Moro National Liberation Front - Birth of The MNLF

Birth of The MNLF

There is no record as to when is the exact date of the founding of the MNLF. However, the MNLF have traditionally been celebrating its anniversary every 18 March, a date that coincides with the commemoration of the Jabidah Massacre.

According to the Official MNLF Blogsite, "in 18 March 1968, between 14 to 68 Filipino Muslim military trainees were massacred in Corregidor by soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) under its Commander in Chief President Ferdinand Marcos. It was popularly called the Jabidah Massacre. The impact was an outrage among the Muslims in Mindanao especially those who are from Sulu where these military trainees were recruited. Not taking this lightly, Nur Misuari, a University of the Philippines professor rose to become the leader of this outraged group and he founded the Moro National Liberation Front in 1969. After a few months of setting up the organizational, in 1970, the MNLF officially proclaimed itself a political party. After recruiting sufficient number of armed freedom fighters, the MNLF launched a protracted armed struggle."

"At that time of the conception of the MNLF, it recruited members with an original objective of regaining the independence of the Bangsamoro People and separate its sovereignty from the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRPH)." "The MNLF proclaimed itself a Mindanao liberation movement and proceeded to start the insurgency against the dictatorship of then President Ferdinand E. Marcos. The seven years (1969-1976) of intense armed conflict between MNLF and the GRPH resulted in the deaths of thousands of government soldiers and MNLF freedom fighters, as well as the displacement of thousands of families all across the Bangsamoro Land."

"Another important event in the MNLF history is the Tacbil Mosque Massacre. In 24 September 1974, a total of 1776 innocent and unarmed Moslem churchgoers were massacred by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Malisbong, Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat, Mindanao. While the muslims were praying, they were sprayed with bullets by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. As of 2011, a marker in the massacre site reads:"

Bangsamoro Republik Moro National Liberation Front Hadji Hamsa Tacbil Mosque Malisbong, Palimbang Province of Sultan Kudarat... This old mosque was constructed and owned by late Hadji Hamsa Tacbil, a former strong MNLF finance supporter. Tacbil mosque a placed where more than one thousand muslims civilians was massacred by philippine army 15th 1B infantry battalion on 24 september 1974 under the regime of then President Fedinand E. Marcos. Compliment by Comdr Tuan Bazar G Tacbil (MNLF) and Tacbil Family