Name of Faculty: PROF. CASMIN B.

ALAUYA
Semester: First Semester AY 2020-2021
COURSE NUMBER: HISTORY 3
COURSE TITLE: History of the MUSLIM Filipinos and the LUMADS
COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course descriptively deals with the analytical study of the history of the MUSLIMS,
being defined as the absolute followers of the religion Islam (or anybody embracing the Islamic
faith) and the LUMADs referring to those indigenous non-Muslims and non-Christians
ethnolinguistic groups that are exclusively found or settled in Mindanao.
When the Europeans, particularly the Spaniards, came to what is known today as
Philippines, they called these Muslims as MOROS. This means to say that the word MORO is a
term used by the Spaniards to refer to any Muslim in the Philippines.
From the book of former Justice Jainal Rasul Sr. entitled Struggle for Identity: A Short
History of the Filipino Muslims, (one of our main references) the word MORO (referring to
Moors, Moriscos or Muslims) is a derivative of the Latin word MAURI used by the ancient Romans
to describe the inhabitants of the territory comprising the western portion of Modern Algeria
and north eastern portions of Modern Morocco which in classical times constitute the Roman
province of MAURITANIA. The term MAURI presumably of Phoenician origin refers therefore to
the western inhabitants of the Roman province of Mauritania.
The author continued that when Spain became a Muslim or MORO PROVINCE under the
UMMAYAD CALIPHATE from July 19, 711 to January 2, 1492, covering a period of 781 years, the
Muslim Spaniards or those Spaniards that were converted to Islam were then called the
MORISCOS, probably to distinguish them from the Moors of Morocco. To the Spaniards in Spain,
the term MORO did not originally carry any malice. It was only in the Philippines when the
Spaniards and Christian Filipinos infused into the word MORO, by pressures from the clergy, the
idea of malice such as boor, ill-mannered persons, pirates, awkward, uncivilized, etc.
From another source, it was argued that that the word MORO could also be a derivative
of the word MOORS which has more often been used as the equivalent of the Moroccan or
people from Morocco who had come and conquered Spain during the 7th century; sometimes it
is used to describe the former Muslims of Spain of mixed racial origin who created the Arab
Andalusian and settled in large numbers as refugees in North Africa between the 11th-12th
centuries.
When Spain was regained from the Muslims during the Crusade era, this resulted to the
surrender of Muslim communities in Aragon, Valencia and Granada. In 1525, Emperor Charles V
of Spain enforced the “baptism” of the Muslims of Valencia and Aragon and entirely prohibited
Islam in Spain. What happened was that the so-called “new Christians” continued openly to
speak, write and dress like Muslims while secretly continued to worship as Muslims.
By 1567, Philip II forbade Granada Moricos’ language, customs and costumes. Hence the
Moriscos (Muslim Spaniards) rebelled on December 26,1568 and were suppressed at great
expense. The Moriscos (Muslim Spaniards) were deported en mass in 1609.
This could be the reason why the Spaniards with their fierce anti-Muslim attitude had to
apply the name MOROS to the Muslims of the Philippines upon their arrival in the Philippines for
colonization in 1521, having found striking similarities of religion, customs and tradition with the
Moors of Spain.
In the Phil., the term Moro was infused with hostile attitude, from bad to worse due to
Spanish failure to colonize or Christianize them. The Filipino Christians who went with the
Spanish expeditions against the Moros during the Moro Wars shaped this attitude.
The LUMADs or the different ethnolinguistic groups indigenous to Mindanao

These indigenous or original settlers are also known as the paganos (pagans), infedeles
(infidels) and indegenes (indigenous). They were called by the American colonizers as the wild
tribes, uncivilized and non-Christian tribes. They were known to the government, church and
academic circles as indigenous cultural minorities, tribal minorities, national cultural minorities,
tribal Filipinos or tribal people. And among themselves, they designate or call themselves as
“highlanders” or LUMAD for the last twenty years.
The word LUMAD also stands as an acronym for LUMADNONG ALYANSA ALANG SA
DEMOKRASYA (Indigenous Alliance for Democracy) which was introduced during a Tribal Filipino
Workers Assembly in mid-1983. This was the very first consultation held among all the leaders
of the major ethnolinguistic groups here in Mindanao. In the book of Rodil, this Lumad Mindanao
General Assembly was born from the realization of a need by people who discovered, in the
similarities of their marginalized situation, a common cause and a common destiny; it emerged
in the context of the dictatorial Marcos regime, in an atmosphere of militarization, human rights
violation, poverty, land grabbing, intrusions by multinational corporations, and government
neglect. What the members of this group asks for is self-determination in their own lands, in
accordance with their customary laws (e.g. protection of their identity, rights, ancestral domain,
protection and preservation of their cultural heritage); their struggle took them more or less 100
years and still continue to go on.
In 1985, this Alliance of Tribal Filipino Regional Groupings and Tribal Filipino Workers
renamed itself into the KADUMA-LUMAD meaning in partnership with the Lumads. But what
emerged in June 1986 was LUMAD-MINDANAO, a coalition of local and regional all-Lumad
organizations. It was an umbrella organization of at least 18 (eighteen) different ethnolinguistic
groups (non-Moros and non-Christians) in Mindanao.
Around 1900, they were generally in control of an area of at least 17 (seventeen)
provinces of contemporary Mindanao. But in the 1980 census, these LUMADs constitute less
than 6 (six) percent of the entire Mindanao-Sulu population. They make up the majority
population in only 9 (nine), out of the 423 municipalities we have in Mindanao and Sulu. These
LUMADs do not consider themselves as Bangsamoro nor do they claim the provinces of Lanao
del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Basilan, Sulu , Tawi-Tawi and greater part of Maguindanao as their
ancestral territory. Their worldview on land is that a territory occupied by any community is
communal private property and that members have the right of usurfrunct ( the right of
enjoying the use and advantages of another’s property short of destruction or waste of its
substances) to any piece of unoccupied land within the communal territory.

What happened to the ancestral domain or ancestral land of the MOROS and the LUMAD when
the Spaniards and the Americans came to the Philippines?

As contained in the Regalian Doctrine, it was said that Spain’s discovery of the
Philippines on March 17, 1521 gave the Spanish Crown possessory rights over the island. This
was the practice among the European expansionists in the 15th and 16th centuries. The King (or
the state) reserved the right and authority to dispose of lands to the state’s subjects in
accordance with the newly imposed laws. On the basis of this authority, the Spanish Crown
handed down a law in 1894 commanding its subjects in the Philippines to register their lands, of
which a certificate of land title is issued upon as their ultimate proof of land ownership.
Unfortunately, both the MOROS and the LUMADs failed to comply with this Regalian doctrine
resulting to the loss of their lands.
It was also on the basis of this authority that Spain cede the entire archipelago to the
United States of America through the Treaty of Paris in December 1898, including the
unconquered lands of the Moros and Lumads. Then the USA, through the Philippine Commission,
quickly institutionalized its authority to dispose of state domain by passing two (2) laws such as
the Land Registration Act and the Public Land Act. The Land Registration Act institutionalized the
TORRENS system otherwise known as the Real Property Act of 1857-1858 which was first
introduced in South Australia and was adopted in the Philippines in November 6, 1902 when the
Philippine Commission passed the Land Registration Act # 496 that provided guidelines for the
registration and titling of privately owned lands whether by individual person or by corporation.

With the Torrens system, the ultimate proof as to the ownership, a description of the
land is revealed in the certifiable of land title, given them the right to use and dispose of such
land, they can pass these lands by mere exchange of money, execution of the requisite
documents.

MINDANAO (Hispanized term for Maguindanao)

The word MINDANAO or MAGUINDANAO is derived from the root word danao which means
inundation by a river, lake, or sea. (inundation from the word inundate which means to cover with flood
or overflow; in Tagalog, it means binabaha). This means to say that the derivative MINDANAO means
inundated or that which is inundated. And MAGUINDANAO means that which has inundated.
(binaha/flooded)

For more than 10 miles from the sea the PULANGI RIVER (Rio Grande de Mindanao in Spanish
and the largest river system in the Philippines), aided by the rise of the tide, periodically overflows its
banks and floods all the adjacent land. During rainy season, this inundation (flooding or overflowing of
water) extends farther up and includes an extensive tract of country. Which The name of the Rio Grande
in the Maguindanao dialect is PULANGI which means large river. The Rio Grande divides 20 miles before
it reaches the sea, into the north branch and the south branch. (The present COTABATO area is located
on the left bank of the northern branch about 5 miles from the mouth of the Pulangi River).

According to one of our sources*, the term MINDANAO or MAGUINDANAO was originally given
to the town known as COTABATO ( Kuta Watu among the Muslims which means stone fort) and its
immediate vicinity. As the power of the Sultan of Maguindanao extended over the adjacent territory, it
was applied to the lower Rio Grande valley and later to all the valley and the valley and the whole seacoast
that was brought under the rule of the Sultan.

Recently, the word MINDANAO is generally used to mean the island of Mindanao while the
term MAGUINDANAO is limited to the old district or town of Cotabato proper.

FALSE CONCEPTS OF MINDANAO (by Miguel A. Bernad)

According to Bernad, there are false concepts that may people have in Mindanao. There are two
very common concepts about Mindanao. One is that Mindanao is a small island. Why because if
somebody screamed that Mindanao flooded, one would think that the entire island of Mindanao was
under water. The other is that the entire island is Muslim.
 People think that Mindanao is a small island, perhaps like Corregidor, so that what happens in
one part would affect the entire island. But the fact is that Mindanao is one of the larger islands of the
world, only slightly smaller than Luzon. It has an area of 38, 344 square miles, more than two thirds the
size of Luzon (47, 765 square miles). Mindanao is larger than many countries in Europe. It is larger than
Austria or Hungary or Portugal or Ireland or Scotland. It is more than twice as large as Denmark or
Switzerland, four times larger than Wales. It is very much larger than the combined areas of Belgium,
Holland and Luxembourg put together.

After Luzon and Mindanao, the ten largest islands of the Philippines are (in order of size):
Palawan, Negros, Samar, Panay, Mindoro, Leyte, Cebu, Bohol, Masbate, Catanduanes. If we put all
these ten (10) islands together, their combined area would be 29, 145 square miles. That is almost
10,000 square miles less than the area of Mindanao.

With regards to the second misconception about Mindanao, which says that Mindanao is
predominantly Muslim, this is not also true. Many sources argued that only 15-20 percent of Mindanao’s
population are Muslims and roughly eighty (80) percent of its population are Christians while the LUMADs
(non-Muslim and non-Christian tribal Filipino groups of Mindanao) only constitute less than five (5)
percent of the island’s population. This means to say that the Muslims belonged to the minority groups
in Mindanao.

MINDANAO During the Pre-Spanish Period/ Pre-Colonial Period

The first written document that mentions Maguindanao or Mindanao island is said to be the
“Tao-I-Chih-Lhio”( A Short Account of the Island Barbarian), edited by Wang Ta-Yuan in 1351. “MIN-TO-
LANG” which appears in the book, means MINDANAO to some people. Another 13th century book “Chu-
fan-Chih” edited by Chao Nyu How, already mentioned Palawan and the Mindoro islands located on the
west coast of Luzon island.

In the book entitled “A short Account of the Island Barbarian”, it described Min-To-Lang,
presumably Mindanao to be an important port along the sea coast. It could be a coastal port somewhere
between Indochina and Malay Peninsula. The sea water is not only salty; its soil is fertile; rice and other
crops are cheap; the climate is hot; both men and women put their hair up in knot; they wear black
shortshirts, with blue short skirts around the lower part of the body; they dig wells for drinking water,
boil sea water to make salt and ferment treacle to make wine.

MINDANAO’s Pre-Colonial Resources

1. wax/bees wax – this is used for candle-making (in Manila), used in dying batik (in Java,
Indonesia), as sealer for ship board, and preservation of food. This is sold expensively to the Chinese and
Spaniards. This was their all the product. The best time to buy wax in Butuan was early October and this
is cheaper in Butuan and expensive in Maguindanao.

2. Manobo tobacco – this was an all the time product used by the cigarette industries or
cigarette-making industries, a lucrative business for the Chinese. Tobacco was most of the time major
export items carried by the Maguindanao to many places including Ternate (one of the Maluku group of
islands, Indonesia)

3. Rice- this was the main product or main trade produce in Maguindanao; this was very abundant
in Maguindanao and became very much in demand in Ternate (one of the Maluku group of
islands/Moluccas) when there was a rice shortage in the area. This was a lucrative business for the
Chinese. This was the reason why there was an influx of Chinese in Maguindanao. From Maguindanao,
the Chinese will bring rice to Ternate. The Dutch bought these rice from the Chinese in whole sale in
exchange for cloth. Then the Dutch (from Netherlands another name of Holland will sell this rice for the
Ternatans in retail. More than 3,750 lbs of rice yearly ang binibili ng mga taga Ternate sa Maguindanao.
This was the main reason why the Dutch is very interested to have Maguindanao because they wanted to
make this as their rice granary para mapalakas nila ang pag-import or yong pagbili nila ng rice sa
Maguindanao, para hindi na magkakaroon ng shortage of rice sa Ternate. Ang pagbibinta ng mga Chinese
ng rice sa Ternate ay seven times (7x) higher ang price than its usual market price. Ito rin ang dahilan kung
bakit si KOXINGA (a rebel leader from Formosa, old name of Taiwan) ay na-engganyo makipag-rice trade
kay Sultan Kudarat of Maguindanao. May inutusan si Sultan Kudarat na mga Chinese na pumunta ng
Maguindanao, bumili sya dito ng maraming rice para maibinta niya sa Ternate at a very high price.

4. Manobo cinnamon- this is an an aromatic spice prepared from the dried inner barks of
cinnamon para gumanda ang amoy or smell ng pagkain. Cinnamon is described as light yellowish brown
Asian tree of the Laurel family. Once lang ito na prodokto [Link] was valued as high as wax in Butuan;
this is better in quality and strength that cinnamon from Zamboanga.

5. Sulfur- from Butuan (in addition sa gold and wax from Butuan); this was used in the production
of ammunition and weapons; nakukuha ito sa (top) mga mountains where a bad spirits lived; these spirits
had to be appeased first before sulphur could be obtained; a ritual, like cutting a slave into pieces and
offered to the spirits, had to be performed otherwise they could not obtain sulphur or they will have an
unfortunate trip

6. other marine products like pearl shell (from Sulu), tortoise shells, sea cucumber, shark fin

A very interesting story about how the Spanish survived their voyage to the Philippines is told in
a book entitled “ Flavors That Sail Across” written by the head archivist of Seville’s Archivo, Antonio
Sanchez de Mora. According to the article of Margaux Salcedo in the Philippine Inquirer dated August 27,
2007 entitled The Food Conquerors, De Mora painted an exciting picture of what those galleons actually
looked like inside by itemizing what they carried. According to Salcedo, around this time, Europe was
already obsessed with spices from the EAST. King Philip II, in particular, sought all kinds of spices for his
sick heir, Prince Don Carlos. De Mora found the original royal decrees which were kept in the Archivo
General de Indies, Seville, dated October 15, 1567. One of these royal decrees was sent to the royal
officials in Mexico and the other one was sent to Miguel Lopez de Legazpi wherein King Philip II ordered
that all the cinnamon from the Philippine islands be sent to Spain. The cinnamon was sourced from
Mindanao. De Mora also noted that Legazpi’s companion and successor Guido de Lavezares wrote the
King alerting that tamarind trees and ginger roots for planting would arrive in New Spain (Mexico) from
Cebu aboard the San Juan by July 26, 1567.

Leandro de Viana, a royal fiscal in Manila, also sent the King a bark of calinga- a tree from
Mindoro mountains- with delicious odor which smells like cinnamon, clove and pepper all combined.

MINDANAO’s EARLY RELATIONS/EARLY CONTACTS WITH OTHER COUNTRIES DURING THE PRE-
COLONIAL PERIOD

Long before the coming of the Europeans, the Philippines including Mindanao was already
engaged in trading voyages and activities with other countries long time ago. And this must have started
as early as fourth(4th) century. Historical sources proved that the Filipinos were sailing 800 miles and more
across the open sea to FUNAN, CHINA during the 3rd century. It was during this period that much of the
Indian cultural influences reached the Philippines thru Indonesia.
1. Early Relation with INDIA

One of the countries where Philippines was able to establish an early relation or contacts was
INDIA.

1. Proofs of our relation with India which much have begun as early as 4th or not later than 5th
century included the discovery of large boats in BUTUAN (Northeastern Mindanao) capable of long
distance voyages and carrying cargo in commercial quantities. These, measuring 15 meters length and 3
meters wide, were believed to have been made in 320 A.D. and were discovered in 1978. The six (6) other
balanghai dated 10th century are still buried in Bgy. Masao, Butuan. The technology used included an
edged-pegged planking technology. The lashing through the inner lugs of the planks to sew them together
are distinctively Southeastern Asia with archaeological counterpart dating to the same period from
PONTIAN, MALAYSIA and remnant hulls from Indonesia. Meaning, mayron din ito sa Malaysia and
Indonesia; well distributed itong boat type in Southeast Asia suggesting na may network of contacts and
exchange of trading points in the region.

2. Another proofs of our ancient relation with INDIA which was the discovery of a 21-carat gold
figurine otherwise known as the Gold Image of Agusan here in Mindanao. This was recovered in Wawa
river, a river bank in Esperanza, Agusan, Northeastern Mindanao.

3. Another proof was the discovery of gold foil ornaments; the syllabic writing where the
Philippines has 16 different linguistic groups known to be literate in syllabic writing which have
originated from South India and reached the Philippines by way of Malaya (Malaysia), Sumatra, Java,
Champa and Borneo. Examples are the syllabic writing of the Tagbanuas in Palawan and the Hanunoo
of Mindoro.

4. Another proof of our ancient relation and contacts with INDIA was the SANSKRIT words in
Tagalog. Sanskrit is one of the 16 regional languages in India; one of the classical languages of the Hindu
religion and culture; its development in India begun about 1,500 B.C. Examples of this Sanskrit words are
words that has to do with kingship or kings and government like raja, an Indian Sanskrit word derivative
from the verb “ranjayati” which means “he pleases”; the word maharaja, from the Indian word
“rajatiraja” which means “great kings” or “king of kings”. In Philippine languages, we have 150 sanskrit
words which were identified as the origin of Philippine terms (64% appear in Tagalog, 36% appear in
Visaya and 28% appear in Ilocano and Sulu). Examples are the words manusya, linga, agama, surge, Naraka
among the Meranaw; the mangyan dialect of Mindoro also show a significant number of Sanskrit-based
terms; the names of plant and animals bearing Sanskrit names like campaka (jasmine) which is sampaguita
to the Filipinos, lasuna (onion), marica (pepper), patola (cucumber), cucra (vinegar), karpasa (coffee); the
names of God and idols like bathala, bhattara and diwata from devata.

5. Another Indian influence are reflected in our pre-colonial Philippine political institutions in
Central and southern Luzon during the pre-colonial period. Among the Tagalogs, they have the rajaship
in Manila, datuship in the rest of the region and chieftainship (Gat and Lakan). The pre-colonial Cebuano
community was headed by a rajah. In the Bikol region, the datuship consisted of the datu as leader
assisted by the duluyan or workers and served by the oripon or slaves. Among the Boholanos, there was
a sort of hierarchy of chiefs called the datu ; a paramount datu/chief Datu heads the community state
which was subdivided into 10-12 villages headed by a datu. The Warays of Leyte had a balangay system
in which the datu who had wealth, wisdom and strength ruled; his position could be inherited by his son,
daughter or brother; he has council of elders to assist him. The Manobos had a kind of village/community
called banua governed by 3 0r more datus. The Subanuns of Zamboanga had a timuay as the chieftain,
equivalent in function to the datu. The Tausogs are governed by hierarchy of datus, rajas, maharajah and
panglima. The Sama of Sulu had only a nakurah as head of the nomadic band whose functions were not
as elaborate as in the datuship. The Maguindanao developed a system of datus, rajah, dumatus and
ambarajah.

6. Another proof is the Meranaw musical instruments called kolintang or musical gongs with
knobs, very similar to those in Cheribon, Java(Indonesia) while those without knobs are very similar with
those of China.

7. Other traces of Indian influences which were introduced through trade or filtered into the
Philippines indirectly thru Indonesia are found in some of loan-words of the Tausog which are of Indian
origin like baktih meaning to serve, sarong (skirt), putung (turban), sawal kuput of the Suluanos, etc.

8. The literature and folklore of Mindanao bear the imprints of India. From the Indian literature,
there was this RAMAYANA , one of the great Sanskrit epic poems that tells about the story of Rama, the
righteous king/King Rama and his battle with the demon Ravana.

II. Ancient relation with CHINA

From the Chinese accounts, the Filipinos were among those early people coming to China ( tayo
mismo ang pumupunta sa China; SAN-TAO ang tawag nila sa mga Filipino traders, or presumably along
the western Luzon coasts; they were regularly arriving at the southern China coast particularly at
KUANG-CHOU (Canton) on trading expeditions . Our early trade with China begun during the T’ang
Dynasty (618-906). Nagbibinta ang mga Filipinos ng 400 tons of pepper sa China every year. Sa Mollucas
(Indonesia) natin kinikuha itong pepper para ibinta sa China. Naging trade intermediaries (go-between)
ang mga Filipinos sa China-Mollucas relation during the 14th cent/Ming Period). Ang mga Filipinos ang
mga naging tulay/daan kung papaano nakakarating ang mga Chinese products sa Molluccas during the
time na hindi pa daw nakagawa ng mga malalaking trading ships ang mga Chinese. Before 8th- 9th (noong
hindi pa nakakagawa ang mga Chinese ng malalaking ocean-going vessels at hindo sila nakadeliber ng
kanilang mga goods directly), the Malay peoples of Southeast Asia or the Arabs were the primary voyagers
linking South China sea and the Indian Ocean. There were Malay seamen from the Mallacca Strait
(Malaysia) and Sunda regions who carried commodities from India and Sri Lanka (Ceylon) to the West
navigating the Southeast Asian waters and delivered their cargoes to Southern China ports.

In fact, as early as 5th-6th centuries, numerous small-scale maritime trading kingdoms specializing
in transhipping goods in this expanding trans-Asiatic trade network arose along these critical straits
connecting the South China sea and the Indian Ocean. Malay traders from Borneo, Sumatran ports
associated with Srivijaya were foreign merchants who delivered some quantities of porcelain and other
luxury goods not visible in the archaeological records of the Phil.

Proofs:

1. Appearance of foreign-made metal and stone ornamental objects in the Philippines in the late
1st millennium B.C. and early 100 years first millennium A.D. Examples of these are :

a. “Dongson” bronze object found in the Phil. Which are also found in Vietnam, Thailand
and Malay Peninsula

2. Chinese porcelain which were recovered in the Babuyan Islands, in Northern Mindoro known
to the Chinese as MA-I, in Northern Mindanao particularly BUTUAN, in Sulu and Mindanao also known
to the Chinese as MINTOLANG. Mayron pang nai-ulat si Scott na isang nasirang barko (shipwrecked) off
the coast of Dapitan (presently in Zamboanga del Norte) that yielded substantial quantities of T’ang white
wares pero ninakaw lahat.

3. Yong mga na-recover nila na mga remains of several wooden boats (balangay) yielding T’ang
period porcelain; three of these boats yielded dates in the 4th, 10th and 13th centuries A.D. indicating long
term use of the AGUSAN RIVER mouth as a maritime port.

4. The numerous Philippine tributary trade missions to China starting from Butuan (Mindanao) or
P’utuan in the Chinese records, which is described in the Sung annals (970-1279), as a small island country
far to the east whose successive rulers sent a number of tribute missions to the Sung emperor at the
beginning of the 11th century. Scott identified P’u-tuan as referring to BUTUAN, the traditional name for
the areas surrounding the mouth of the Agusan river in the northeastern Mindanao. (Sa loob ng 5 years,
yearly sila nagpapadala ng tributary mission sa China. The most remarkable finds at the site were the
remains of several wooden boats (balangay) yielding T’ang Period (618-906) porcelain. These wooden
boats (balangay) were described as large enough in size and sophisticated enough in construction to have
been long-distance ocean-going vessels capable of transporting large cargoes. Three of these boats
yielded dates in the 4th, 10th and 13th centuries A.D. indicating long-term use of the Agusan River mouth
as a maritime port.

This means to say that Mindanao, particularly Butuan in northeastern Mindanao, may
have been a primary destination for foreign traders even in the T’ang Period as indicated by the presence
of T’ang Period porcelains in the vicinity.

BUTUAN

The name BUTUAN is derived from the word “butu” or from the word “batuan”, a native fruit
found in the area. It could also be a derivative of the Butuan river which is presently the Agusan river. One
of the soldiers of the Magellan expedition had gone to the area and saw people eating this native fruit
called “batuan”. Long before the coming of the Europeans, Butuan was already a settlement. This is one
of the oldest/earliest settlements in the Philippines. But the first settlement to be established in the area
was in SUATAN, AMBAGO, 9 kms northwest of Butuan City. The Spaniards thought that it was
Masao/Masaw ang naging unang settlement dito kasi andyan pa yong six(6) other 10 th century-old
balangay boats; they are still buried in Bgy. Masao, Butuan City.

The early settlers in Suatan, Ambago (in what is known today as Butuan) were members of the
LAPAKNON tribe (swamp tribe/ mudflat dwellers) that were closely associated with the MANOBOS and
HIGAONON tribes of upper Agusan. It was also mentioned in the accounts of Francisco Combes and
Murillo Velarde that the early inhabitants of Butuan were people belonging to the Manobo tribe (derived
from the word “manuba” or man-suba which means or signifying river people).

There was also a polity (political unit) listed in the Sung chronicles of 972 known as MA-I located
on the norther coast of Mindoro, if not Mindoro. The Chinese came to know MA-I from the Bornean
traders who informed the Chinese officials that they had active and long-term trade relations with both
Ma-I ( 30 days travel from Borneo to Ma-i) and Champa (along the Vietnamese coast/ also 30 days travel
from Borneo to the north. Other tributary trade missions included those from MA-LI-LU, presumably
Maynila in Luzon, those from Pangasinan, from Sulu which consisted of 3 delegations namely Paduka
Batara, Paduka Prahbu and Maharaja Kolaman. In other words, during the China’s Sung period (960-
1279), at least two (2) large-scale long distance maritime trade oriented polities were developed in the
Philippines, one centered at the mouth of the Agusan river in northern Mindanao which was BUTUAN
and MA-I or the island of Mindoro.
 Another tributary trade mission came from MINTOLANG, presumably MAGUINDANAO in
MINDANAO. This was identified by scholar as a polity at the mouth of the Pulangi River in Cotabato.
According to Wang’s geographic reference, this is located at the lower end of a large agriculturally
productive river valley with extensive access to valuable interior forest products.

5. Other traces of Chinese influences among the Maguindanaons like Chinese writing, Chinese
chronicler (like newspaper), lacquer boxes and trays that are used for the letter and gifts of the
ambassadors, burning of incense (clover na kapag sinunog ay mabango), musical instruments, yong
pagkakaroon ng enormous crowds of onlookers, the Chinese mode of dressing/clothes, the use of cotton
cloth.

6. Another proof of our ancient contact/relation with China was the presence of a “pirate vessel”
off the China coast with crew primarly composed of Luzones (Tagalog speaking people from Manila or
nearby polities) which were captured by a Portuguese ship around mid-16th century.

7. Another proof was the presence of large trade ships from China, around 12-15 large Chinese
junks entering Maynila every year during the middle of 16th century. There was even an encounter
between Spanish contingent led by Juan del Salcedo and 80 Chinese crews of 2 Chinese junks anchored
off the coast of Mindoro

8. Another proof was the sending of the first tributary mission from SULU to China on Sept. 12,
1417 headed by the these three (3) personages namely Paduka Batara (King of Eastern Sulu) who died in
China on Oct. 23, 1417 and he was buried in Tehchow, Shantung; then there was this Maharaja
Kolamating and another Paduka Prabhu from Borneo and he was the brother-in-law of Paduka Batara.

9. Spanish chronicler notes the presence of a parian (market) in Cebu with 200 Chinese merchant
residents;

10. The excavated burial sites, 285 0f them, and settlement sites yielding Ming period porcelain

CHINESE INFLUENCES

a. starting from Philippine languages, we have these Chinese loan words or Tagalog words greatlty
appropriated with that of the Chinese. We have 150 Tagalog terms that were of Chinese origin. But
according to Linguistic expert Jose Villa Panganiban, there are 30,000 root words in Filipino with close to
5,000 of these words coming from the Spanish language and 3,000 with Malay origin; over a thousand
are from Chinese dialect, mainly Hokkien origin. Example of these Filipino words which were of Chinese
origin are ate (a-teh/elder sister and pronounced a-chi in Hokkien, China, ditse (dee-cheh or di-chi/second
eldest sister), kuya (ah-hya/ keh-ya/ older brother), suki (chu-khe/regular costumer), hikaw (hee-
kau/earrings), lumpia (lun-pia/ fresh spring rolls), pancit (pian-e-sit/ noodles with sauce and uncut
noodles symbolizes long life), mami (bah-mi/ meat noodles), petsay (peh-chai/ white vegetable or
Chinese cabbage), susi ( so-si/key), tikoy (tih-ke/ sweet cake which symbolizes sweet beginnings and the
receiver will have good fortune), batchoy (bah-chui/ meat), bihon (bi-hun/ a vermicelli made from rice/
bi means rice while hun means powder), siopao (sio-pau from sio which means hot and pao which means
bun; meat-filled and steamed bun), toyo (tau-iu/ soy sauce or from tau w/c means beans and iu w/c
means oil or extract) and many others. 0ther than their influences on our Philippine languages, Chinese
influences also include the use of bladed weapons, the use of umbrella, the use of white cloth or wearing
of white cloth during mourning, the arrangement of marriages of children by parents, and the veneration
or respect of ancestors.
EARLY RELATION WITH BORNEO

Proofs:

1. the presence of Bornean aristocracy in Manila. Long before the coming of the Europeans to
the Philippines, Maynila and the surrounding areas were controlled by a triumvirate of three (3) blooded-
related paramount chiefs namely:

a. Ache or Rajah Ladyang Matanda whose maternal grandfather was a Bruneian Sultan and he
was also married to a Bornean cousin, if not, to the daughter of the Brunei Sultan. Sa account
ni Antonio Pigafetta (official chronicler of the Magellan’s expedition), after their misfortune sa
Cebu (Battle of Mactan where Magellan was killed by Lapulapu), umalis sila at dumaan sila sa
Brunei kung saan sila nagkaroon ng encounter with the “Luzon” paramount son who was married
to the Brunei’s Sultan daughter. He was captured by the men or survivors of the Magellan’s
expedition but was set free after paying a ransom and allowed seventeen (17) of his crew to
accompany the survivors of the Magellan’s expedition to Molluccas (Maluku group of islands, part
of Indonesia). This “Luzon” paramount chief refers to Aceh or Rajah Ladyang, the grandson of a
Brunei Sultan presumably Bulkeiah or “Saripara”. As a young warrior, this Rajah Matanda was
sent to Brunei to command a naval force for his grandfather and to marry a Bornean cousin.

b. Suleyman (nephew of Rajah Matanda) who appeared to be the primary leader and
who occupied the fortified center known as Maynila. He was also married to a member of the
Brunei nobility.

c. Banaw Lakandula, the cousin of Rajah Matanda and uncle of Rajah Sulayman, who
controlled the fortified center in Tondo, few kilometres upriver along the Pasig River.

2. Marriage alliances between Brunei and Sulu

Yong pagdaan nina Pigafetta sa Brunei, dito rin nila nalaman sa mga Brunei natives ang
Sulu polity who recounted the marriage of the Brunei Sultan (presumably Bolkeiah Saripada) to
one of the daughters of the Sulu Sultan (Putri Laila Men Charei/Chanei?, but this marriage did
not ensure peaceful relationship between the two polities.

From the book of Descent of the Rajah of Brunei translated by Hugh Low, it also
mentioned of Sulu; it also mentioned the 6th Brunei Sultan, Bulkeiah or Nakoda Ragam who must
have conquered Sulu; this Nakoda Ragam must be the 4th Sulu Sultan (Amir-Ul-Umara) who have
invaded not only Sabah but also Sulu

3. The Magellan expedition’s survivors had mentioned the existence of a small Muslim settlement
or BORNEAN outpost in Mactan called BULAYA.

4. That Sulu and Maynila were political dependencies of Brunei, meaning, nagbabayad sila ng
tribute sa Brunei ruler ng mga Chinese porcelain.

5. The Filipinos imbibed some of the cultural influences from Borneo like:

a. yong cranial deformation na ginagawa nila sa mga dead relatives nila; ninety (90)
percent sa mga skulls na nakita nila sa mga burial sites natin dito sa Pilipinas were
deformed (ex. Flat head); this is practised among tribes in Borneo, particularly the sub
tribes of the Dayaks.

6. Sa account ni Legazpi, when he dispatched Spaniards to Butuan, may nakita sila na Moro junk
(vessel) carrying goods from Borneo (ex. Iron and tin), goods from China (porcelain, bell made of copper
called tumbaga), and goods from India (pans, iron pots)
 7. Yong early settlement natin sa Cebu, during the arrival of the Magellan’s expedition, and ruled
by Rajah Humabon was believed to be of Bornean origin. Rajah (allegedly an Hindu-Buddhist influence
na ginagamit nila sa Brunei) Humabon , the ruler of Cebu (Zugbu) during the Magellan’s expedition was
married to the sister of Lapu-Lapu, the ruler of Mactan who killed Magellan in the Battle of Mactan (1521).
Humabon was related to Rajah Kolambu, the ruler or lord of Mazagua (Limasawa) and the brother of
Rajah Siagu, rajah of Butuan. During the Legazpi’s expedition in the Philippines, the chieftain of Cebu was
the 68th year old Rajah TUPAS, the nephew and son-in-law of Rajah Humabon (because he was married
to the daughter of Humabon) and was only 24 years old during the Magellan’s expedition. The father of
Rajah Tupas was a brother and prime minister (bendahara) of Rajah Humabon when the Magellan’s
expedition arrived in Cebu (Zugbu).

8. Another proof is yong trade relation ng SULU and Borneo kung saan ay dito sila nagbibinta ng
slaves na nabibili naman nila sa mga Illanuns/ Iranuns at Maguindanao. Meaning, itong mga slaves na
composed of Spanish and Visayan captives at Negro slaves from Angola, Mozambique ( na nanggaling din
sa mga slave markets sa mga Southeast Asian countriesby the) ay binibinta ng mga Illanun at
Maguindanao sa Sulu. Then from Sulu, binibinta naman nila ito sa Borneo, sa Java (former name of
Batavia), or if not, these slaves , particularly the Visayan slaves, will be kept by the people of Sulu para
patugtugin ng violin. Mahilig daw ang mga peoples of Sulu ng European music,

EARLY RELATION WITH MALAYSIA (composed of the 11 states of Malay Peninsula plus SABAH and
SARAWAK)

Proofs:

a. yong Luzon chief na si Rajah Aregemute, was once appointed by the Portuguese as head
administrator for all Muslims in the Mallaccan port (Melakan port) at the time of their conquest
in Malacca (Malaysia).

b. a Filipino trader/mercenary of unknown ethnicity was appointed as garrison commander by

c. yong participation ng mga Filipinos/ people from Luzon sa unsuccessful retaking of Mallacca
(1525) in Malaysia with the help of Portuguese renegade Martin Avelar at yong pagsali nila sa
Batak-Menangkabau(Sumatra) army which besieged the Atjeh fleet which showed the close
association ng mga Filipinos with Borneo that many Portuguese thought that they came from
Borneo

EARLY RELATION WITH TERNATE (ONE OF THE MALUKU GROUP OF ISLANDS, INDONESIA)

Historical evidence supports the view that Philippine traders, particularly the Maguindanaons,
were regular and frequent voyagers to TERNATE and other Maluku (Molluccas) ports by at least 14th
century if not earlier. Ternate, which is one of the islands in Maluku (Molluccas) in Indonesia, is home of
cloves for medicine and incense in China (produces fragrance when burn). Because of the close
relationship, the people of Maguindanao were able to reside in Ternate for any length of time. Yong
enclaves ng mga Maguindanao sa Ternate existed during the time of the DUTCH in Ternate way back 1599
0r 1600. Ternate was once a powerful international community before the coming of the Europeans.
What made her into a powerful kingdom was because of her spices (food seasoning). Not only that, the
TERNATANS (people of Ternate) were known for their experise in making guns and gunpowder. Their
entry to Maguindanao could be one of the reasons why the Spaniards decided to conquer Mindanao.
PROOFS OF OUR EARLY RELATION WITH TERNATE

a. Marriage alliances between the Maguindanaons and the Ternatans. Several Maguindanao
Sultans were married to the daughters of Ternatan rulers. Isa ang mga Filipinos, particularly the
Maguindanao, sa mga naging tulay/ trade intermediaries/go between China and Ternate trade, if not mga
Filipinos ang tumulong para makarating ang mga Chinese products sa Molluccas. Dumating dito sa
Ternate ang mga Portuguese noong 1512 while the Spaniards came to TIDORE (another island in
Maluku/Molluccas) on 1521. Ito yong mga survivors ng Magellan’s expedition. In 1606, the Spaniards
were able to secure a foothold in Molluccas.

b. another proof na may nag-exist na early relation between the Maguindanao and Ternate ay
yong sloop owned by Prince Kuday (youngest of the two grandsons of Sultan Kudarat), accompanied by
one Chinese junk went to Ternate (1667); they brought Manobo tobacco sa Ternate.

c. It was not only Maguindanao that had relationship with Ternate. Even SULU had been sending
their ships to Ternate which traded Chinese goods, rice, sea products such as trepan, shark’s fin and
Tortoise shells.

Another proof that Philippines had established a very long relation with other countries was the market
economy that spanned the eastern Pacific into the Indian Ocean and west as far as Fayun in Egypt, that
left its imprint in archaeological materials that emerged in the Philippines.