Dansalan Declaration

The Dansalan Declaration was published by Philippine Muslims on March 18, 1935 requesting not to be included in the Philippines and be granted separate independence by the United States.

The declaration was prepared by Didato Amai Manabilang and one hundred twenty datus of Lanao, with 30 sultans who signed a strongly worded letter, popularly known as "Dansalan Declaration" to the U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the U.S. congress that in the U.S. grant of Philippine independence, Mindanao and its Muslim inhabitants should not be included and should remain under American rule to be granted separate independence at the right time. The Declaration stressed that Luzon and the Visayas are Christian-dominated while Mindanao is predominantly Muslims and therefore the two people with different religion and culture cannot peacefully co-exist with one another.

The Dansalan Declaration was introduced by Congressman Robert Bacon (Democrat, Ohio) as an amendment to the Philippine Independence bill at the U.S Congress but was defeated by the lobby of pro-Philippine Independence leaders led by President Manuel L. Quezon.

Many Muslim scholars believe that had the U.S. Congress adopted the Dansalan Declaration the secessionist wars for an independent Mindanao state waged by the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and other extremist groups would have been prevented. The secessionist wars which continued to this day have claimed the lives of more than 100,000 mostly Muslim lives and 10,000 soldiers and policemen.

References