TY  - BOOK
T1  - The testimonial narratives of the Tausug survivors during the militarization of Sulu and the 1974 Battle of Jolo: counter-history, identities, and collective memories
A1  - Salomon, Elgin Glenn R.
LA  - English
UL  - https://ds.mainlib.upd.edu.ph/Record/UP-99946688290010647
AB  - After the declaration of Martial Law, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) heavily militarized Mindanao including the Sulu archipelago to fight against the growing threats of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), a Muslim secessionist group that aimed to make Mindanao independent from the rest of the Philippines. However, the conflict reached its apex on February 7, 1974, when two-third of the town of Jolo in the province of Sulu was razed into ashes when the AFP launched operation Bagsik (Operation Fierce) to retake it from the MNLF.

Using semi-structure interviews and interrogation of various sources on the 1974 Battle of Jolo, I explore the use of testimonial narrative to uncover the lived experiences of the Tausug who witnessed the militarization of Sulu and the 1974 Battle of Jolo. I argue that as mediated by their identities, the testimonial narratives of the survivors reflect how they make sense of their wretched situation which would then contribute complexity to the mainstream, official, and hegemonic narrative of Martial Law in the Philippines. Therefore, these testimonial narratives would go beyond just a mere narration of the events from the vantage point of those who experienced the battle. Rather, I unravel the use of testimonial narratives of the survivors as counter-history to the dominant, monochromatic, and polarizing historiography of Marital Law that espouses anti-Marcos sentiments but ignored and silenced the complexity of ordinary people's experiences during this period and of the Philippine nation's history. At the same time, I examine how identities played their roles in their experiences and articulation of the battle. Lastly, I tackle the role of the memories of the Tausug survivors in reclaiming the narratives about this traumatic event in history through the transmission of the testimonial narratives to the next generation.

This study will answer the following questions: (1) How do these testimonial narratives illustrate Foucault's counter-history vis-a-vis mainstream and official account of Martial Law in Jolo?, (2) How do the identities of the survivors mediate in their testimonial narratives? and (3) How do the Tausug survivors construct the memories of the militarization of Sulu and the 1974 Battle of Jolo? Brought by the heightened militarization in Mindanao as mediated by the support of the United States and the centralization of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos' power, the survivors' narratives serve as an alternative source of knowledge on the marginalization of Mindanao during the repressive years of Martial Law. Reconstructing the life of the Tausug survivors, their stories then presented a shared sense of belonging to a particular community, the narratives of collective victimhood of the Filipinos and the Bangsamoro.
NO  - Includes bibliographical references
CN  - LG 995 2022 P46 S25
KW  - Moro National Liberation Front.
KW  - Martial Law : Philippines.
KW  - Muslims   : Political activity : Philippines : Mindanao Island.
KW  - Tausug (Philippine people)
KW  - Muslims : Social life and customs : Philippines .
KW  - Sulu (Philippines) : History : Autonomy and independence movements.
KW  - Philippines  : Politics and government.
ER  -