismemberment, discontent

Republic Act. 7160 known as the Local Government Code of 1992 gave the Vice-Governor the power to become the Presiding Officer of the Sanggunian Panlalawigan, thereby separating the Executive function of the Governor and Legislative power of the Provincial Board headed by the Vice-Governor.

Vice Governor Ping A. Kasim served uninterrupted from 1986-1998. Otoh Fernandez, Perfecto C. Antonio, Jr., Andriel B. Asalul, and Nato Asmawil were the longest serving members of the board.

Former Congressman Alvin G. Dans served for two (2) months as Governor in the later part of 1996 after the Commission on Elections declared him the winner in the gubernatorial race of 1992.

Another interim governor, former Vice Governor Ping A. Kasim served for three (3) months as Chief Executive. He served in this capacity from April to June 1998.

Gov. Wahab M. Akbar assumed office on July 1, 1998. His first term was hghlighted by his close affiliation with President Joseph Estrada, he switched sides during the 2001 EDSA DOS People Power which booted Pres. Estrada and installed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in power. During Akbar's administration various projects for Communication and Health Services, the Full implementation of the Salary Standardization Law, Infrastructure Projects, Food Security Programs and Peace and Order Programs in the province were made. The re-construction of the Provincial Capitol was likewise completed during his term.

Recent developments brought about by the inclusion of Basilan into the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao(ARMM)increased the number of Basilan's Municipalities to eleven (11), namely the original: Maluso, Lantawan, Sumisip, Tipo-Tipo, Tuburan, and the ARMM-created Al-Barka, Akbar, Muhammad Ajul, Ungkaya Pukan, Hdji. Muhtamad and Tabuan Lasa, municipalities with an average of only 10 Barangays each and populations that increduously grew by an average 100% over the period of only seven years.

Case in point is the eponymous Akbar Municipality (named after the late Congressman Wahab Akbar, during his lifetime), which used to have a population of only 10,581 in 9 barangays in 2000, to 21,312 in 2007, or an actual population increase of 101.42%.

On April 25, 2001, by virtue of Republic Act. No. 9023, sponsored by Dep. Speaker Gerry Salapuddin, the people of Isabela, through a plebiscite, overwhelmingly ratified the conversion of the Capital Town of Isabela into a Component City.

ARMM

Then on August 14, 2001, the people in a majority of the Six Municipalities comprising Basilan Province (except Isabela City and Lamitan) opted to join the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in a plebiscite expanding the territory of the Autonomous Region. All of Basilan's six Municipalities therefore have now been enrolled as a part of the expanded ARMM (excluding the City of Isabela).

In the ARMM election of November 26, 2001, Rajam Akbar, Hatimil Hassan, Harisul T. Samanul won as Assemblymen representing the province in the ARMM Regional Assembly.

Results from the recent 2007 Local Elections had the COMELEC declaring former Governor Wahab Akbar, an acknowledged Yakan leader, as Congressman of the Lone District of Basilan, a position he served until November 14, 2007 when he was killed by a bomb blast at the Philippine Congress grounds. His first wife, Jum Jainuddin-Akbar was proclaimed Governor, and his second wife, Cherrylyn Santos-Akbar, was proclaimed Mayor of Isabela City. Allegations of massive, systematic and comprehensive electoral fraud, vote-buying and voter intimidation were leveled at the Akbar dynasty. Akbar's nephews and nieces also won the chief posts in almost all municipalities. The only exception being Lamitan, having elected a descendant of the feisty Datu Kalun - Roderick C. Furigay, defeating Akbars third wife in the 2007 elections by a landslide.

Former MNLF Commander and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Abdulgani 'Gerry' Salapuddin, along with Akbar foes Hajiman Hataman and his brother, Party-list Representative Mujiv Hataman have been implicated in the bombing incident which killed their political nemesis.

The Provincial Officials from 1998-2007 were:

* Gov. WAHAB M. AKBAR, 1st Term (1998-2001)

Governor : Wahab M. Akbar

Vice Governor : Bonnie C. Balamo

Provincial Board Members

1ST DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS

1. Eddie Otoh Fernandez

2. Susan B. Yu

3. Perfecto C. Antonio Jr.

4. Gregorio V. Dela Pena

2ND DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS

5. Recardo Boga

6. Jubaira Said

7. Hunasil Asmawil

8. Andriel B. Asalul

9. Hussein Francisco, ABC

10. Edwin J. Iklaman, Councilors' League

11. Moumar Muarip, SK

* Gov. WAHAB M. AKBAR, 2nd Term (2001-2004)

Governor : Wahab M. Akbar

Vice Governor : Lukman A. Ampao

Provincial Board Members

1ST DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS

1. Susan B. Yu

2. Eddie Otoh Fernandez

3. Perfecto C. Antonio Jr.

4. Jainal Ajibon

2ND DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS

5. Nasser A. Salain

6. Jubaira S. Said

7. Noel Baul

8. Abdulmuhmin Mujahid

9. Majang Linggisan, ABC

10. Ronnie Hantian, Councilors' League

11. Jhomar Maturan, SK

* Gov. WAHAB M. AKBAR, 3rd Term (2004-2007)

Governor : Wahab M.Akbar

Vice Governor : Al-Rasheed Ahmad Sakkalahul

Provincial Board Members

1ST DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS

1. Eddie Otoh Fernandez

2. Muamar L. Muarip

3. Taib Alejo

4. Placido S. Jilhani

2ND DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS

5. Alton T. Angeles

6. Abdulmuhmin Mujahid

7. Ronnie A. Hantian

8. Jubaira Said

9. Majang Linggisan, ABC

10. Jhomar Maturan, SK

Representation in the Philippine Congress

The lone Congressional District of Basilan is the representation of the Province of Basilan in the Philippine House of Representatives. Basilan was part of the representation of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu from 1916 to 1935, Zamboanga Province from 1935 to 1953, Zamboanga del Sur from 1953 to 1972 and Region IX from 1978 to 1984.

*Population (2000): 332,828

References