Maute Group
53-869: The Bangsamoro Juridical Entity ( BJE ) was a proposed subdivision in the Philippines spanning portions of Mindanao and Palawan . Conceptualized during the peace talks between the government of the Philippines during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the BJE was the proposed expanded successor to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). A memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD)
106-624: A federal state . While the MOA-AD served as a framework for the BJE, it was not a comprehensive agreement. The possibility of the amendment of the 1987 Philippine constitution was raised to be able to fulfill the provisions of a then-anticipated peace deal between the MILF and the Philippine government. Marawi Bishop Edwin dela Peña proposed the BJE to be an Islamic state with sharia law applicable to Muslims. Administrative divisions of
159-485: A bill was subjected to scrutiny regarding its constitutionality like the 2008 MOA-AD. The BJE would at least cover all territories of its intended predecessor, the ARMM. The ARMM territories were considered to be the "core territory" of the proposed BJE. A plebiscite was proposed to be held twelve months after the creation of the BJE for the possible inclusion of additional territories to the BJE. A third area category would be
212-521: A mediator. As a compromise, the MILF and the Philippine national government had agreed to set up the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE), a subdivision that would be potentially bigger and have more autonomy than the then-extant Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). By November 2007, the two parties have agreed upon the geographical scope of the BJE and projects that a deal could be signed by August 2008. On July 16, 2008,
265-443: A new barangay. Sitios and puroks are not local government units and therefore do not officially have an organized government subordinate to the barangay. However, there are sometimes unofficial arrangements that result in direct representation of purok or sitio interests in the barangay government. For example, a barangay council member may be officially designated as a purok leader, while sitio leaders may be appointed and drawn from
318-485: A province or a city is composed of only one legislative district, it is said to be the lone district (e.g., the " Lone District of Guimaras "). Multiple districts within more populous cities and provinces are given numerical designations (e.g., the "2nd District of Cagayan "). The electoral constituencies for the election of members of the Bangsamoro Parliament will be called parliamentary districts ,
371-404: A wide area, separated by farmland, mountains, or water. Puroks are often neighborhoods or zones in densely populated areas of barangays of more urban character. Purok and sitio boundaries are rarely defined precisely and may use natural landmarks such as roads, rivers or other natural features to unofficially delineate divisions. A single sitio or purok, or groups of these, form the basis of creating
424-538: Is a group of LGUs to which Congress has provided via statute a very specific form of regional governance structure, along with certain powers and responsibilities. In the Local Government Code of 1991, a local government unit (LGU) can take the form of a province, a city, a municipality, or a barangay. All LGUs have local legislatures ( Sanggunian ) and local chief executives (governor, mayor, or barangay captain) that are elected by popular vote. Per
477-510: Is composed of component cities and municipalities, over which it exercises supervisory authority. Each province is headed by a governor. Its legislative body is the Sangguniang Panlalawigan . Three different legal classes of cities exist in the Philippines. Independent cities , of which there are currently 38 – classified either as highly urbanized (33) or independent component (5) cities – are cities which are not under
530-512: Is guilty of "mutilating bodies of victims" and "marking bodies with a Christian cross|cross." The group also burned down and looted many houses and properties. Violence attributed to the Ilaga reached its climax on June 19, 1971 with the Manili massacre of 70 -79 Moro Maguindanaon Civilians (women, children and elders) in a mosque in Manili, Carmen , North Cotabato . The Muslim residents of
583-530: Is led by Feleciano Luces or better known as Commander Toothpick . The group complemented the Philippine Constabulary as a militia force during the 1970s in southern Mindanao while fighting against Moro guerrillas during the Moro insurgency in the Philippines . The predominantly Hiligaynon-speaking migrants (from Panay Islands ) in the province of Cotabato organized a private army called
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#1732776649513636-646: Is not a local government unit (LGU), but rather a group of LGUs to which the president has provided an unelected policy-making and coordinating structure, called the Regional Development Council (RDC). Metro Manila , formally the National Capital Region, is recognized by law as a "special development and administrative region", and was thus given a metropolitan authority ; the Metro Manila Council within
689-715: Is predominantly composed of Ilonggos , embracing a form of Folk Catholicism that utilizes amulets and violence. The group was founded in 1970, in a gathering in a restaurant in Cotabato City by the then leading politicians in Central Mindanao, Nicolas Dequiña the Mayor of Midsayap and his political peers, Mayor Wenceslao Dela Cerna of Alamada , Pacifico Dela Cerna of Libungan , Bonifacio Tejada of Mlang , Conrado Lemana of Tulunan , Jose Escribano of Tacurong , and Esteban Doruelo of Pigcawayan . This group
742-831: Is the smallest local government unit in the Philippines. Although "barangay" is sometimes translated into English as "village", a barangay can be: Each barangay is headed by a Barangay Captain . Its local legislative body is the Sangguniang Barangay . The Philippines is broadly divided into three traditional island groups : Luzon , the Visayas , and Mindanao . The Philippine flag 's three stars are often taken to represent each of these geographical groupings. These island groups, however, have no specific administrative bodies, either elected or appointed, although many agencies and institutions, both government and private, use island groupings for certain purposes. For example,
795-647: The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao , comprises local government units that have consented by plebiscite to be placed under the authority of the Bangsamoro regional government. An autonomous region, while possessing a government, is not a local government unit (LGU) per se , as the autonomous regional government's organization and structure are not defined by the Local Government Code of 1991, unlike provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays. Rather, an autonomous region
848-550: The Bangsamoro Transition Authority will decide the parliamentary districts for the first parliamentary elections, with the succeeding elections' districts being decided by the parliament. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region 's predecessor, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (1990–2019), had a Regional Legislative Assembly (RLA) which elected three members from each of its eight assembly districts . These assembly districts were coterminous with
901-519: The Bureau of Internal Revenue , for example, divide the country into "engineering," "school," and "revenue" districts, respectively. The following table summarizes the number and structure of regions, provinces, cities, municipalities, and barangays in the Philippines as of March 31, 2020. Ilaga The Ilagâ (acronym for Ilonggo Land Grabbers Association ) is a Christian extremist paramilitary group based in southern Philippines . The group
954-529: The Manili massacre on June 19, 1971, when the group killed 70 –79 Moro civilians (women, children and elders) inside a mosque . The Mindanao region is rich in natural resources, including large quantities of mineral reserves. The American colonial government and subsequently the Philippine government pursued a policy of migration by resettling significant numbers of Christian Filipino settlers from
1007-706: The Muslim-majority areas of Mindanao . However, only the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and its predecessor, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao , have been approved by voters in plebiscites held in 1989 , 2001 , and 2019 . Voters in the Cordilleras rejected autonomy in 1990 and 1998 ; hence, the Cordillera Administrative Region remains a regular administrative region with no delegated powers or responsibilities. The sole autonomous region at present,
1060-797: The Palarong Pambansa rotates yearly hosting duties among the island groups, while the League of Municipalities of the Philippines organizes its members and meetings by Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao "clusters." Some LGUs use geographic divisions that are solely used for administrative purposes. Certain cities officially organize their constituent barangays into geographic districts: Three cities also officially organize their barangays into numbered zones: Caloocan (Zones 1–16) , Manila (Zones 1–100), and Pasay (Zones 1–20) . The 100 zones in Manila serve as an administrative layer immediately below
1113-554: The United Nations 's intervention. The Supreme Court released on October 14, 2008, a ruling that the proposed MOA-AD was unconstitutional. MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal expressed that his organization lost trust to the Philippine government since it dissolved the panel even prior to the Supreme Court ruling and that it unilaterally set up disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation (DDR) as precondition for
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#17327766495131166-524: The Visayas and Luzon onto tracts of land in Mindanao, beginning in the 1920s. This policy allowed Christian Filipinos to outnumber both the Moro and Lumad populations by the 1970s, which was a contributing factor in aggravating grievances between the Moro and Filipino Christian settlers as disputes over land increased. Another grievance by the Moro people is the extraction of Mindanao's natural resources by
1219-484: The central government whilst many Moros continued to live in poverty. The Ilaga originated as an anti- ranchero resistance collective in Upi led by Commander Toothpick ( Feliciano Luces ), formed by Hiligaynon -speakers and Teduray natives specifically to defend against "a political clan of known Marcos cronies ". The group gained legendary status and its members hailed as folk heroes after having prevailed over
1272-505: The president of the Philippines based on the need to more coherently make economic development policies and coordinate the provision of national government services within a larger area beyond the province level. No plebiscites have been conducted so far to democratically confirm the creation, abolition, or alteration of the boundaries of regular administrative regions, as the Constitution does not mandate it. An administrative region
1325-434: The special intervention areas , which were defined as conflict-affected areas outside the BJE that were subject to special socioeconomic and cultural affirmative action implemented by the Philippine national government. A second plebiscite would be held 25 years after the signing of a comprehensive compact between the MILF and the Philippine government, which would determine if the special intervention areas would be included in
1378-430: The BJE. In its ruling declaring the MOA-AD unconstitutional, the Supreme Court ruled that the proposed BJE would have been an associated state or "a state in all but name", "as it meets the criteria of a state". It considered the proposed "associative relationship" envisioned between the central government of the Philippines and the BJE unconstitutional. The BJE was also referred to as an autonomous political region and
1431-648: The Ilaga (Visayan for rat). To counter the terror of Ilaga attacks on Muslim civilians, members of the Moro elite organized their own heavily armed groups — the Blackshirts in Cotabato, and the Barracudas in Lanao — who responded in kind. From 1970 to 1971 Ilaga launched a series of 21 massacres that left 518 people dead, 184 injured, and 243 houses burned down. The group committed one of its bloodiest acts with
1484-749: The Ilaga. One such group was called the "Barracudas" and in September 1971, the Barracudas clashed with the Ilagas resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people on both sides of the conflict. The Ilagas also clashed with the Philippine Constabulary . The skirmishes continued until October, and over 60 Muslim houses were torched by the Ilaga. Tullio Favali was a member of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) , an all-male international group of priests who are dedicated to evangelization in underdeveloped and non-Christian nations. Favali
1537-488: The Local Government Code of 1991, section 25, the President of the Philippines exercises direct supervisory authority over provinces and independent cities (i.e., highly urbanized and independent component cities); thus, LGUs that belong to these categories form the primary level of LGUs in the Philippines . Pateros , by virtue of not belonging to any province, effectively also constitutes a primary level LGU. A province
1590-491: The MILF and the Philippine government announced that they had finalized a deal and was set to sign a memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) on August 5, 2008, in Kuala Lumpur , which would set the framework for the establishment of the BJE. The proposed MOA-AD between the MILF and the Philippine government was met with opposition from legislators and groups who believed that the deal would eventually result in
1643-609: The MMDA serves as the region's RDC. Administrative regions are composed of provinces and/or independent cities, or, in the case of Pateros , an independent municipality. The Philippine Statistics Authority further divides the LGUs of Metro Manila into four numbered geographic districts for statistical purposes. The 1987 Constitution allows for the creation of autonomous regions in the Cordillera Central of Luzon and in
Bangsamoro Juridical Entity - Misplaced Pages Continue
1696-443: The Moro and Lumad peoples, as well as attempting to seize additional territory. The end result of Ilaga extremism is the lingering animosity between Moro and Christian communities. Mistrust and a cycle of violence are still felt today due to the creation of the Ilaga. From March 1970 to January 1972, the Ilaga committed 22 massacres resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Muslim civilians (mostly women, children and elders). The group
1749-512: The Philippines The Philippines is divided into four levels of administrative divisions, with the lower three being defined in the Local Government Code of 1991 as local government units (LGUs). They are, from the highest to the lowest: Other divisions also exist for specific purposes, such as: Administrative regions are groupings of geographically adjacent LGUs that are established, disestablished, and modified by
1802-508: The Philippines is divided into legislative districts . The electoral constituencies for the election of territory-based members of the House of Representatives of the Philippines are more precisely representative or congressional districts . Each province is guaranteed at least one seat, and more populous provinces are also provided more. Many cities that have a population of at least 250,000 inhabitants are also granted one or more seats. If
1855-597: The Philippines since 2008 have since seen the re-emergence of the armed vigilante group calling themselves the Bag-ong Ilaga (Visayan: New Ilaga ). Since 2008, violence flared up with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Armed Forces of the Philippines after the Supreme Court of the Philippines overruled the proposed treaty for an Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao . In November 2008,
1908-555: The Philippines. Peace talks, which had been on-and-off, between the MILF and the Philippine government began in 1997. President Joseph Estrada launched a military campaign or an " all out war " against the MILF in 2000 in a bid to resolve the Moro conflict . In contrast, His successor Gloria Macapagal Arroyo pursued negotiation with the MILF although the Philippine military engaged the rebel group in 2003 in Buliok . Peace talks gained traction in 2003 when Malaysia became involved as
1961-592: The document would not be signed "in light of recent violent incidents committed by lawless violent groups". On October 3, 2008, the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS) organized a rally in Marawi against the Philippine military's operation, which displaced civilians, and alleged that the military collaborated with the vigilante group Ilaga . They also urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and
2014-540: The election of territory-based members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of all 81 provinces, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of 26 cities and the Sangguniang Bayan of Pateros , are more precisely sanggunian districts . The various executive departments has also divided the country into their respective districts. The Department of Public Works and Highways , Department of Education , and
2067-473: The existing congressional districts of the time, except that the assembly districts excluded territories that are not under the jurisdiction of the ARMM (i.e., Isabela City excluded from the assembly district of Basilan ; Cotabato City excluded from the first assembly district of Maguindanao ). Before voting for inclusion into the ARMM in 2001, Marawi City was also excluded from the first assembly district of Lanao del Sur . The electoral constituencies for
2120-599: The fire, Edilberto threatened the priest before shooting him pointblank in the head, he then trampled on the fallen priest's body and fired again. This caused the priest's skull to crack open, and Norberto Jr. picked the brains and displayed them to the horrified witnesses. The brothers, along with a few other gang members, stood by laughing and heckling. The Manero brothers and five others were found guilty of murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment. The court also found Norberto Jr. guilty of arson . Noeberto Manero, Jr., however, would later be pardoned. Increased tensions in
2173-411: The geographic district level. Many barangay names contain the words "district" (170 barangays) or "zone" (264 barangays), but they are fully functioning barangays and are not just mere administrative categories. Many barangays are divided into sitios and puroks . Sitios are usually hamlets within rural barangays where human settlement is polycentric , i.e., multiple communities spread across
Bangsamoro Juridical Entity - Misplaced Pages Continue
2226-494: The hamlet's residents. The Philippines is divided into thirteen judicial regions , to organize the judiciary. The judicial regions still reflect the original regional configuration introduced by President Ferdinand Marcos during his rule , except for the transfer of Aurora to the third judicial region from the fourth. These judicial regions are used for the appointment of judges of the different Regional Trial Courts . To elect legislators at national, regional, and local levels,
2279-428: The jurisdiction of any province. Thus, these cities are autonomously governed, do not share their tax revenues with any province, and in most cases, their residents are not eligible to elect or be elected to provincial offices. Cities that are under the political jurisdiction of a province form the third legal class of cities, called component cities. The voters in these cities are allowed to vote and run for positions in
2332-414: The provincial government. Municipalities are always under the jurisdiction of a province, except for Pateros , which is self-governing. A city or municipality is divided into barangays , over which it exercises supervisory authority. A city or municipality is headed by a mayor. The Sangguniang Panlungsod is the legislative body for cities and Sangguniang Bayan for municipalities. The barangay
2385-613: The restart of peace talks. The BJE was never realized. Under Arroyo's successor, President Benigno Aquino III , peace talks between the MILF and the Philippine government continued. The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process released a statement in September 2012 clarifying that the two parties were not entertaining the concept of the BJE anymore. Under the April 2012 Decision Points on Principles,
2438-478: The secession of parts of Southern Philippines. Likewise, the Lumads also expressed concern that they were not consulted regarding the BJE and that the proposed territory of the BJE would encroach on their own ancestral domains. Leaders of local government units outside the ARMM also expressed concern of losing jurisdiction of some of their areas to the proposed BJE, and opposition figures suspected that President Arroyo
2491-456: The security personnel of said "oppressive landed family" during an armed encounter, using nothing but mêlée weapons and homemade firearms. State security forces would eventually encourage Hiligaynon-speaking settlers from Iloilo and Panay Island who had emigrated to Mindanao to grow the militia, but hereafter coopted for a completely different purpose . There is anecdotal evidence that the Ilaga often committed human rights abuses by targeting
2544-480: The signing of the MOA-AD. Armed clashes between the MILF and the government occurred in North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte on August 7, 2008. According to the Philippine military, they launched a pursuit against MILF commanders Abdullah Makapaar and Ameril Umbra Kato who allegedly attacked civilians. On September 3, 2008, the government announced it would be dissolving the government peace panel and that
2597-455: The town had gathered in their mosque to participate in a supposed peace talk with Christian groups when a group of armed men dressed in uniforms similar to those worn by members of the Philippine Constabulary opened fire on them. Following the massacre at Manili, many Maranao Muslims civilians fled to take shelter in the Lanao del Norte . Some Muslims formed small militant groups to counter
2650-504: The two parties agreed on several issues including on working for "the creation of a new autonomous political entity (NPE) in place of the ARMM" The NPE established would be the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao , which succeeded the ARMM in 2019 after a successful plebiscite held during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte . The BARMM's charter is the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL). The BOL as
2703-644: Was assigned to do missions work in the Philippines, particularly in provinces in Mindanao . He arrived in the Philippines in 1983, and was ordained as the parish priest of La Esperanza in Tulunan , North Cotabato. On April 11, 1985, Favali was called by townspeople for help after the Manero brothers shot the town's tailor. When the Manero brothers saw him arrive and enter a house, Norberto Jr. dragged his motorcycle and set it on fire. When Favali hurried out after seeing
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#17327766495132756-427: Was to be signed between the Philippine government and the MILF on August 4, 2008, but the Supreme Court stopped the signing over concerns of the deal's constitutionality. The high court would rule the MOA-AD unconstitutional on October 4, 2008, which led to the collapse of the peace talks between the two parties. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) had been fighting for the secession of Bangsamoro territory from
2809-446: Was using the BJE as a ploy to extend her tenure in anticipation that the constitution had to be amended to comply with the MOA-AD. During the negotiations, the contents of the MOA-AD were largely confidential, and when it was finalized, there were demands for its content to be publicly disclosed. The issue was raised to the Supreme Court of the Philippines , which released a temporary restraining order on August 4, 2008, which prevented
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