For generations, the Moro Muslims of the southern Philippines fought to reclaim their right to govern themselves. Their struggle survived colonial rule, political marginalisation and a devastating armed conflict that killed more than 120,000 people and displaced millions.
Now, a new chapter is unfolding.
The Muslim-majority Bangsamoro Autonomous Region has convened its first elected parliamentary session following years of transitional administration, marking a historic milestone for a community whose struggle for self-determination has shaped the southern Philippines for decades.
On Friday, lawmakers elected 69-year-old Abdulrauf Macacua as the regional government’s chief minister after he secured a parliamentary majority.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos attended the proceedings, signalling the national government’s commitment to preserving the political settlement and maintaining peace in a region that endured decades of armed confrontation.
But beyond the parliamentary ceremony lies a much longer story: Who are the Moro Muslims, how did they become a minority in their own homeland, and what did it take to secure their right to self-government?
A Historic Victory, but the Hardest Task Is Still Ahead
Speaking at the parliamentary gathering, President Marcos acknowledged the significance of Bangsamoro’s political transformation.
Securing the right to self-government, he said, had already represented a major achievement. Conducting the region’s first parliamentary elections smoothly marked another historic advance.
“Now the harder task begins,” he added.
The statement reflects the challenges facing Bangsamoro as it moves beyond the transitional arrangements established after a 2019 referendum on autonomy.
For years, the region had operated under an interim administration while political institutions were developed following the peace agreement that ended decades of confrontation between Moro independence movements and the Philippine government.
The foundations of the current autonomous arrangement were established in 2018, when then-President Rodrigo Duterte approved legislation granting the region self-government.
That decision followed more than half a century of suffering and violence, during which tens of thousands of Moro Muslims lost their lives.
The establishment of an elected parliament represents another stage in translating the political settlement into functioning regional institutions.
Who Are the Moro Muslims?
The Moro are Muslim communities whose ancestral homeland lies across the southern Philippines, particularly the islands of Mindanao, Palawan and the Sulu Archipelago, as well as other southern islands.
Their population is estimated at approximately 10 million people, representing around 11 per cent of the Philippines’ population.
Moro communities are particularly concentrated in Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan.
Although Muslims constitute a minority within the predominantly Christian Philippines, Islam has been established in the country’s southern islands for centuries.
The Moro people’s history is therefore not simply that of a religious minority seeking recognition within a modern state. It is also the history of communities with longstanding Islamic institutions, political traditions and a distinct cultural identity that predates their incorporation into the Philippine state.
Where Does the Name ‘Moro’ Come From?
The name “Moro” is historically connected to the term “Moor”, which Europeans used in reference to Muslim populations.
Its linguistic origins are commonly traced to the Latin word Maurus, associated with the inhabitants of ancient Mauretania in North Africa.
Historical explanations of the terminology connect it with North African territories associated with present-day Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania.
The designation was subsequently used in Spanish colonial terminology for Muslim populations, including communities associated with the Andalusian Muslims who were expelled from Spain and dispersed across overseas territories.
Over time, the name became associated with the Muslim peoples of the southern Philippines, whose Islamic identity and political history distinguished them from much of the archipelago.
Islam Reached the Southern Philippines Centuries Before Modern Colonial Rule
Islam began spreading among the Moro peoples during the 14th century, largely through contact with Muslim traders arriving from the Arabian Peninsula.
Trade provided an important route for religious and cultural exchange, particularly in the southern islands, where local communities developed close relationships with visiting merchants.
Marriage between Muslim traders and local families also contributed to the gradual spread of Islam.
By the middle of the 15th century, Islamic influence had expanded beyond coastal settlements into mountainous and inland communities.
Islamic teachings increasingly became part of local educational institutions before extending into systems of administration and governance.
The development of these institutions helped establish Islam as a defining element of the region’s political and social identity.
For centuries, Moro Muslim communities maintained their own political traditions and systems of government, long before the modern Philippine state took its present form.
That history would later become central to their demands for independence and, eventually, autonomy.
How the Moro Muslims Became a Minority in Their Own Homeland
The Moro struggle for self-determination cannot be separated from the colonial history of the Philippines.
The Moro peoples had historically governed themselves through independent political entities in the southern islands.
However, the incorporation of their territories into the wider Philippine state under the American colonial administration fundamentally changed their political position.
By the middle of the 20th century, Moro communities found themselves incorporated into a larger national political structure in which they constituted a minority.
The transition brought decades of discrimination, hostility and persecution, intensifying demands among Moro Muslims for the restoration of their political independence.
Initially, Moro leaders pursued their objectives through political negotiations.
However, repeated difficulties in achieving a peaceful settlement prompted sections of the movement to adopt armed resistance.
As violence against Muslim communities escalated, attacks increasingly took on what was described as a campaign of ethnic cleansing.
The deterioration of conditions contributed to the emergence of organised Moro resistance movements during the 1970s, including the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which took up arms in defence of Muslim communities and in pursuit of political self-determination.
The resulting conflict would continue for decades, leaving a devastating humanitarian legacy.
More Than 120,000 Killed and Two Million Displaced
The armed confrontation between the Philippine government and Moro resistance forces became one of the most destructive chapters in the region’s modern history.
Over approximately four decades, the conflict claimed the lives of more than 120,000 Moro people, while an estimated two million were displaced from their homes.
Entire communities experienced the consequences of prolonged violence, with generations growing up amid political uncertainty and recurring armed confrontation.
The enormous human cost placed increasing pressure on both sides to pursue a negotiated settlement.
Initial meetings between the parties began in 1997, opening a diplomatic channel that would eventually develop into a broader peace process.
Negotiations gained further momentum in 2012, when the parties reached a ceasefire agreement.
The political discussions centred on a difficult question: whether the Moro people would secure complete independence or accept an autonomous government within the Philippines.
Why the Moro Islamic Liberation Front Abandoned Its Demand for Independence
The peace negotiations were conducted with Malaysian mediation, which helped bring the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front towards an agreement.
One of the most consequential concessions came from the MILF itself.
Rather than continue demanding an independent state in Mindanao, the movement agreed to pursue an autonomous political arrangement within the Philippines.
The proposed region would be known as Bangsamoro, providing a framework through which Moro Muslim communities could exercise regional self-government without establishing a separate sovereign state.
The compromise represented a major shift in the movement’s political objectives after decades of armed struggle.
For the Philippine government, it offered a path towards ending a prolonged conflict while maintaining the country’s territorial unity.
For the Moro people, it offered an opportunity to establish institutions capable of exercising meaningful political authority over their own affairs.
The 2018 Agreement That Changed Bangsamoro’s Future
The peace process gained additional momentum following the election of Rodrigo Duterte as Philippine president.
During his election campaign, Duterte had made resolving the longstanding crisis in the southern Philippines one of his political commitments.
Following his election, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front presented the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law to the new administration.
The legislation was intended to establish the legal foundations for the region’s autonomous government.
After further deliberations, the Philippine parliament approved the final version of the legislation in 2018, paving the way for autonomous administration in Bangsamoro, encompassing parts of Mindanao and surrounding islands.
The law’s approval marked a decisive turning point after decades of conflict and repeated attempts to secure a political settlement.
In 2019, residents participated in a referendum on the transition to autonomy, providing the foundation for the region’s subsequent transitional administration.
The political process gradually replaced armed confrontation with negotiations over institutions, representation and regional governance.
From Armed Struggle to an Elected Parliament
The election of Abdulrauf Macacua as Bangsamoro’s chief minister represents the latest milestone in a political transformation that has taken decades to achieve.
The region’s first elected parliamentary session marks its movement beyond years of transitional administration towards a new phase of regional governance.
Yet the significance of the occasion extends well beyond the election of a government leader.
For the Moro Muslims, the creation of Bangsamoro’s political institutions represents the outcome of a struggle that began long before the modern peace negotiations.
It is a struggle rooted in centuries of Islamic history, the loss of political independence, colonial intervention, prolonged discrimination and a devastating conflict that displaced millions.
The decision by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to abandon its demand for complete independence in favour of negotiated autonomy was central to making the current political settlement possible.
Now, as the region enters a new parliamentary phase, its leaders face the task of turning that settlement into lasting institutions and preserving the peace secured after decades of bloodshed.
For a Muslim community that spent generations fighting for political recognition, the opening of Bangsamoro’s elected parliament is not merely another political ceremony. It is a historic step towards exercising the right to govern their own homeland.
