The Causes and Prospect of the Southern Philippines Secessionist Movement
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CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Calhoun, Institutional Archive of the Naval Postgraduate School Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive Theses and Dissertations Thesis Collection 2003-12 The causes and prospect of the Southern Philippines secessionist movement David, Ricardo A. Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/6213 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS THE CAUSES AND PROSPECT OF THE SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES SECESSIONIST MOVEMENT by Ricardo A. David Jr. December 2003 Thesis Advisor: Gaye Christoffersen Second Reader: H. Lyman Miller Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202- 4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED December 2003 Master’s Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE: The Causes and Prospect of the Southern 5. FUNDING NUMBERS Philippines Secessionist Movement 6. AUTHOR(S) Ricardo A. David Jr. 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Naval Postgraduate School REPORT NUMBER Monterey, CA 93943-5000 9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING ADDRESS(ES) AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) The Southern Philippines secessionist movement has developed once again into a major security concern of the Republic of the Philippines. The hostilities have taken a heavy toll on the nation’s human and physical resources and hurt to the nation’s economy. Likewise, the rebellion has afflicted both regional and global security because of the reported linkages of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf with the Islamic militant groups. The United States has already directly intervened in the Philippine counter- terrorism campaign by providing military assistance and deploying American combat troops in Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago. Peace remains elusive. Various administrations have used combinations of military, political, diplomatic and socio-economic instruments to resolve the conflict but the violence persists. The presidential regime of Fidel Ramos appeared to have achieved a breakthrough in finding a lasting solution by assiduously instituting the policies of decentralization and regional autonomy. Although the government has settled the dispute with the MNLF, other equally dangerous groups, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf have emerged espousing independence from the Republic of the Philippines. This thesis will analyze the issues and prospects surrounding the Muslim secessionist movements in the Philippines and will examine the responses to resolve the grievances of the Muslim Filipinos. 14. SUBJECT TERMS Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Moro National 15. NUMBER OF Liberation Front (MNLF), Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Abu Sayyaf PAGES 142 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY 18. SECURITY 19. SECURITY 20. LIMITATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION OF ABSTRACT REPORT PAGE ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UL NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239-18 i THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ii Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited THE CAUSES AND PROSPECT OF THE SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES SECESSIONIST MOVEMENT Ricardo A. David Jr. Colonel, Philippine Army B.S., Philippine Military Academy, 1977 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN SECURITY STUDIES (SECURITY BUILDING IN POST-CONFLICT ENVIRONMENTS) from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL December 2003 Author: Ricardo A. David Jr. Approved by: Gaye Christoffersen Thesis Advisor H. Lyman Miller Second Reader James J. Wirtz Chairman, Department of National Security Affairs iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT The Southern Philippines secessionist movement has developed once again into a major security concern of the Republic of the Philippines. The hostilities have taken a heavy toll on the nation’s human and physical resources and have hurt the nation’s economy. Likewise, the rebellion has afflicted both regional and global security because of the reported linkages of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf with the Islamic militant groups. The United States has already directly intervened in the Philippine counter-terrorism campaign by providing military assistance and deploying American combat troops in Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago. Peace remains elusive. Various administrations have used combinations of military, political, diplomatic and socio-economic instruments to resolve the conflict but the violence persists. The presidential regime of Fidel Ramos appeared to have achieved a breakthrough in finding a lasting solution by assiduously instituting the policies of decentralization and regional autonomy. Although the government has settled the dispute with the MNLF, other equally dangerous groups, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf have emerged espousing independence from the Republic of the Philippines. This thesis will analyze the issues and prospects surrounding the Muslim secessionist movements in the Philippines and will examine the responses to resolve the grievances of the Muslim Filipinos. v THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vi TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................. 1 A. BACKGROUND ................................................................................... 1 B. PURPOSE............................................................................................ 1 C. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND CURRENT DEVELOPMENT..... 2 D. METHODOLOGY AND RESOURCES................................................. 6 E. CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER SUMMARY ................................................ 7 II. LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................. 9 A. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................. 9 B. CAUSES OF CONFLICT ..................................................................... 9 C. CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND RECONSTRUCTION ..................... 16 D. THE EVIDENCE IN SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES ................................ 18 E. STRATEGIES AND POLICIES FOR THE RESOLUTION OF THE CONFLICT ......................................................................................... 26 III. HISTORY OF THE CONFLICT (ARRIVAL OF ISLAM TO 1965)................. 29 A. ARRIVAL OF ISLAM ......................................................................... 30 B. THE SPANISH COLONIAL ERA (1521-1898)................................... 33 C. THE PHILIPPINE REVOLUTION OF 1896 ........................................ 39 D. THE AMERICAN COLONIAL ERA (1898-1946) ............................... 40 1. Indirect Rules and the Bates Treaty..................................... 42 2. Direct Rule.............................................................................. 46 3. Land and the Migration Policies........................................... 48 4. Opposition to Annexation..................................................... 49 E. THE COMMONWEALTH ERA (1935-1941) ...................................... 51 F. JAPANESE OCCUPATION PERIOD (1941-1945)............................ 53 G. EARLY YEARS OF THE NEW REPUBLIC (1946-1965)................... 54 IV. THE BIRTH OF THE CONTEMPORARY MORO REBELLION ................... 59 A. SABAH AND OPLAN JABIDAH........................................................ 60 B. THE MUSLIM INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT .................................. 62 C. VIOLENCE IN COTABATO AND LANAO......................................... 63 D. DECLARATION OF MARTIAL LAW ................................................. 66 E. THE EMERGENCE OF THE MORO NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT ............................................................................................... 69 F. THE MNLF LEADERSHIP ................................................................. 73 G. EXTERNAL INTERVENTION ............................................................ 75 V. GOVERNMENT RESPONSES AND PEACE PROCESSES........................ 81 A. THE MARCOS PERIOD (1972 - 1986) .............................................. 81 B. AQUINO PERIOD (1986-1992).......................................................... 91 C. THE RAMOS PERIOD (1992 – 1998)...............................................