(Opening message of Mucha-Shim L. Quiling, representative of the NCCA-NCLA Executive Council Western Mindanao and Sulu Archipelago at the opening of Tahik Anugpat: 1st Sulu National Literary Conference held in Sulu at the Notre Dame of Jolo College last week). ALHAMDULILLAH!
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 8 October) — Premarital relationships or pregnancies outside of marriage, which are considered haram (forbidden) in Islamic teachings, and poverty are among the major drivers that perpetuate child marriage in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in
In the southernmost parts of the Philippines, between the Celebes and Sulu Seas, lies the archipelagic province of Sulu. This part of the country, which stretches from the Zamboanga Peninsula to the eastern shores of Sabah, Malaysia, has long grappled
MANILA (MindaNews / 5 Sept) — “Mas madali pa ang umilag-ilag sa mga bala ng gyera sa aming lugar kaysa magsalita dito sa forum (It seems far easier to dodge bullets in the armed skirmishes in our village than to
PATIKUL, Sulu (MindaNews / 28 Aug) — In a region long scarred by armed insurgency, the municipality of Patikul has taken a transformative step toward healing and renewal. Local leaders, civil society groups, and government agencies gathered here Thursday to
3 MILF fighters die in ambush by rival faction Three members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front were killed while three others were wounded when their three-vehicle convoy was ambushed by a rival MILF faction in Maguindanao del Sur last
COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 8 August) – In the January 2019 plebiscite, the Province of Sulu said “no” to its inclusion in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Around that time (December 2018), Sulu—alongside two others—petitioned the Supreme
MindaNews / 08 August – “Sa lahat ng ating kapatid na Tausug sa Sulu (To all our brothers and sisters in Sulu), please know that you are never forgotten.” Bangsamoro Interim Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua made the assurance Thursday to
17 poultry farms in Misamis Oriental suspended The operations of 17 poultry chicken farms in Alubijud town, Misamis Oriental were ordered suspended starting Wednesday amid public health concerns. Reynaldo Digamo, Environmental Management Bureau Region 10 director said the suspension came after
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 5 Aug) — Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan II said that most workers who lost or are about to lose their jobs because of the shift from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) do not
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 5 Aug) — Sulu Gov. Abdusakur “Toto” Tan II is pleased with his province’s inclusion in the Zamboanga Peninsula following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s issuance of Executive Order No. 91, s. 2025 last week. While there
MindaNews / 02 August – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday issued Executive Order (EO) 91, declaring Sulu as part of the Zamboanga Peninsula or Region 9, almost a year after the Supreme Court ruling excluding the province from
PATIKUL, Sulu (MindaNews / 13 July) – From war zone to peace zone. For approximately 30 years, this municipality had been the site of many armed encounters between the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Residents and visitors flock to Tanduh Beach in Parang, Sulu on Saturday, 05 July 2025. The beach is a 30-minute ride from the capital town of Jolo. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 04 July) – Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MNLF) members who have undergone socioeconomic profiling by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (Opapru) have received cash assistance of P45,000 each or a
Local tourists enjoy the scenery in the half-kilometer long Tanduh white beach in Barangay Tumangas, Parang municipality in Sulu on Monday (30 June 2025). The beach is located 25 kilometers away from capital town Jolo. MindaNews photo by JULES BENITEZ
At the seashore on Monday (23 June 2025), the 20-year-old Sherfa, a Badjao from Puw’-Puw’, Angilan, Omar, Sulu, meticulously weaves coconut fronds for the wall and roof of her house along the seashore to shield herself and her family from the scorching sun, heavy rain, and gusty winds. MindaNews photo by GAMSON JR MAWALLIL QUIJANO
KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 10 June) — The Bangsamoro Parliament is fast-tracking the passage of the proposed reallocation of the seven parliamentary district seats in Sulu province, which the Supreme Court excluded from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
When President Manuel L. Quezon visited the province of Sulu, he took a swim at Barangay Igasan’s white sand beach in the municipality of Patikul. Since then, it was named Quezon Beach. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
This makeshift classroom in Barangay Maligay in Patikul, Sulu caters to 40 Kindergarten up to Grade III students. Residents constructed the school as part of their community rehabilitation program after Patikul was declared insurgency free in December 2023. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
MAGLALAHING. A copra producer (maglalahing) in Barangay Tugas in Patikul, Sulu works in his small tapahan (kiln) on Tuesday (20 May 2025. Copra production is the main agricultural product of Sulu, apart from fisheries. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
Download candidate lists for the 2025 elections in all Mindanao provinces, including Davao del Sur, Bukidnon, Zamboanga del Norte, Maguindanao, and more. The 2025 Philippine midterm elections are fast approaching, and voters across Mindanao’s provinces are preparing to select new
JOLO, Sulu (MindaNews / 18 April) – Nora Aunor’s passing marks the end of my sister Rose and my generation’s fangirling and stalking the brightest Star of all. Her album covers were the FaceBook of our time, her shy insecure
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 13 April) — From the heart of Southern Mindanao, where the turquoise waters of the Sulu Sea meet the emerald shores, I express my deep sorrow over the disunity affecting our Muslim Ummah. In the Sulu
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (MindaNews / 06 March) — Imagine yourself living in Sulu in 1901 and the Spaniards who never penetrated the area have just packed up and left their tiny forts in the various islands and, in Jolo the
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 27 February) – The redistricting of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), due to the removal of Sulu from the region, could be done on or before the regional elections on October 13, an
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 27 November) – It’s final: Sulu is out of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) as the Supreme Court En Banc on Tuesday denied the motions for partial reconsideration that sought to reverse
NAGA CITY (MindaNews / 28 October) – “Chinese-Tausug native” lawyer Ancheta K. Tan proposes two Bangsamoro autonomous regions, one of which would be anchored on Sulu province and the Tausug tribe. He thus concurs with the Supreme Court Decision in
COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 19 October) – Police commands in the island-provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi (BaSulTa) are on high alert following the kidnapping of an American who was reportedly brought there by his armed abductors, an official said.
After roughly 10 hours of night boat ride from Zamboanga City, one reaches the Port of Jolo in Sulu shortly before 6 o’clock in the morning to the welcoming sight of the Grand Mosque and the calls of the Bajau in their bancas. MindaNews photo by JULES L. BENITEZ
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 30 September) – I had this impulse to aptly draw a cartoon: “Joker in the pack bending over while holding a giant silver plate (not platter) with a giant silver bullet on it; balancing himself in
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews /30 September) – Employees of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the province of Sulu need not worry. Governor Abdusakur “Sakur” Tan said arrangements have been made to ensure they receive their salaries even
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 24 September) – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has rejected the proposal to extend again the interim Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) beyond June 30, 2025, as it geared to participate in the historic parliamentary elections
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 22 September) — The Philippines, a diverse archipelago in Southeast Asia, is often celebrated for its cultural diversity. It intertwines indigenous traditions, Spanish colonial legacies, and influences from various globalized narratives. One of the most significant
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 20 September) — The recent ruling by the Supreme Court regarding the exclusion of Sulu from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has sent shockwaves through the political landscape of the southern Philippines. This
Salamat Mauludun Nabiy 1446HSalamat 634th Sulu Year of Governance 2024CE MAULUDUN NABI or commemorating the Islamic prophet’s birth is not to be politicized let alone weaponized, while a bureaucratic institution celebrating its more than sixth centennial of political milestone with
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 18 Sept)—For the regional director of the Commission on Elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Comelec-BARMM), there are two options for the parliamentary elections to push through after the Supreme Court ruled that
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 15 September) — This subsequent write-up is essential before concluding my commentary and moving on to the next phase of uncertain power dynamics, which contains a personal journey toward peace and development. It will help explain
Lupah Sug, where skies embrace the sea,A land of beauty, wild and free,With mountains tall and rivers pure,In your embrace, my soul is sure. Your forests hum with whispers sweet,Where earth and heaven gently meet,Oh, how I long to walk
Stir not the grassesby gentle breeze it trembles In the womb of slumber it recoils Its coolness sends chill to the boneswracking its nerves to fiery storm Oblivious to Destiny in storeFret not Dear BelovedIt’s decreed to its measure Take heedNever does our
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 12 Sept)—Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan said he is optimistic that the ruling of the Supreme Court to exclude his province from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will bring better and faster development in
COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 11 Sept)—The decision of the Supreme Court on this case involving the constitutionality of the Bangsamoro Organic Law and on the status of the province of Sulu in relation to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim
Maudi Maadil ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 11 September)—In the complex landscape of Philippine politics, the case of Sulu and its relationship with the BARMM reveals the nuanced interplay of political interests, sovereignty, and identity. As a native of Sulu and
KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 09 September) — The Supreme Court (SC) has ruled that Sulu is not part of the Bangsamoro region after the province rejected the ratification of Republic Act 11054 or the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous
P20-M smuggled cigarettes seized in Sulu Navy personnel intercepted a motorboat carrying 350 boxes of smuggled cigarettes worth over P20 million in Sulu last Sunday. Rear Admiral Francisco Tagamolila Jr., commander of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao said BRP Laurence
On August 17, 1976, a devastating midnight earthquake on the Cotabato Trench caused a huge tsunami that hit the island of Mindanao.
DOHA, Qatar (MindaNews / 21 July) — It is undeniable that at one point in history, Sulu thrived as a peaceful, progressive, prosperous, and sovereign nation under the competent leadership of the Sulu Sultanate. I am proud to say that
