Datu

Datu is the title for chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs in the Visayas and Mindanao regions of the Philippines. Together with Lakan (Luzon), Apo in Central and Northern Luzon,Sultan and Rajah, they are titles used for native royalty, and are still currently used especially in Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan. Depending upon the prestige of the sovereign royal family, the title of Datu could be equated to Royal Princes, European dukes, marquesses and counts. In big barangays, which had contacts with other southeast Asian cultures through trade, some Datus took the title Rajah or Sultan.

The word datu is a cognate of the Malay terms Dato' or Datuk, which is one of many noble titles in Malaysia, and to the Fijian chiefly title of Ratu.

Proofs of Filipino royalty and nobility (Dugóng Bugháw) can be demonstrated only by clear blood descent from ancient native royal blood and in some cases adoption into a royal family.

History

Datu in Moro and Lumad societies in Mindanao

The Spaniards took possession of most of Luzon and the Visayas, converting the lowland population to Christianity. But although Spain eventually established footholds in northern and eastern Mindanao and the Zamboanga Peninsula, its armies failed to colonise the rest of Mindanao. This area was populated by Islamised peoples ("Moros" to the Spaniards) and by many non-Muslim indigenous groups now known as Lumad peoples.

Direct Access Test Unit

Direct Access Test Units (DATUs) are special PSTN phone numbers that terminate at the central office switch in a telephone company's local exchange that provide switchmen and telco technicians with a circuit for testing lines in various ways.

Among the many things a DATU can do are:

DATU's are primarily non-published numbers, though they usually have the phone number XXX-9935 (where XXX represents the local exchange). They are password protected for security, though many telcos leave the default password of 1111 set.