Where is Maranaw province?

By Abdel Aziz Dimapunong Director, Maranao Cultural Heritage

Sarimanok, the Maranaw emblem

Saranao was the province where I was born in 1950. Saranaw was the word for Ranao in the verbiage of Maranao balladeers. Maranao may also be spelled as Maranaw or Meranao. To the general public, Saranao was simply Ranao. To those who come from somewhere else, Ranao was and still is Lanao.

When the Spaniards first explored Ranao in 1689, they found a community of Maranaws in Dansalan, the commercial center of Ranao. The Americans fought the Spaniards and eventually took over the after it was surrendered to them by the Spaniards on August 13, 1898.

On that date, the Philippines was surrendered to the American forces by the Spaniards after a short “little war”. And on December 21, 1898, US President William McKinley issued his "Benevolent Assimilation

Where is Maranaw province? By Abdel Aziz Dimapunong Proclamation", which declared that USA would assume control and disposition of the government of the Philippines.

Under the American regime, Dansalan became a municipality in 1907 and the province of Lanao was one of the districts of the Moro province. Lanao became a province itself in 1914 under the Department of Mindanao and .

Dansalan became a city in 1940. The inauguration did not take place because the Second World War intervened. Philippine sovereignty was handed back to the Filipinos only in 1946. After the war, Dansalan was officially inaugurated in 1950.

In 1956, Republic Act NO. 1352 changed the name of Dansalan to .

Maranaw historical badge of Royalty, the seal of Paramata Bantugan

Clearly then, to the scholars of history, Ranao and Lanao are to Philippine history as Mumbai and Bombay are to the history of India. Bombay is now officially known as Mumbai. I wish that Lanao will one day be returned back to its origin as Ranao, if not Saranao or

Where is Maranaw province? By Abdel Aziz Dimapunong Maranaw. Only then would the Maranaws be able to retrieve what they seemed to have lost in history.

In May 1959, Lanao was divided into two provinces by virtue of Republic Act No. 2228. The division was done by creating the province of Lanao Del Norte out of the old province of Lanao. city became the capital of Lanao Del Norte. What remains of Lanao was then called with Marawi City as its capital.

In 1971, House Bill No. 3559 was passed in the Congress of the Philippines for a proposal to create the proposed Maranaw Province. Years had passed but Maranaw province existed only in a congressional document, known as Republic Act No. 6406.

In 1980, Marawi city was renamed the Islamic City of Marawi, the only chartered city in the Philippines with a predominantly Muslim population. In a 1989 plebiscite, Lanao Del Sur voted to join the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) but Marawi City elected to remain outside of ARMM.

In 1993 the opinion of the Secretary of Justice on RA 6406 document was requested. Accordingly, the Secretary of Justice has given a positive opinion for the feasibility of the implementation of RA No. 6406, entitled “An Act dividing the Province of Lanao Del Sur into the Provinces of Maranaw and Lanao Del Sur”.

It has been more than three decades but Maranaw province existed only in a document. For this reason, Grande Dianaton of the Maranao Cultural Heritage believes that Republic Act No. 6406 should now belong to the site, the “Maranao Museum”. Below is a copy of Republic Act No. 6406.

Where is Maranaw province? By Abdel Aziz Dimapunong

Image of Dopo, one of many Maranaw flags, It symbolizes mourning. Its color is white. Omama Rascal, Director of the Maranaw Museum suggested this should be the flag of the unimplemented Maranaw Province.

Republic Act No. 6406 October 04, 1971

AN ACT DIVIDING THE PROVINCE OF LANAO DELS SUR INTO THE PROVINCES OF MARANAW AND LANADO DEL SUR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress Assembled:

Section 1. The Province of Lanao del Sur is hereby divided into two provinces to be known as Maranaw and Lanao del Sur, in the following manner: The Province of Maranaw shall consist of that portion of the present Province of Lanao del Sur which comprises the municipalities of , Poona-Bayabao, Lumba-Bayabao, Wao, , ,

Where is Maranaw province? By Abdel Aziz Dimapunong Kapai, , Ramain-Ditsaan, Mulondo, , and Taraka. The Province of Lanao del Sur shall consist of that remaining portion of the present Province of Lanao del Sur which comprises the municipalities of , , , , , , , , , Mala-bang, Ganassi, , , Bacolod Grande and .

Sec. 2. The capital of the Province of Maranaw shall be the City of Marawi, and that of the Province of Lanao del Sur shall be the Municipality of .

Sec. 3. Except as hereinafter provided, all provisions of the law now or hereafter applicable to regular provinces shall be applicable to the Provinces of Maranaw and Lanao Del Sur.

Sec. 4. The new provinces as provided in this Act shall come into existence upon the election and qualification of their first elective provincial officials, who shall be elected in a special election simultaneously with the general elections of November, nineteen hundred and seventy-three.

Sec. 5. For purposes of the special election mentioned in Section four hereof, the provincial board of canvassers of the present Province of Lanao del Sur shall act as the provincial board of canvassers for the provinces herein created.

Sec. 6. For the purposes of congressional representation and provincial elections, the City of Marawi shall be included in the Province of Maranaw.

Sec. 7. The funds, obligations and the assets of all kinds of the present Province of Lanao del Sur subsisting at the time of the effectivity of the creation of the two provinces herein created shall be divided and distributed between the two provinces in proportion to the total income of the municipalities comprising each of these provinces for the fiscal year nineteen hundred seventy-two and nineteen hundred seventy-three: Provided, however, That if the obligation had been contracted to finance a project located in one of the two new provinces, the said province shall be responsible exclusively for such obligation.

Sec. 8. The present employees of the Province of Lanao del Sur whose salaries are paid out of provincial funds shall pertain to either of the

Where is Maranaw province? By Abdel Aziz Dimapunong provinces herein created according to the municipality wherein said employees are registered voters and actually voted therein during the general elections of nineteen hundred sixty-nine; otherwise, they shall pertain to the Province of Lanao del Sur.

Sec. 9. This Act shall take effect immediately upon its approval.

Approved, October 4, 1971.

Where is Maranaw province? By Abdel Aziz Dimapunong