PALAWAN STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF SCIENCES
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
Asynchronous Task:
Raiders of the Sulu Sea
Submitted by:
Jhon Grover Longsud
BS CS1B1-A
Submitted to:
Mr. Francis Joseph Batuigas
September 22, 2024
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INSTRUCTIONS:
Watch the documentary raiders of the Sulu Sea attached below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEtJ1mZdX10
Write a short ESSAY (minimum of 350 to 600 words) regarding the document,
Raiders of the Sulu Sea in Philippine History. How important was the role
played by Muslim in Mindanao during Spanish period?
Format: Arial Font Style, Font Size 12 Paper Size A4.
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Raiders of the Sulu Sea: The Role of Muslim Resistance in Philippine History
The documentary “Raiders of the Sulu Sea” takes us back to a part of
Philippine history not commonly spoken about, focusing specifically on the daring
raids carried out by Muslim warriors from the southern Philippines during the 18th
century. They were raiders coming from the Sulu Archipelago and outside the
boundary, attacking coastal villages inside the Visayas and Luzon. Their actions
instilled fear among the colonizers and other local populations but, of course, also
symbolized the struggle for freedom and self-determination against the foreigners.
It was a very skilled sailing and fighting crew. The raiders were also lightning-
fast boats and had clever tactics but were the ordinary pirates.
They had the little fast-moving ships that were easily maneuvered against the
big anchored Spanish galleons. Thus, they can raid these coastal towns and capture
people, and auction them into slavery. Their raids were brutal enough but also a way
by which these communities could fight for their culture and life against the tide of
Spanish colonization that was flooding the islands. One of the major events
portrayed in the documentary is the assault made on Fort Pilar at Zamboanga in
1720. This battle displayed how hard and disciplined the Sulu raiders were, for if they
were outnumbered and their armaments were poor, they still stood firm; they were
not just just plain bandits but some could execute serious military action. This was a
head-to-head confrontation of the Spanish forces, which erected forts to
commandeer the locality.
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It was actually during the Spanish period that Muslim groups in Mindanao
made the most significant contributions in putting up a fight against colonization. For
centuries, while most of the north and central Philippines were subdued by Spain,
Mindanao and the Sulu Sea were spared from their clutches. The raids that these
Muslim warriors were conducting formed part of their large-scale struggle against
Spain.
They wanted to save their religion, culture, and way of life from an invader by
a foreign power.
The raiders were often described by the Spanish as "savages" or "pirates," but the
documentary gives a clearer view. They were dangerous outlaws to the Spanish, but,
to the people who were their own, they were home protectors and freedom warriors.
History, after all, is interpreted in many ways. The very act that the colonizers
deemed criminal in the people was a fight between them and the colonizers for
survival and sovereignty, as the documentary accounts of the Muslim communities.
However, things changed in the 19th century when the Spanish were able to
use steamships. Such newer, speedier vessels greatly increased the challenge
through which raiders from the Sulu could continue to carry out their raids. As such,
the beginning of this change in technology meant the end of their power at sea.
Besides, the decline in the worldwide slave trade also affected the economies of
these southern tribes, and it began to become hard for them to maintain the past
lifestyle. Even though the raiding eventually stopped, the legacy of the Sulu raiders
lives on to this day. Their descendants still take pride in their ancestry's bravery and
resistance against foreign invaders. This history remains part of their cultural identity,
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especially as they face contemporary challenges of recognition and justice. Raiders
of the Sulu Sea comprises an important history that stems from the efforts and
struggles taken by the Muslim communities of Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago
as they protested against Spanish colonization. While raiders are often misconceived
as ordinary pirates, they were fighting for their homes and culture as well as for their
freedom. The bravery of the raiders seems to be significant to the history of the
Philippines, and their legacy is still remembered today in the hearts of their
descendants.
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