is an island
Province of the
Philippines located in the
Autonomous Region In Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Its capital is
Isabela City and is located just off the southern coast of
Zamboanga Peninsula . Basilan is the northernmost among the major islands of the
Sulu Archipelago .
Isabela inhabitants include Christians and Muslims from tribal groups such as the Tausugs, Samal Bangingihs, and Yakans
Philippine Department of Tourism . Tribal fishermen, farmers, small-store and market vendors favor the traditional native attire.
Basilan is seen as one of the strongholds of the
Islamic Separatist group, the
Abu Sayyaf . This group kidnapped a group of tourists from
Palawan and brought them to Basilan, including an
American Christian missionary couple.
Basilan is one of a system of 7,107 islands that make up the Philippine archipelago. Regionally, Basilan is part of the
Sulu Archipelago between the Philippine island of
Mindanao and
Borneo which includes about 400 islands. The island chain is one of two partial land bridges to Borneo and is an important migration route for birds. Basilan Strait, about 17 miles at its narrowest point, separates Basilan Island from the mainland of Mindanao and the port city of Zamboanga.
Basilan is subdivided into nine
Municipalities and two
Cities .
Isabela City on the northern ended of Basilan Island is the capital city. However, Isabela City is independent of the province and is actually part of the region of
Zamboanga Peninsula . Basilan used to be part of Western Mindanao (the former name of Zamboanga Peninsula), but in a recent plebiscite the residents of Basilan opted to join ARMM, with the exception of Isabela City.
]Agriculture is the main source of economic livelihood. Basilan's major products include coconut (primarily copra trading), rubber, coffee, black pepper, and palm oil. Other crops are palay, corn, cacao, cassava, black pepper and African palm oil. The island’s ocean waters produce grouper, tuna, squid, octopus, marlin and fishponds supply milkfish, prawns and shrimps. In addition, seaweed is cultivated along some coastal areas.
Local products also include weavings by members of the Yakan tribe. Yakans use fibers from plants such as pineapple for their weavings. The weavers traditionally used extracts from leaves, roots and barks to dye their fibers. However, contact with U.S. Peace Corp workers and Christian Filipinos has influenced Yakan textile art. One is influence is the introduction of chemical dyes.
Philippine Department of Tourism The museum of Lamitan displays the colorful and intricate designs of the traditional Yakan textiles and highlights of the traditional Yakan Festival called the Lami-lamihan.
The Basilan hostage crisis of 2001 raised questions about the economic future of Basilan. Operations by the militant Islamist separatist group
Abu Sayyaf reduced prospects for investment and tourism. However, increased presence by the Philippine and U.S. military in the area and the death of the Abu Sayyaf's leader, Khadafi Abubakar Janjalani, in 2006 have been followed by investments by the United States (USAID). Investments reportedly have created 40 new infrastructure projects in the conflict areas of Mindanao as of 2007.
"All-weather road to unlock Basilan's potential, The Gem Program . April 2, 2007. Projects include the Basilan Tuburan Road Improvement Project and improvements to Lamitan and Maluso Ports.
Smaller barangay infrastructure projects intended to help boost economic growth are also under development. For instance, authorities are building farm-to-market roads, community and trade centers, water projects, and pedestrian bridges; according to USAID information.
The island's early settlers were the Orang Dampuans originating from the islands of Eastern Indonesia, who were the ancestors of the Yakan.
The Yakans, inhabited the town until the
Spaniards under the command of Governor General
Sebastián Hurtado De Corcuera crushed it in
1637 .
Jesuit missionaries arrived a few years later. In anticipation of an invasion from the Chinese pirate-warlord Koxinga, that would devastate Manila, the Spanish authorities withdrew all stations in the south of the country to augment their forces holed up in Intramuros, temporarily freeing Zamboanga and Isabela from Spanish administration in
1663 .
The Spanish eventually returned, and after having established lucrative trading agreements with the native kingdoms that dotted the area, nearby Zamboanga experienced a revival in its economy. The increasingly wealthy Spanish trading post in Zamboanga became an even more sought after prize for the Muslim pirates of the era, so much so that the surrounding islands started to attract the attention of other foreign powers, and chief among these coveted islands was Basilan.
The
Dutch attacked Basilan in
1747 but were repulsed by the natives, who has by then organized a minor, short-lived fiefdom under the Tausug Datu Bantilan. The
French then attempted to occupy the island which they called Taguime in
1844 , but they, too, failed. Soon thereafter, the
Spaniards built a stone fort - Fuerte de Isabela Segunda - named after the Spanish child-queen of the time, Queen
Isabela II .
When the town of
Zamboanga became a chartered city in
1936 , it included Basilan. On
July 1 ,
1948 , by virtue of a bill filed by then congressman Juan S. Alano, Basilan itself became a separate city. The city was converted into a province on
December 27 ,
1973 after incessant fighting forced the hand of Filipino Dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos to issue a Presidential Decree to the effect. Initially, 10 Municipalities were created, and these were: Isabela, Lamitan, Maluso, Lantawan, Sumisip, Tipo-Tipo, Tuburan, Pilas, Tapiantana, and Malamawi. This was eventually reduced to seven municipalities, with the three outlying island-municipalities being merged with their nearest neighbor.
:
Administratively part of Zamboanga Peninsula region.
