AUTONOMOUS

REGION INMUSLIMMINDANAO

ARMM

Created by virtue of Republic Act 6734 otherwise known as the Organic Act of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which was signed into law by then President Corazon C. Aquino on August 1, 1989 and ratified through a plebiscite in November 19, 1989.

It was originally composed of the four (4) provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.

The region was strengthened and expanded through the passage of Republic Act 9054 in 2001 as an offshoot of the signing of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA) between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).The plebiscite was conducted on September 2001 and resulted to the inclusion of the province of Basilan and Marawi City in the area of autonomous region.

ARMM is home of 4.1 million population as of 2007 and has a total land area of 27,581.79 square kilometers, mostly devoted to agriculture.

The economy of the region is dominantly agriculture and fishery and most of the people are fisherfolks and farmers. Some of them are engaged in small and medium entrepreneurship and few industries, mostly in the processing of agricultural outputs like starch manufacturing.

The region has per capita gross regional domestic product of only P3,433.00 in 2005, which is 75.8 percent lower than the national average of P14,186.00. It is the lowest compared to the other regions in the country.

It is the country's poorest region, where average annual income was just P89,000 pesos in 2006, less than 1/3 of Metro Manila level.

GEOGRAPHY The ARMM spans two geographical areas:

Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao (except Cotabato City) in south

western Mindanao, and the island provinces of Basilan (except Isabela City), Sulu and Tawi-Tawi in the Sulu

Archipelago. The region covers a total of 12,288 km²

The ARMM is politically subdivided

into five (5) provinces, two (2) component cities,

one hundred eighteen (118)

municipalities and two thousand four hundred fifty nine (2,459) barangays.

HISTORY For the most part of Philippines' history, the

region and most of Mindanao has been a separate territory, which enabled it to develop its own culture and identity. The region has been the traditional homeland of Muslim Filipinos since the 15th century, even before the arrival of the Spanish who began to colonize most of the Philippines in 1565. Muslim missionaries arrived in Tawi-Tawi in 1380 and started the conversion of the native population to Islam. In 1457, the Sultanate of Sulu was founded, and not long after that the sultanates of Maguindanao and Buayan were also established. At the time when most of the Philippines was under Spanish rule.

These sultanates maintained their independence and regularly challenged

Spanish domination of the Philippines by conducting raids on Spanish coastal towns in

the north and repulsing repeated Spanish incursions in their territory. It was not until

the last quarter of the 19th century that the Sultanate of Sulu formally recognized Spanish sovereignty, but these areas

remained loosely controlled by the Spanish as their sovereignty was limited to military

stations and garrisons and pockets of civilian settlements in Zamboanga

and Cotabato, until they had to abandon the region as a consequence of their defeat in

the Spanish-American War.

SEAL PROVINCE CAPITAL POPULATION(2010)

Area(km²)

Pop. density

(per km²)

Basilan IsabelaCity 293,222 1,994.1 147.0

Lanao del Sur Marawi 933,260 12,051.9 77.4

Maguindanao Shariff Aguak 944,718 7,142.0 132.2

Sulu Jolo 719,290 2,135.3 336.4

Tawi-Tawi Bongao 366,550 3,426.6 107.0

BASILAN

Basilan is home to three main ethnic groups, the indigenous Yakans and the later-arriving Tausugs and Chavacanos. The Yakans and Tausugs are predominantly Muslim, while the Chavacanos are mainly Christian. There are also a number of smaller groups. Although the official languages are Filipinoand English, the major language is Yakan, but other languages are well represented, including Tausug, Samal, and Zamboangueño Chavacano

GEOGRAPHY Basilan is located between latitudes 6°15'

and 7°00', and longitudes 121°15' and 122°30'. The island is bordered by the Basilan Strait to the north, the Sulu Sea to the northwest and west, the Moro Gulf to the northeast, and the Celebes Sea to the south, southeast and east. It is one of the 7,107 islands that make up the Philippine archipelago.

PROVINCE OF LANAO DEL SUR

Lanao del Sur is a province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The capital is the Islamic City of Marawi and it borders Lanao del Norte to the north, Bukidnon to the east, and Maguindanao and Cotabato to the south. To the southwest lies Illana Bay, an arm of the Moro Gulf. Found in the interior of Lanao del Sur is Lanao Lake, the largest lake in Mindanao.

SULTANATE OF LANAO Lanao comes from the word ranao,

meaning "lake." Lanao centers on the basin of Lake Lanao; thus, it is the land of the Maranaos, the "people of the lake."

Lanao is the seat of the Sultanate of Lanao. When the Spaniards first explored Lanao in

1689, they found a well-settled community named Dansalan at the lake's northern end. Dansalan became a municipality in 1907 and a city in 1940

JOINING THE ARMM In a 1989 plebiscite, Lanao del Sur voted

to join the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), but Marawi City elected to remain outside ARMM. It later joined ARMM in 2001 following the plebiscite that sought to expand the autonomous region.

TAWI-TAWI

is an island province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The capitals of Tawi-Tawi are Bongao and PanglimaSugala. The province is the southernmost of the country sharing sea borders with the Malaysian State of Sabah and the Indonesian North Kalimantan province. To the northeast lies the province of Sulu and to the west is Sabah in Malaysia. Tawi-Tawi also covers some islands in the Sulu Sea to the northwest, the Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi Island and theTurtle Islands, just 20 kilometers away from Sabah.

Tawi-Tawi was previously part of the province of Sulu. On September 11, 1973, pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 302, the new province of Tawi-Tawi was officially created, separate from Sulu. The seat of the provincial government was established in Bongao.

The name of Tawi-Tawi is a projection of the Malay word "jauh" meaning "far." Prehistoric travelers from the Asian mainland would repeat the word as "jaui-jaui" to mean "far away" because of the distance of the islands from the continent of Asia. The word "Tawi-Tawi" was picked up to later become the official name of the province.

ECONOMY Agriculture, fishing, and agar-agar

farming are the leading source of livelihood of the people of Tawi-Tawi, with quite a number engaged in the barter trade business. Copra is the top agricultural product, followed by root crops, fruits, and vegetables

MAGUINDANAO

Maguindanao is a province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Its capital is ShariffAguak. It borders Lanao del Sur to the north, Cotabato to the east, and Sultan Kudarat to the south

GOVERNMENT Maguindanao is divided into 

two congressional districts, which elect members to the House of Representatives. For the brief period that the province of Shariff Kabunsuan existed, Maguindanao became a lone-district province. Since the appointment of a new set of provincial officials for the reunified province of Maguindanao by the ARMM Governor in January 2009.

The provincial government has reverted to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan setup (coterminous with the restored 1st and 2nd Congressional districts of Maguindanao) from before Shariff Kabunsuan was created.

Having elected to join the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Maguindanao also sends six representatives (three per district) to the ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly that convenes in Cotabato City.

2009 ELECTION VIOLENCE On November 23, 2009, a 2010

gubernatorial election caravan supporting Esmael Mangudadatu, vice mayor of Buluan, was attacked.Fifty-seven people were killed, including Mangudadatu's wife and sisters, supporters, local journalists, and bystanders.On December 4, 2009 a number of homes belonging to the Ampatuan political family were raided in connection with the massacre.

SULU

is an autonomous island province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Its capital is Jolo and occupies the middle group of islands of the Sulu Archipelago, between Basilan and Tawi-Tawi.

HISTORY The peaceful advent of Islam around 1138

through merchants and traders had a distinct influence on Southeast Asia. The coming of Arabs, Persians and other Muslims paved the way for the arrival of religious missionaries, traders, scholars and travelers to Sulu and Mindanao in the 12th century.

ECONOMY The province of Sulu is predominantly

agricultural with farming and fishing as its main livelihood activities. Its fertile soil and ideal climate can grow a variety of crops such as abaca, coconuts, oranges, and lanzones as well as exotic fruits seldom found elsewhere in the country such as durian and mangosteen.

Fishing is the most important industry since the Sulu Sea is one of the richest fishing grounds in the country. The province also have an extensive pearl industry. Pearls are extensively gathered and a pearl farm is established at Marungas Island. The backs of sea turtlesare made into beautiful trays and combs. During breaks from fishing, the people build boats and weave mats. Other industries include coffee processing and fruit preservation.

Tourist spots of ARMM

Houses on Stilts

A typical fishermen’s village at Sapa-Sapa, Tawi-Tawi. The Sama and Tausug houses are built on stilts.

Are an indigenous ethnic group of Maritime Southeast Asia. Bajau continue to live a seaborne lifestyle.

Bajau Kids

Benolen Hot Spring

Ligawasan Marsh

Ligawasan Marsh is the largest swamp and marsh area in Mindanao and one of the largest in the Philippines.

Seit Lake, Panamao, Sulu

Bunbun Beach

Powdery white beach sand, pristine waters and a breathtaking view at Bunbun Beach, Patikul, Sulu.