Farouk Sharif - Birth of The Sultanates in Lanao

Birth of The Sultanates in Lanao

In 1671, Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat returned to being Muslim and the sultanate of Maguindanao started to declining and datus of Iranon and the Maranaos gradually stop their support to the Sultanate of Maguindanao.

In Lanao, the Maranao started to acquaint with the sultanate system in the 15th century thru the influence of Sharif Kabungsuan, who was enthroned as first sultan of Maguindanao in 1520. In 1640, Balindong Bzar of Masiu was the first Maranao chieftain enthroned as sultan, with specific title as Sultan Diagaborolah, who was charged to enforce the teaching of Islam and the law and order in Lanao. On the same year Sultan Diagaborolah consulted the seven wise men maranaus of his time on how to govern Lanao. They were Dianaton Naim of butig, Datu Burua of Pagayawan, Datu Ottawa of Ditsaan, Datu Acari of Ramain, Onbaor of Bansayan, Engki-okoda of minitupad alanake of Baloi the eight wise man including Balindong agreed to create the four confederation of Lanao (Pat a Pangampong a Ranao ) composed of state of Masiu, Butig, Bayabao and Baloi, and on the second level, the 15 Royal houses (Panoroganan) and the 28 legislative body.(Pyakambaya ko Taritib). This socio-political system is based on the Taritib, laws, Ijma, customary laws, and adapt, practices of the Maranaos, a Pangampong state is a is a further divided, into smaller socio-political units. With in the four state is a total of 43 Ingud communities classified into 15 supported or Panoroganans, Royal houses and 28 supporting Ingud or legislative houses called Piyacambaya ko Taritib (decider of Laws)

The Taritib, an ancient order or law bound together the four states or principality of Lanao into an alliance or confederation and define their relationships. There is no central, all powerful authority but every state or principality respected the traditional alliance termed Kangiginawai.

One problem that beset the Sultanate of the four confederation of Lanao was the identification of ancestral land area (Kawali) of each state (Pangampong). Such was identified by Datu Pascan of Unayan, Datu Popawan Bayabao, Amiyanon Simban of Masiu and Datu Dilion of Baloi. The agreement known as “Kiatathamana-an” such as; Dalama, located in the municipality of Molondo, the boundary between Bayabao and East Masiu; Sawei in Masiu municipality the boundary between East Masiu municipality and East Unayan; Madamba municipality, the boundary between West Unayan and West Masiu; and Bacayawan in Marantao municipality, the boundary between west Masiu and Bayabao, surprisingly, there is no identified boundary between Bayabao and Baloi, the reason is that both Pangampong linage come from the same family tree. All in the name of Kiangginawai (friendship); their boundary need not be established.

In 1754, the Maranaos kept on increasing their maritime strength and accelerating their attacks on the Spaniards, Leyte and Calamianes bore part of the brunt of their attacks. About nine hundred Maranaos once landed in Albay and captured more than a hundred inhabitants. In Balayan, they looted everything they could lay their hands on, the Maranaos were thus greatly responsible for the abandonment of many settlement in the Visayas and the dislocation of the economic life of thousands people. This was to the interest of the Maranao since most of the native troops used against them were Visayans. It was thus that the Spaniards began to devise a more elaborate and effective naval system of defense. In 1557, the Iranuns and Maranaos accelerated their attacks on the Spaniards. There were frequent naval encounters between them and the Spaniards and in some of them, according to reports, a few thousand perished. It has been estimated that these Maranaos raid on Visayas in a space of four years reduced the number of tribute to Spanish government by at least 100,000.for example, in the district in Panay figures show that in 1750 it paid 1,500 tributes and that by1757 there only 500 it paid. In Romblon, the number of tributes went down from 1,370 to 995, while in Kalibu (Capiz) it was reduced from 1,164 to 549.many coastal towns were totally destroyed and the Visayan population was reduced considerably. In 1759 Datu Rajah Palawan(Saber sa Radapan- First Muslim Martyred Hero) and his men attack the Spanish squadron in the northern part of the Mindanao, in Radapan, Lanao he was martyred and buried in Radapan(now Tarapan, Linamon, Lanao del norte) Gen. Valeriano Weyler, the Spanish Gov. General decided to deal with the Maranao in 1889, he order his troops to land in Malabang to conquer so far unconquered Maranaos, he had 1,242 soldiers in two columns. First columns started from Malabang, while the second column started from Iligan. This two pronged attack on Maranao territory from the northern and western parts of Mindanao was a reminiscent of the 1639 campaign against Maranaos, after a few bloody clasess, Marawi was occupied on August 19. The next day they encountered a strong resistance from cotta defended by Datu Amai Pakpak, but they were able to capture. In September 1891, Weyler finally terminated his campaign without, actually conquering the Maranaos. On June 5, the Datus of Lanao cooperated in the fortification of section around Agus river for their mutual defense. In February 1895, systematic Maranao attack on the Spanish forts began. Thus another Spanish expedition was formed to attack and capture Marawi, once and for all, on March 10, the march to Marawi commenced. The Spaniards found themselves faced by strong cotta under the command of the same Amai Pakpak. The Maranao warriors fought with equal bravery but lost the war with the martyrdom of Datu Akader Amai Pakpak,his son, 23 datus and 150 maranao warriors, the Spaniards suffered 194 men about 3,000 Spanish troops involved, and countless volunteer from Zamboanga, Mizamis and Sibugay, the Spanish garrison in Marawi was in the state of siege. Sporadic attacks on the garrison and ambushes become the order of the day. The Maranaos around the lake, continued their resistance against the Spaniards until gunboats were brought to lake Lanao to launched a campaign against the communities around it, the Spanish had to withdraw after their defeat in manila bay on May 1, 1896.

On May 15, 1892, Pablo Pastel, drafted the blue print for the temporal and spiritual conquest of the sultanates in the Philippines. The gradual reduction of the political and other powers of the sultans, datus, sharif and pamlitas in such a way that they would all eventually become powerless, since they constitute the obstacle impeding the rapid progress of the degraded race in its march to civilization.