Development and Rehabilitation of Mindanao and Sulu

November 29, 1973

LETTER OF INSTRUCTION NO. 149

 

Attached hereto you will find a copy of the Manifesto purportedly sent by the leaders of the rebels not only in Jolo mainland but also in Basilan and the Tawi-Tawi area. I wish to document my verbal instructions in relation to the conduct of negotiations with the rebels now ready to separate from their Maoist comrades upon discovery that they are being utilized by the latter to attain their communist ends.

1. You will immediately study the organization of a special force to operate in Sulu as well as in Mindanao and support the other units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines whenever necessary. You will determine the strength, qualification and training of such a special unit.

 Its purpose will be purely defensive of the islands in the Sulu archipelago, as well as Mindanao and Palawan.

 It shall be composed of such officers and men as may be drawn from both the regular force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as well as the present qualified rebel forces who may be taken into the folds. You will consult with the Chief of Staff on the implementation of this particular aspect of my instructions.

2. There are some valid grievances of Muslim rebels in the Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan area. One such valid grievance is the imbalance in the distribution of lands. It is my policy to allocate public as well as private lands covered by the Land Reform program to the tenants thereof as well as Muslims who have no lands. In the allocation of private agricultural lands producing rice and corn, the Decree as well as the implementing rules and regulations on land reform shall be complied with.

3. It is an admitted fact that there are foreign trained commanders among the Muslim rebels. You will immediately organize the team to determine their qualifications and capability for commission in the special unit referred to in the first paragraph of these instructions. My intention is to train them and prepare them for command in the special unit thus referred also in paragraph 1 of these instructions.

4. There is unanimity among the rebels as well as the civilian population that the present political leadership in Sulu no longer commands the support and respect of their constituencies with a few exceptions. It is my policy, therefore, that while the New Constitution confers upon me the power to remove public officials even without cause, we should now more than ever adhere to the principles of fairness and Justice in dealing with everyone, including those who may have lost the affection of their people. It will therefore be necessary in the event of insistence on the removal of local executives for charges to be investigated and disposed of as, fairness and justice will require.

5. Some of the rebels run to the hills because they are wanted under warrants of arrest or charged in criminal cases before our courts. It is my policy to review all of these cases on a case to case basis. For the charges which have been withdrawn or the charges unsubstantiated by the evidence or arose out of political machinations in the past, and in cases where the man charged is obviously innocent as demonstrated by the evidence, the cases should be immediately dismissed. You will remember that I have done this in some of the cases involving conflict between forest concessionaires and hill tribes in Cotabato, Bukidnon, Agusan and other provinces.

6. It is also well known that private property was destroyed during the conflict and in connection with or during the military operations. The program for the economic development and rehabilitation of Mindanao and Sulu precisely includes as one of its objectives to return to normalcy all the residents and citizens of the area, specially the Muslims. The reconstruction of private property destroyed by military operations should now be given priority in these efforts at economic development and rehabilitation.

7. I have increased the number of scholarships that have been offered to the cultural minorities. Inasmuch as rebels may have been motivated by the ideals of the highest degree, we should consider the recommendations of the rebels as to whom scholarships should be granted by government.

8. Religious classes in public schools, unless conducted under the conditions provided by the Constitution, are prohibited. This is true of Christianity as well as of Mohammedanism. On the question of the teaching of Islam in public schools therefore, it is necessary that this be done in relation to our new Constitution.

9. Recently I appointed Mama Busran not only to the Court of First Instance but to the Court of Appeals. I also appointed former Delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Lininding Pangandaman first as Commissioner on Elections and subsequently as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The ambassador to Egypt is a native of Sulu, Ambassador Yusup Abubakar. It is my intention to appoint more Muslims to participate in government, specially those recommended by the men of probity of Sulu or who have helped in the pacification campaign of my administration. This of course includes the rebels and their leaders.

10. While public funds cannot be spent for the support of any religious institution and therefore cannot be appropriated for the building of mosques under the Muslim religion (this is specifically prohibited by the old and new Constitutions), it is my policy to obtain private funds for the rebuilding of mosques, specially those destroyed during the conflict.

11. I have directed that immediate studies be made by the Department of Local Governments and Community Development, as well as by other offices, for the conversion of the island of Basilan into a separate province. I am personally inclined to convert Basilan to a separate province, but I merely wish to confirm the fact that this conversion will redound to the economic, social and political progress of the people thereat.

12. Last, I have reopened the period of amnesty, and to those Muslims who now come out of hiding and participate in the pacification campaign as I have outlined general amnesty will be granted.

You and your staff should take more energetic steps towards informing our people in Sulu, Mindanao and Palawan within your jurisdiction of the program that I have enunciated for the economic development and rehabilitation of Mindanao and Sulu, as well as Palawan.

In outline form, this development and rehabilitation program is aimed, as a first step, at establishment of peace and order in the various communities so that the teams that would bring in the necessary infrastructure, funds and personnel for the implementation of the program to start operating.

The program for economic development and rehabilitation of Mindanao and Sulu was organized and prepared not only by the National Government but with the help of some of the Muslim scholars who are now participating in the effort to bring up Mindanao and Sulu to the level of educational, economic and political activity of the other parts of the Philippines.

At the same time, I have allocated most of the funds that we have borrowed from banks abroad, specially the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, for the implementation of this program. Roads have to be rehabilitated and new ones constructed, ports must be opened to international shipping, free markets established in Sulu and Zamboanga. The Ammanah Bank should start operating and extend loans not only to industries but also to fishermen and farmers. Cottage industries, fishponds, compact farms, deep-sea fishing, seaweed farming, and small and medium-sized industries should now be developed in the area.

Education, however, is basic to the development and rehabilitation program. The number of schools must be increased, and qualified teachers assigned to them.

But before we can even take the first step towards the program of economic development and rehabilitation in Mindanao and Sulu. I repeat peace and order must be restored. We must emphasize this to the citizenry of this area. Convey to them, therefore, my appeal to join the efforts at pacification. SDAaTC

DONE in the City of Manila, this 29th day of November, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-three.