HISTORY

T he Orang Dampuans were the ancient people of Basilan. They are believed to be the ancestors of the modern Yakan who populate the island’s interior. Tausugs and Samals settled along the coast bringing Islam to the island and converting the Yakans. During the 17th century, Lamitan in Basilan was a stronghold of Kudarat, Sultan of Maguindanao. In 1637, a strong Spanish force led by Governor General Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera captured Lamitan but in 1663, the Spanish troops on the island were withdrawn.

The Spaniards were not alone in coveting Basilan. The Dutch attempted to seize the island in 1747 but were thwarted by the locals. In 1844, the French tried to occupy the island but likewise failed. Later that year the Spaniards built a stone fort, the Fuerza de Isabela, on Basilan to end further attempts by rival European powers to take it. However, the Spanish hold on the interior remained tenuous.

In 1901, Basilan became part of Zamboanga and an increasing number of Chabacanos and Visayans settled in the town of Isabela to work on rubber plantations. The island became a chartered city by virtue of Republic Act No. 288 in 1948. In 1973, through Presidential Decree No. 356, the City of Basilan was turned into the province of Basilan and the town of Isabela became the capital.

Bangsa Moro secessionist guerrillas actively operated in Basilan at the height of the struggle for an independent homeland in the 1970s. In the late 1980s, Basilan became the center of operations of an extremist group called the Abu Sayyaf.