Survivors of the 1974 Battle of Jolo wish to forget the tragedy but their memories expose the recent struggles of Muslim Mindanao

15 Apr 2025

MAGUINDANAO PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES - MAY 10: The Philippines military have sent armoured vehicles to supplement troops hunting down suspected Muslim separatist rebels who tried to disrupt the election by firing mortars and grenade launchers near polling centres on May 10, 2010 in the southern townships of Datu Piang, Datu Salibu and Datu Unsay, Maguindanao Province, Philippines. Fighting also broke out between private armies of rival vice mayoral candidates, leaving two people dead and dozens wounded. The country goes to the polls today to elect the 15th President of the Philippines to succeed outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. (Photo by Jeoffrey Maitem/Getty Images)

Moving beyond the disinformation surrounding Filipino memory construction of martial law this study delves into the experiences of civilians during the height of the Muslim secessionist movement in Mindanao. Examining the case of the 1974 Battle of Jolo, this article reveals how Tausug survivors have constructed, remembered and made sense of their memories of one of the bloodiest conflicts between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), a Muslim secessionist movement in the southern Philippines, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) during the martial law period (1972-1986). This study argues that while many of the survivors want to forget and move on from the tragedy of war and violence, their memories reveal layers of problems faced by Muslim Mindanao in the recent decades. Some survivors are eager to document their experiences to reclaim their agency, while many of them transmit their collective memories and life lessons to the next generations of Tausug.

Reclaiming the voice of the survivors, this article will hopefully inspire more Filipinos and Bangsa Moro scholars to delve into the silenced narratives of the martial law period in Muslim Mindanao and to study how the survivors interpret their experiences in the past. This article also hopes that the government will spearhead a transitional justice approach to the 1974 Battle of Jolo to prevent similar incidents of violence in the southern Philippines from happening again.

Author: Elgin Glenn R Salomon (University of the Philippines Visayas)

Read the full paper: https://aljamiah.or.id/index.php/AJIS/article/view/62101

Photo credit: Jeoffrey Maitem via Getty Images

Survivors of the 1974 Battle of Jolo wish to forget the tragedy but their memories expose the recent struggles of Muslim Mindanao

Moving beyond the disinformation surrounding Filipino memory construction of martial law this study delves into the experiences of civilians during the height of the Muslim secessionist movement in Mindanao. Examining the case of the 1974 Battle of Jolo, this article reveals how Tausug survivors have constructed, remembered and made sense of their memories of one of the bloodiest conflicts between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), a Muslim secessionist movement in the southern Philippines, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) during the martial law period (1972-1986). This study argues that while many of the survivors want to forget and move on from the tragedy of war and violence, their memories reveal layers of problems faced by Muslim Mindanao in the recent decades. Some survivors are eager to document their experiences to reclaim their agency, while many of them transmit their collective memories and life lessons to the next generations of Tausug.

Reclaiming the voice of the survivors, this article will hopefully inspire more Filipinos and Bangsa Moro scholars to delve into the silenced narratives of the martial law period in Muslim Mindanao and to study how the survivors interpret their experiences in the past. This article also hopes that the government will spearhead a transitional justice approach to the 1974 Battle of Jolo to prevent similar incidents of violence in the southern Philippines from happening again.

Author: Elgin Glenn R Salomon (University of the Philippines Visayas)

Read the full paper: https://aljamiah.or.id/index.php/AJIS/article/view/62101

Photo credit: Jeoffrey Maitem via Getty Images