Module 7-His003

History 003- History of the Filipino Muslims and Indigenous Peoples of Minsupala
LESSON 7-Minsupala During the Japanese Occupation and Its After-Effects

MODULE 7
Lesson Objectives:
At the end of the module, the students should be able to:

1. Describe the condition of Moroland during the Japanese occupation.
2. Identify the people’s reactions to the Japanese occupation.
3. Explain the impact of Japanese occupation on Moroland and its people.
Introduction
The Commonwealth period was rudely interrupted when the Japanese, who were looking for territories to
accommodate not only their excess population but also their manufactured products, started the war in the
Pacific (World War II). The Japanese naval bombers attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, an American territory, in
December 1941. Seeing this attack as treacherous, the United States declared war against Japan and the war in
the Pacific was formally started. As a consequence of this war, the Philippines was occupied by the Japanese
and the Filipinos suffered the rigors of war for three years.
This module would describe the condition of Mindanao under the Japanese regime and the people’s
reactions to the Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945. It would also discuss the impact of the Japanese
occupation in Mindanao and its people that influenced the molding of the post-war Muslim-Filipino Christians
relations.
Activity 7
The students will view the documentary film about the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines in this site:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLq1DPbVoXE
Analysis
After watching the documentary film, answer the following questions:
1. Why was Philippines involved in World War II?

2. Why did Japan want the Philippines?
3. What were the Filipino responses to Japanese rule?
Abstraction
During the Japanese occupation of the Philippine Islands, there were about 700,000 Moros in Mindanao
and Sulu areas. In 1941, the administration of Pres. Manuel L. Quezon of the Commonwealth Government was
interrupted by the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific. He and his top officials leave the country for Australia
and eventually for the United States. There, he continued his in-exile government while a Japanese-sponsored
republic was being organized headed by President Jose P. Laurel in the Philippines.
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the Japanese invaded Davao and Jolo immediately.
By April 1942, Cotabato and Lanao were invaded. The occupation of these places was meant to provide air
bases for the eventual thrust and penetration of the Japanese forces into Borneo and Celebes. However, the
occupation of Moroland was limited to the coastal towns, with interior garrisons scattered along the main roads.
Their invasion and early occupation were accompanied by brutality and terrorism. Any bad memories the Moros
had of America and Filipino behavior were offset by the harsh behavior of the Japanese invaders rather than
liberators. They had no idea about the actual Moro situation in the Philippine nation and failed to take advantage
of Moro disaffections. They simply treated the Moros in the same way they treated most native peoples that they
invaded-overacted martial cruelty, and ruthlessness.
The initial reaction of people in Moroland on the day of Japanese invasion was a mixture of fear, surprise,
and shock. They never thought they would be directly involved in it. Most of them could not imagine that the war
would reach their place. Some of the Moro leaders thought it a better part of wisdom to cooperate with Japanese
but for the most part their cooperation like the rest of Filipinos, was by way of making the best of a bad situations,
especially if it could ease the suffering of their people.
The Japanese also tried to appeal to the Moros as “brother Asians” whose moral and religion had been
somehow molested by Western Christian domination. They made effort to re-educate and re-orient the younger
generations of Moro leaders by involving them in seminars and leadership training programs in Manila and
Tokyo. But the Japanese time and resources were limited to sustain these efforts, which yielded no permanent
results.
Under the Japanese occupation, the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) in the Moroland
offered resistance by forming the guerilla units from the Filipinos. Moros also joined and were recruited to serve
in these forces. Guerilla units of Moros were operating in Sulu, Cotabato and Lanao. Majority of the Moros
supported the anti-Japanese war effort because of the new invader’s brutalities and alliance of some Moro
leaders with Filipino fighters. But there were few Moros who were also resistant to the Philippine guerilla forces
because of centuries-old animosity.
The Japanese occupation of Moroland had at least three important after-effects. First, while in some
instances the war exacerbated Muslim-Christian animosity, in other instances, it welded Muslim-Christian
alliances which continued after the war. Second, the war-damage reparations or payments and backpay awards
to the many Moros officially recognized as former guerillas resulted in a significant increase of wealth in
Moroland. And lastly, the Moros were armed again with the widespread distribution of arms and ammunition
after World War II. When Japan surrendered, its forces left the Philippines, Mindanao went back to normal
including the pre-war animosity between the Moros and Christian. Of the three after -effects of Japanese
occupation, the third would have very serious implications on post-war Muslim-Christian relation.
Mandatory Reading: Read the articles “The Japanese Occupation and Its After-Effects” by Peter Gordon
Gowing and “The Resistance Movement and Unification” by Evelyn M. Jamboy.
Application and Assessment
Draw a caricature on how you describe the conditions of Mindanao during the Japanese Occupation. Be
creative in your illustration. In a separate paper, provide a short description about your caricature.
References
Agoncillo, Teodoro. (1990). History of the Filipino People. Quezon City: Garotech Publishing.
Gowing, Peter P. (1979). Muslim Filipinos: Heritage and Horizon. Quezon City: New Day Publishers.
Gowing, Peter & McAmis, Robert D. (1974). The Muslim Filipinos: History, Society and Contemporary Problems.
Manila City: Solidaridad Publishing House.
History of Filipino Muslims and Other Indigenous Peoples of Minsupala: A Teaching and Learning Guide (2015).
MSU System resource material for History 003 classes.
Kadil, J. Ben. (2002). History of the Moro and Indigenous Peoples in Minsupala. Marawi City: OVCRE.
Majul, Caesar Adib (1999). Muslims in the Philippines. Quezon City: UP Press.
Zaide, Sonia M. (2006). The Philippines: A Unique Nation. Quezon City: All-Nations Publishing Co., Inc.

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History 003- History of the Filipino Muslims and Indigenous Peoples of Minsupala

LESSON 7-Minsupala During the Japanese Occupation and Its After-Effects

At the end of the module, the students should be able to:

1. Why was Philippines involved in World War II?

Application and Assessment

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