RAIDERS OF

THE SULU SEA

“Raiders of the sulu sea” A Historiography Documentary film focusing on
Zamboanga City depicting how the Spaniards defended the city with the “Fort
pilar” as Spain’s last strong hold and bastion of defense and economic
expansion in the South of the Philippines. It depicts the Southeast Asian
flourishing free trading in the area and adverse effects and repercussions when
Europeans such as the English, Dutch and Spanish who wanted control economy
as well to colonize and Christianize.

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 AIMS OF THE DOCUMENTARY
- To raise awareness about slavery trading prevalent in sulu
archipelago during the Spanish period in the 18th century.

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• Founded in 1996 in Singapore, Oak3 Films has an established reputation for
creating original and highly quality content travelling across Asia pacific,
Europe, Middle East, and Africa. As one of the leading companies in Asia,
their content has been broadcasted across than 30 channels and across
multiple platform worldwide.
• Oak3 Films founders are Bano codelli (CEO) along with Lim Suat Yen
(COO) and Jason Lai ( Director of Content).

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 RAIDERS OF THE SULU SEA
Documentary Film
Produced by: Oakfilms3 based on Singapore
Produced by: Idzwan Othman
Publicity: Aired on “Q Channel”, and also Discovery Channel and Ntional
Geographic for international Release
Original Release Date: 2008(international) and 2007(south korea)
Duration: 48 minutes and 43 seconds

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Icelle Gloria D. Borja-Estrada

• A 7th direct descendants of Vicente Alvarez,

the hero of Zamboanga city during the
Spanish-American war.
• She is one of Zamboanga city premier artist
• She earned he first degree at the W/MSU,
BS HE and pursued her second degree at
the U.P. College of the Fine arts, major in
Art History.
• She currently working as an executive
assistant in the office of the City Mayor, and
is overlooking the City Hall restoration.
• She does extensive research in the arts and
culture of Zamboanga.

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Dr. Samuel K. tan

• Sama-Tausug-Chinese-filipino
• He earned his MA degree in UP Diliman and
his PhD in interdisciplinary studies in
Syracuse University, New York
• Director of the national historical insituate

WRITTEN WORKS:

I. A history of the Philippines (1987)

II. Decolonization and Muslim identity(1989)
III. Surat sug: letter of the sultanate of sulu
IV. The muslim south and beyond (2008)

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HALMAN ABUBAKAR

• Councilor in jolo, sulu

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BARBARA WATSON ANDAYA

• Professor of Asian studies at university of hawai’i

• Director of the center for southeast asian studies

• She subsequently went on to study for her Ph.D. at

Cornell University with a specialization southeast Asian
history.

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JULIUS BAUTISTA

• Ph.D. in Australian National University’s Centre for Asian

societies and Histories under the supervision of Reynaldo
Ileto in 204

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MARGARITA CUJUANCO

• Ph.D. in history, University of Santo

Tomas (UST)
• She researched on the history of the
sama in sulu archipelago.

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Sulu is a the Sulu Archipelago, which
stretches from the tip of the Zamboanga
peninsula on the north to the island of
Borneo in the south. The main island and
its islets are stationed between the island
province of Basilan to the northeast, and
Tawi-Tawi to the south west. Sulu is
bordered by two seas; the sulu sea to the
north, and Celebes which remained
unnamed. Sulu is composed of 157
islands and islets which are divided into
four groups: Jolo, Pangutaran, Tongkil-
balanguingui and Sias-Tapul.

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 Raiders of the sulu is a documentary film about how the Spanish defended the city
of Zamboanga’s fort pilar in December 08 1720. The pilar was the last base defense agree
which was used to control our economy in the past. The tribe of sulus and Maguindanao
were basically two kingdoms who lunched a bloody attacks in the fort pillar, The raiders
comes difference between tribes with sulu.

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 RAIDERS OF THE SULU SEA
• Tausug or “People (Tau) of the current (Sug)” constituted the people of the sultanate of
sulu or “Lupah sug” and speak the Tausug language that is related to the Butuan dialect.
• Sama Balanguingui – one sama communities that originally inhabited the Tongkil
Island Group, They were relocated to Zamboanga peninsula coast and island as result of
the 1848 military campaign
• Iranun or Ilanuns: they were portrayed as “merciless” in the documentary, inhabited the
ilana bay area in southwestern Mindanao whose language is intelligible with the
Meranaw. They were a fierce marine force of the sultanate of sulu.

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MUSLIM RAIDERS
- They were known in history as brutal savages, fearless slave raiders
and above all – pirates.

• Balanguingui Samal
• Ilanun or Iranun
• Taosug

- They came from the Muslim tribes

- Excellent mariners and expert sailors they could go
into shallow waters.
- Builders of the most superior sea going vessels of
their time.
- They were called Moros by Spanish.

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SLAVERY HOLDINGS
- Was a primary form of investments in sulu

SELLING RATE
- Refers to the exchange rate used by the bank to sell foreign
exchange to customers.

TAO PANG
- A tribal leader; the provider of slaves for southern sultanates.

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SLAVE RAIDING
-is a military raid for the purpose of capturing
people and bringing them from the raid area to serve
as slaves.

• They would bare a hole through the captured

people’s palm and put a string into it.
• It had been practiced among some tribe in the
Philippines and it was legal during 18th century.

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ACCORDING TO DR. JULIUS BAUTISTA SPANIARDS SHOULD DO:

 Prevent Islam in spreading up to northern part of the country

 Propagate Christianity

ACCORDING TO DR SAMUEL TAN, THE TERM “PIRATES”

 Misleading due to attacks they have done to the converted local Christianity located at the Northern
part of the country.
 These people ( Ilanun ) retaliated against the Spaniards to abolish and put a stop in the continual
spread of Christianity throughout the country.

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 PIRATE MONSOON
The well organized forces that is lunched for slave raiding the
coasts of Mindanao, Visayas, and Luzon, between July to
October called as the “Pirate Wind or Pirate Monsoon”

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 FORT PILAR
 Fortaleza del pilar ( Spanish: Real Fuerza de Nuestra Senora La Virgen del Pilar De Zaragoza ) is 17 th
century military defense fortress built by the Spanish colonial, Government of Zamboanga City on
Mindanao Island, Philippines. In defense against pirates and raiders of the sultan of Mindanao and Jolo
and upon the request of the Jesuit missionaries and Bishop Fray Pedro of Cebu, The Spanish governor
Juan Cerezo Salamanca approved the building of a stone fort in the year 1635. The fort originally called
“ Real Fuerza de San Jose”.

 Founded in 1635 as a garrison during the Spanish period, the Fort Pilar serve as a present day open-air
Shrine. Originally named as La Frueza Real de San Jose, the fort is named after and dedicated to our
lady of the pilar, the patroness of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga.

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FORT PILAR:

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 CONTENT: SYNOPSIS OF THE FILM

• The documentary addresses Moro resistance versus Spanish and American

rules in southern Philippines.
• Moro raids in costal areas demonstrated resistance versus Spanish rule.
• The much feared Dalasi attack in December 1720 failed although
Zamboanga was under siege.
• These raids were sanctioned by the sultan for political and economic motives.
• Slave-raiding was part of the bigger regional trade in island of southeast Asia.
• Colonial rule and armed conflicts in this region caused the impoverishment of
Muslim area.

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ANCIENT MARITIME VESSELS

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 LANONG

 Large outrigger warship used by the Iranun and the Banguingui people.

 Specialized for naval battles.

 Were prominently used for piracy and slave from the mid-18 th century to the early 19th century in
most southeast Asia.
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GARAY
 Traditional native warship of the Banguingui
people in the Philippines.
 Used for piracy by the Banguingui people and
Iranun people against unarmed trading ships and
raids on costal settlements in the regions
surrounding the sulu sea.
 The name garay means scattered or wandered in
the some language of banguingui.
 Were smaller, faster, and more maneuverable than
the Iranun Lanong warships.

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 SALISIPAN

o Auxiliary vessels
o Usually parts of the fleet with larger mother ships like Garay or Lanong warships. Among
Malayans, this type of boat is used as a passenger or war boat.
o Often used by the Iranun and Banguingui people of the Philippines for piracy and for raids on
coastal areas.

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ACIENT WEAPON OF THE
MORO PEOPLE

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BARONG

• Approximately one-meter long with single-edged leaf-shaped blade made

of thick tempered steel.

• Was used in close combat/hand to hand battle to cut down the Spanish fire
arms.

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MORO KRIS

• A weapon of warfare and ceremony.

• This are not only carried by slave raiders into battle but also by nobles and
high ranking officials of the southern Sultanate.

• Double edged with either smooth or wavy blades.

• The curving is for easily slashing – it would penetrate the bone and would
stick making it hard to pull.

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KAMPILAN

 Longest of the swords used primarily by the

ilanun.

 Heavily single edged sword often adorned

with hair to make it look even intimidating.

 At the tip of the blade, a projecting blunt

side was used to pick up the head of a
decapitated body.

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 PANGLIMA TAUPAN
Also known as Datu Taupan, he was the leader of the
sama banguingui of Zamboanga, Basilan and
Tonquil island. He fought for the independence of
his people against Spanish incursions and launched
raid against Spanish settlements. In 1848, Spanish
forces using “modern gunboat” finally took the
island after the fierce battle. Datu Taupan and his
followers were captured and were relocated Isabela
province in Northern Luzon.

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Why the Raiders of the Sulu Sea is important in the
history?

Throughout the three and half centuries of conflicts between

the Spanish and the populations of the southern Philippines,
maritime raiding played a key role, not only for the
accumulation of wealth and slaves, but also as “a means of
warfare and anticolonial resistance”.

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WHAT ARE THE CONTRIBUTION IN THE NARRATIVE OF
PHILIPPINE HISTORY?

• Filipino’s struggle for freedom

• Opposition towards western imperialism
• Political dynasty
• “Bangsamoro” title was well-known throughout the Malaysian
archipelago and among Muslim community
• Insistent resistant may have inspired Filipino revolutionaries

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WHAT ARE THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE?
I. Indigenous Filipino are willing to fight, to preserved their
culture from Spaniards.

II. Slavery during that time was legal and part of their
culture.

III. The conflict between tribe and Spaniards was more on

beliefs and religious, not from business or trade.
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