Bangsamoro, The Cry For Independence...

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The term Bangsamoro refers to a people who are natives of the Sulu archipelago, parts of Mindanao, and parts of Palawan in thePhilippines, and parts of Sabah in neighboring Malaysia at the time of conquest or colonization.^[1] It comes from the Malay wordbangsa, meaning nation or people, and the Spanish word moro, from the Spanish word for Moor, the Reconquista-period term used for Muslims.

It may also refer to the Moro people, in general. These include, among other tribes, the Maguindanaoan, the Maranao and Tausug who constitute the major tribes of the Moro people.

Extent

Bangsamoro covers the provinces of Basilan, Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga Sibugay; and the cities of Cotabato, Dapitan, Dipolog, General Santos, Iligan, Marawi, Pagadian, Puerto Princesa, and Zamboanga.^{[citation needed]}

Other interpretations may include territories that used to form North Borneo including Sabah, Labuan and the islands of Sipadan and Ligitan, these areas are currently under the Sabah dispute. Historically the island of Mactan and Manila and Cavite province also formed part of Bangsamoro as they were under Muslim rule.^{[citation needed]}

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History

Bangsamoro has originally evolved from the Spanish colonialist as early as 1570 when they saw the Muslims in the Philippines practiced Islam much in the same way their arch enemies- Moors of Spain and called the local Muslims as Moro.^{[citation needed]} Around 1970, Sultan Rashid Lucman and the Blackshirts belonging to the Top 90 adopted to name their organizations respectively as Bangsa Moro Liberation Organization (BMLO) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), later MILF adopted it too in 1978.^{[citation needed]}Moro student activists in 1984, despite opposition of Islamists because of its origin from Spanish colonists bravely employed its use in their organizations and writings.^{[citation needed]}

The use of Bangsamoro was a combination of Moro and Nation (Bangsa).^{[citation needed]} It connoted the solidarity of the people as a nation.^{[citation needed]} It rekindled the spirit to seek nationhood and statehood and struggle to establish an independent Islamic state in this area in which Sharia is enacted.^{[citation needed]} According to Hashim Salamat the Moro people comprise by the Maguindanaoan, the Maranao and Tausug.^{[citation needed]}

In January 1987, the MNLF accepted the Philippine government's offer of semi-autonomy of the regions in dispute, subsequently leading to the establishment of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.^{[citation needed]} The MILF, however, refused to accept this offer and continued their insurgency operations.^{[citation needed]} A general cessation of hostilities between the government in Manila and the MILF was signed in July 1997 but this agreement was abolished in 2000 by the Philippine Army under the administration of Philippine President Joseph Estrada.^{[citation needed]} In response, the MILF declared a jihad (strived and struggled) against the government, its citizens and supporters.^{[citation needed]} Under President Gloria Arroyo, the government entered into a cease-fire agreement with the MILF and resumed peace talks.^{[citation needed]}

In 2010, President Aquino of the Republic of the Philippines resumed the 6th Peace talks between the MILF and the Philippine government.^{[citation needed]}

On October 15, 2012, the historic GPH-MILF framework agreement was signed by chief negotiator for the GPH Marvic Leonen, MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal, and Malaysian facilitator Tengku Dato’ Ab Ghafar Tengku Mohamed with President Benigno Aquino III, Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia, Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Secretary-GeneralEkmeleddin İhsanoğlu of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in attendance at the Malacañan Palace in Manila, Philippines. This document outlines general agreements on major issues, including the extent of power, revenues and territory granted for a new Muslim autonomous region to be called Bangsamoro.^[2]