Bangsamoro means the Peoples (Bangsa) of the Muslims (Spanish: Moro) on and around Mindanao Island in the Southern Philippines. The Sulu Archipelago, and in particular Jolo Island, have been the earliest areas of Muslim settlement in South East Asia, dating back to before 1.000 CE.
The official flag of Bangsamoro
For years I had been fantasizing about visiting this completely off-limits place, and see the mosque in the mist in the morning.
But Bangsamoro has been one of the most inaccessible dangerzones in the world, after Muslim extremist groups such as the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) and in particular Abu Sayyaf (Father of the Swordsmith) kidnapped and sometimes killed foreigners, which made them world in-famous: in 2000 the Sipadan kidnappings, in 2001 the Dos Palmas kidnappings, in 2014 the Super Ferry bombings, and many more such as in 2019 the Jolo Cathedral bombings.
Today, the government and military have made progress to pacify the region. However, parts of Bangsamoro, like Jolo Island, remain a conflict area which cannot yet be recommended for standard tourism. I was part of the first foreign travel group in Jolo, not only since the early 2000s, but even since the early 1970s! This is what the Sulu Tourism Office therefore wrote about the visit:
“As this tour has been planned properly, it has the approval and consent from the Provincial Governor ABDUSAKUR M. TAN and the 11th Infantry Alakdan Division Commander MGen. Ignatius Patrimonio Jr PA. The Sulu PPO had been notified of this visit though it was the Philippine Army who provided the security arrangment for the visiting international tourists thru 2Lt. Mark R. Pabiania, CO 153rd CMO Coy of the 15CMO Battalion, with supervision of Col. Alaric Avelino Delos Santos, G7 of the 11th Infantry Division.”
Day 1
My adventure started in Zamboanga City, which is in itself not a part of the Bangsamoro Region, however it is the starting point to reach the Sulu Archipelago by boat. Zamboanga is the only city in the Philippines with a majority Spanish speaking population.
A welcome dance inside the ZAM Airport Terminal clearly showed the Spanish influence.
The signals outside the Zamboanga Airport were ambiguous: no long fireweapon? Or a longer fireweapon? 🙂
There is one decent hotel in Zamboanga, the Garden Orchid.
Against my usual standards, I had to catch a public ferry to Jolo Island. Flights to Jolo have been suspended. The last known landing was by this fictional Plane, a Hollywood movie coincidentally released in January 2023, just a month before my reality trip.
The “Plane” movie is so unrealistic and unfriendly propaganda against the population of Jolo that it is not aired in cinemas across the Philippines. I do NOT recommend to watch it.
I left Zamboanga onboard the overnight ferry MV Maria Diana, operated by Montenegro Lines. It takes 9 hours to Jolo Island.
Despite the excellent pre-organisation, local competence quarrels led to a 2,5 hour delayed departure. The Coast Guard apparently had not been informed and wanted foreign travelers “processed” with mugshots and fingerprints, as if we were common criminals (or to identify the bodies more easily).
I was taken outside the harbor in a bus by armed Coast Guards for mugshots and fingerprints. The ink is still visible on the fingers today 😉
The sleeping situation.
Sweet dreams to any enemies. Special protection by Rangers, Special Forces, Military Intelligence, the majority of them in plain clothes.
Day 2
It turned out that the delay of the departure was a blessing in disguise. I reached Jolo Island in the best moment, at sunrise, and experienced the Jolo mosque in the morning mist in all its glory.
On the ferry upon arrival, I had my only weird encounter. A 70 year old man, with only one tooth in his mouth, told me he was a teacher and kept reciting the Koran for me, repeatedly saying “This is where it all ends!” and pointed at Jolo Island. Psychological warfare at its best 😉
Unfortunately a bystander who was supposed to “take the fotos” apparently didn’t press the camera button hard enough. So I don’t have a picture. Or the old man was only a ghost …
Plenty of activity at the port of Jolo in the morning
Early check in at the Sulu Peacekeepers Inn which is located inside Camp Asturias, a large police compound in the center of Jolo City, and provides safety to the rare visitors (such as NGOs) since 1995.
Nowadays, there is a better place to stay, the Bay Natuh Hotel, owned by the fantastic local host and master fixer Nat Tulawie.
I immediately started the reconaissance of the island in a civilian vehicle escort …
generously provided by the Philippine military.
First stop was at the beautiful Sulu Provincial Capitol where I met the Governor.
Governor Abdusakur Tan is a very competent man with a charming personality. He explained that his province Sulu, with one million inhabitants, is the only part of the Bangsamoro Region that voted against being listed administratively under this banner. It seems like the people of Sulu have always been independently minded throughout their whole history, fighting against the Portuguese, the Dutch, the Spanish, the British, the Japanese and the American occupiers, and against their colony, the Philippine central government.
The governor then generously invited me for a ride in his official government speedboat …
… for lunch in his overwater summer residence.
Then speeding onward to nearby Babuan Island for swimming.
Sulu is home to extraordinary beaches.
“Guns, Boats and Cigars”
On the way back I witnessed an overwater wedding ceremony of sea gypsies.
Back on the mainland I had a quick tour of Jolo, the capital of the Province of Sulu (the words Sulu, Jolo, Yolo essentially have the same root, from the name given by the earliest visitors: “su” = water in Turkic, then a lautverschiebung in Spanish).
Always with protection.
However, the people of Jolo were extraordinarily open and friendly …
without a single exception (hmm, maybe except the ghost preacher on the ferry).
I like Sulu too
At the Tulay Mosque
The old Jolo city wall dates back to 1878 when it was built by the Spanish.
A monument built by the Americans in 1949.
Sulu Warriors in front of the National Museum.
The many interesting faces of Jolo.
I also saw a replica of the palace of the Sultan of Sulu, and his throne. Unfortunately I couldn’t meet the Sultan personally, despite my request. The story of Muedzul Lail Tan Kiram is quite interesting. He is currently close to winning a lawsuit over US$15 billion against the Malaysian government, regarding disputed territorial claims in Sabah, with financial backing by British investment firm Therium (Source: FT). And of course it’s the Brits at their usual divide & rule game again (North Borneo / Sabah Dispute).
Day 3
On the second day in Jolo, I circled a large part of the island in the car convoy and was hosted by several military camps. The Philippine military still fight pockets of Abu Sayyaf extremists. The new policy is to win the enemy back with love, instead of fighting them to death. HOME OF THE FIERCE WARRIORS – FIGHTING FOR PEACE. There are many incentives for old extremist fighters to be reconciled as so-called “balikbarangay” (returners to home, because surrender is not allowed in local customs).
The military camps are usually situated on hills, since controlling the high ground is essential in warfare, also in combating insurgents. (Bud means hill in the Philippino Tagalog language)
The welcome at the Jolo military headquarters on Bud Bayug was extraordinary. Such generosity, excellence and attention to detail is rarely found. Thank you so much Brigadier General Eugenio Boquio for your hospitality! You are a charismatic leader, and an excellent role model for every public servant.
I had an interesting conversation with Brigadier General Boquio and presented him my book (from 2014) about travel to danger zones. The general insisted that the situation in Jolo is now very much under control.
This is the Military Headquarter visitor area.
The military batallions celebrate an interesting coffee competition among themselves.
The Durian Coffee at Bud Bayug was delicious.
I also visited Bud Batu and met another friendly General …
and a particularly dangerous weapon category of his batallion.
Then I visited the “Heartshaped Lake” in Panamao …
and the incredible “Infinity Pool” in Timpuk.
After a long day of driving, sometimes on small roads …
the Farewell Dinner at Pangdanun Beach …
was an opportunity to meet with the generals and the local mayor in an informal beach atmosphere.
There is always time for a cigar, here with my cigar aficionado friends from Portugal and Azerbaijan.
Once again the night ferry …
Day 4
I arrived in Tawi-Tawi. This southernmost province of Bangsamoro and the Philippines is slightly more open to tourism than Sulu and receives about 100 Western visitors per year.
The local chief of the tourism police, was already much more relaxed than his colleagues in Jolo, slightly less armed, and equally friendly.
The mosque in the island capital Bongao.
A dance ceremony in neighbouring Sitangkai.
A local Tausug relaxing above a canal in the “Venice of the Philippines”. (Don’t look at the garbage in the sea. The Philippines are one of the most polluted countries in the world. Often pictures of the Philippine shores, in particular Manila Bay, are used to show a “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” … which doesn’t exist. It’s just used for climate propaganda and further tax coercion.)
I stayed at the Bihing Tahik Resort which is still partly under construction …
and from where I had a straight view onto the Sibutu Passage where countless oil tankers passed right in front of us. This geostrategic choke point is unusual, as it passes through the territorial waters of the Philippines, however it has been declared as an exceptional international waterway, because the open water route between Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia is too shallow.
Day 5
Time for the final farewell.
Bye bye to Bangsamoro.
It seemed like an oriental fairy tale, but it was absolutely real (like this foto of the sky above Jolo).
Credits
I extend my gratitude to fellow extreme travelers Riza Rasco and Charles Veley for co-organising this trip, to Sheena Shroff and Lori at Shroff Travel in Manila for accommodating all the logistics, and to our generous local hosts at the military, the government and the tourism offices. A very big thanks to Nat Tulawie of Bay Natuh Hotel in Jolo who probably was the key to this successful undertaking. And to my travel mates who provided many of the better fotos. Salamat po!
P.S.
A Ghost Army
Spooky Memorial to US-General MacArthur landing in 1945 near Leyte, Tacloban, in order to re-occupy the Philippines, after his prior escape in 1942, and 3 years of Japanese presence.
MacArthur’s following air bombardment massacres against Japanese soldiers & Philippino civilians were atrocious, especially in Manila Intramuros, just as bad as his atomic bombardments against Japanese civilians in Hiroshima + Nagasaki, and almost as bad as against the German civilians, in particular in Dresden, at the same time. In order to hide the guilt of the American perpetrators, the so-called Manila Massacre was blown up out of proportion, to blame the victims. Pure atrocity propaganda. As usual, the winner writes history …
The Dialectics of Terror: Why do MILF or Abu Sayyaf exist
All terrorist groups are “controlled opposition” (a term invented by Lenin), created, funded and trained by the Western (Anglo-American) secret services, so the local army and police have a fake opponent (although for them it’s bloody real), creating a perpetual state of war. Like the fake “Emmanuel Goldstein” in “1984”. It’s a war that can only be won, and never be lost, and which cements the power of the West and its corrupted local puppet leader.
It was the same with the Mujaheddin created by CIA in Afghanistan, and who then “went rogue” and became Al Qaida. Same with ISIS in Iraq and Syria when US prisoners of war “surprisingly escaped” with arms. Same with “the Somali Pirates” at the Horn of Afríca, which were trained as Coast Guards by the the British, and then surprisingly “went rogue”. Same with Boko Haram in Nigeria. RAF in Germany. IRA in Ireland. ETA in Spain.
Often the terror groups are financed through third-party fall guys, like Gaddafi who was trained in Sandhurst, or Saddam who was an Anglo-American asset for a long time, or billionaire heir Bin Laden who was CIA-agent Tim Osman, or Noriega who was trained at the Panama-based School of the Americas for terror, torture, sabotage & subversion (now re-branded as “Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation” in Fort Benning, USA). Or sometimes as brazenly open as the Biden regime supplying the Taliban with several billions worth of aircraft, tanks, guns and ammunition in 2021. Wait to see why …
The underlying doctrine is desribed in Frank Kitson’s books “Gangs and Counter Gangs” and “Low Intensity Operations: Subversion, Insurgency and Peacekeeping“, written in the 1950s when he was the British governor in Kenya and had to fight a real rebellion of the Mau Mau. Kitson is Jewish on the mum’s side. Kitson defended the British occupation by creating fake Mau Mau rebels, a fifth column, who attacked mainly civilians, but never the British occupiers. Thereby perpetuating a “strategy of fear”, where the civilians actually asked for protection from their colonial government instead of rejecting it. A real opposition or revolution has no chance whatsoever.
A powerful technique known as “Hegelian Dialectic”, also found in the “War on Drugs”, 9-11, “Climate Change”, COVID or “Computer Viruses”. It’s so simple, yet so hard to understand for the TV-brainwashed sheeple.
The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.
H.L. Mencken (in 1918)
Under false flag: how the MILF was created with the codename “Make it up”
The code name for the Operation to create the “fake enemy” MILF was Merdeka (“Freedom”), later named Jabidah (“Make it up”), given by Philippino President Ferdinand Marcos in 1967, right after he was installed by the US. This was the original logo of his Muslim proxy army from Sulu:
“Freedom” (Merdeka) shooting itself in the head. Just “make it up” (Jabidah).
It’s on Wikipedia 👇
In 1967, President Ferdinand Marcos secretly authorized Major Eduardo “Abdul Latif” Martelino, a Muslim convert, to take charge of the operations of a secret commando unit code-named “Jabidah” and embark on an operation called “Project Merdeka” (merdeka means “freedom” in Malay) to destabilize and take over Sabah. The alleged mastermind, however, included leading generals in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Defense Undersecretary Manuel Syquio, and Marcos himself
The first phase of the operation saw Martelino, with an advance party of some 17 agents entering Sabah three times to conduct reconnaissance and psychological warfare. It was during the second phase of the operation that the massacre took place. After 180 young Tausugs from Sulu received basic training, they were transported to a remote section of Corregidor Island at the mouth of Manila Bay where they were further trained in guerrilla operations and jungle warfare. Once on the island, the code name was changed to ‘Jabidah’. The real purpose of the formation of Jabidah was never publicized therefore leading to wide speculations and controversies regarding this top secret military plan.
The Oplan Merdeka and the Jabidah Massacre first came to public attention on March 18, 1968, when two fishermen rescued a Muslim man named Jibin Arula from the waters just off Caballo Island in Manila Bay. They discovered that he had suffered gunshot wounds, and he later recounted that he was the lone survivor of an attempt by members of the armed forces to kill a group of Muslim army recruits.
There are various interpretations of the events of that morning. While some interpretations claim that the massacre never took place, the gist of the Jabidah massacre narrative is that for one reason or the other, the trainees refused to continue their training and demanded to be returned home. One batch of recruits were disarmed, with some of the trainees returned home and some others transferred to a regular military camp in Luzon.
On September 23, 1972, Ferdinand Marcos announced that he had placed the entirety of the Philippines, including Muslim Mindanao, under Martial law.
Dr. Kolja Spori 
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