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| Outcome |
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| There being one autonomous region (yes) or more than one (no) | ||
| National government controlling the autonomous regions | ||
The 1977 Southern Philippines autonomy plebiscite was a plebiscite to create an autonomous region (or two) held on April 17, 1977 in parts of Mindanao and Palawan in the Philippines.
The Philippine national government and the Moro National Liberation Front signed the Tripoli Agreement which was brokered by Libya under Muammar Gaddafi on December 23, 1976 where it was agreed that an autonomous region in the southern Philippines would be created. The Philippine government insisted for a plebiscite to be held. [1]
Originally scheduled to be held on February 21, 1977, [2] the plebiscite was delayed to March 17 of the same year. [3] The vote was postponed again to April 17, 1977.
The delay in the implementation caused tensions between the two parties. As a compromise, Gaddafi, the special envoy and First Lady Imelda Marcos came up with a proposal for the Philippine government to proclaim an autonomous region with a provisional government. [1] On March 25, 1977, a provisional autonomous region known as Southern Philippines covering the areas under the scope of the then-planned plebiscite was declared. [4] [5]
The Moro National Liberation Front urged for a boycott of the plebiscite. [6] But voting was still held.
Participants of the plebiscite voted in favor of autonomy for Western Mindanao (Region IX) and Central Mindanao (Region XII) while a proposal to merge the regions into one autonomous region was rejected. [7]
The plebiscite covered the following areas: [3]
Southern Tagalog – Region IV
Western Mindanao – Region IX
Southern Mindanao – Region XI
Central Mindanao – Region XII
| Preface |
|---|
| Pursuant to the Tripoli Agreement of December 23, 1976 and the agreement between President Marcos of the Philippines and President Ghaddafi of March 18-19, 1977, President Marcos issued proclamation No. 1628 declaring autonomy in the Provinces of Lanao de Sur, Lanao del Norte, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Palawan, Davao del Sur and South Cotabato. The agreement between President Marcos and President Ghaddafi also provides that the people be asked how to organize themselves administratively within the areas of the autonomy through a referendum. |
| Basic questions |
1. There is a proposal that these 13 provinces will be finally organized into a single region of the autonomy. Do you approve such a proposal?
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2. There is a proposal that the administrative system in the area of the autonomy will be ruled or controlled by the Moro National Liberation Front with full and complete authority.
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3. There is a proposal that the region of the autonomy will have its own flag, official language and seal separate and distinct from the flag, national language and seal of the National Government.
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4. There is a proposal that the region of the autonomy be called autonomous Bangsamoro Islamic Region and the inhabitants thereof the Bangsamoro.
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5. There is a proposal that the region of the autonomy shall have its own Court of Appeals and Supreme Court to be created by the Government of the region of the autonomy.
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6. There is a proposal to grant to the region of the autonomy the power of general legislation including taxation similar to that of the national assembly of the National Government.
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7. There is a proposal to empower the MNLF to organize and utilize in the region of the autonomy a security force to maintain peace and order separate from the outside of the supervision and control of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Integrated National Police or any other office or offices of the National Government.
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8. There is a proposal that the Executive Council of the region of the autonomy shall be headed by a chief minister and a deputy chief minister to be elected by the regional legislative assembly with the concurrence of the central committee of the MNLF and who shall be the commander-in-chief of the regional security force with the power to organize, control and supervise its operations and activities.
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9. There is a proposal that the accounts of the region of the autonomy shall be audited only by a regional commission and not by the National Commission on Audit, as provided by the Philippine Constitution.
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10. There is a proposal that the Administrative system in the region of the autonomy shall be under the general supervision and control of the National Government of the Philippines through its appropriate instrumentalities as provided for in the proposal of the Batasang Bayan adopted in its special session last 14 February 1977 which includes the creation of a regional assembly with members elected by the qualified voters of the region and an executive council to be chosen by the regional assembly who may or may not be members of the said assembly.
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| Additional questions |
For voters in the province of Tawi-Tawi |
For voters in the Provinces of Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato and Maguindanao |
For voters in the Province of Basilan |
Davao del Sur, Palawan and South Cotabato rejected inclusion to the Regional Autonomous Government.
A yes vote meant there should be just one autonomous region, while a no vote meant the existing regional setup should then determine how many autonomous regions there should be.
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
 No | 2,939,991 | 97.86 |
| Yes | 64,401 | 2.14 |
| Total votes | 3,004,392 | 100.00 |
| Source: Associated Press via The Evening News | ||
| 1977 Southern Philippines autonomy plebiscite results (excluding invalid votes) | |
|---|---|
| Against 2,939,991 (97.9%) | |
| ▲ 50% | |
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
 Yes | 2,499,375 | 97.44 |
| No | 65,612 | 2.56 |
| Valid votes | 2,564,987 | 99.18 |
| Invalid or blank votes | 21,176 | 0.82 |
| Total votes | 2,586,163 | 100.00 |
| Source: PD 1618, s. 1979 | ||
| 1977 Southern Philippines autonomy plebiscite results (excluding invalid votes) | |
|---|---|
| For 2,499,375 (97.4%) | |
| ▲ 50% | |
Two Regional Autonomous Governments (RAGs) in Western Mindanao and Central Mindanao were established which the MNLF protested since they prefer a single autonomous region. Furthermore voters from outside these regions rejected the inclusion of their localities to these autonomous areas. [9]
Mindanao is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of the same name that also includes its adjacent islands, notably the Sulu Archipelago. According to the 2020 census, Mindanao had a population of 26,252,442, while the entire island group had an estimated population of 27,021,036.
In the Philippines, provinces are one of its primary political and administrative divisions. There are 82 provinces at present, which are further subdivided into component cities and municipalities. The local government units in the National Capital Region, as well as independent cities, are independent of any provincial government. Each province is governed by an elected legislature called the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and an elected governor.
In the Philippines, regions are administrative divisions that primarily serve to coordinate planning and organize national government services across multiple local government units (LGUs). Most national government offices provide services through their regional branches instead of having direct provincial or city offices. Regional offices are usually but not necessarily located in the city designated as the regional center.
Lanao del Norte, officially the Province of Lanao del Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Tubod.
Maguindanao was a province of the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). From 2014 to 2022, its provincial capital was Buluan, but the legislative branch of government, the Maguindanao Provincial Board, convened at the old provincial capitol in Sultan Kudarat. It bordered Lanao del Sur to the north, Cotabato to the east, Sultan Kudarat to the south, and Illana Bay to the west.
Cotabato or formerly but still colloquially known as North Cotabato, officially the Province of Cotabato, is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen region in Mindanao. Its capital is the city of Kidapawan, the most populous in the province. Some of its municipalities are under the jurisdiction of the nearby Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.
Soccsksargen, formerly known as Central Mindanao, is an administrative region of the Philippines, designated as Region XII. Located in south-central Mindanao, its name is an acronym that stands for the region's four provinces and one highly urbanized city. The regional center is in Koronadal, located in the province of South Cotabato, and the center of commerce and industry is General Santos, which is the most populous city in the region.
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao was an autonomous region of the Philippines, located in the Mindanao island group of the Philippines, that consisted of five predominantly Muslim provinces: Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. It was the only region that had its own government. The region's de facto seat of government was Cotabato City, although this self-governing city was outside its jurisdiction.
Islam in the Philippines is the second largest religion in the country, and the faith was the first-recorded monotheistic religion in the Philippines. Historically, Islam reached the Philippine archipelago in the 14th century, through contact with Muslim Malay and Arab merchants along Southeast Asian trade networks, in addition to Yemeni missionaries from the tribe of Alawi of Yemen from the Persian Gulf, southern India, and their followers from several sultanates in the wider Malay Archipelago. The first missionaries then followed in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. They facilitated the formation of sultanates and conquests in mainland Mindanao and Sulu. Those who converted to Islam came to be known as the Moros, with Muslim conquest reaching as far as Tondo that was later supplanted by Bruneian Empire vassal-state of Maynila.
Amai Manabilang, officially the Municipality of Amai Manabilang, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Lanao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 12,124 people.
General elections were held for the first time on February 12, 1990, in the newly created Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao for the regional governor and vice governor.
Formal peace negotiations between the Government of the Philippines and the various armed groups involved in the Moro conflict began in 1976 when the Government of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front first met to negotiate towards the 1976 Tripoli Agreement, and most recently reached a major milestone in the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) through a plebiscite in 2018, leading to the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. However, conflicts with other smaller armed groups continue to exist.
Bangsamoro, officially the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, is an autonomous region in the Philippines, located in the southwestern portion of the island of Mindanao.
An autonomous region of the Philippines is a first-level administrative division that has the authority to control a region's culture and economy. The Constitution of the Philippines allows for two autonomous regions: in the Cordilleras and in Muslim Mindanao. Currently, Bangsamoro, which largely consists of the Muslim-majority areas of Mindanao, is the only autonomous region in the country.
The 1976 Tripoli Agreement was signed on December 23, 1976 in Tripoli, Libya by Carmelo Z. Barbero, representing the Government of the Philippines and Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front. The agreement defined autonomous administrative divisions for Muslims in the southern Philippines, the establishment of an autonomous government, judicial system for Sharia law and special security forces, and the observance of a ceasefire. The autonomous region was to have its own economic system, including an Islamic bank.
The Jeddah Accord was signed on January 3–4, 1987 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia by Aquilino Pimentel Jr., representing the Government of the Philippines and Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front. The two panels agreed upon the continued discussion of the proposal of the grant of full autonomy to Mindanao, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Palawan subject to democratic processes.
The International Monitoring Team (IMT) was a monitoring team composed of 60 members headquartered in Cotabato City, Mindanao of the Philippines to monitor the implementation of peace between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and one of the largest rebels in the region, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the Moro conflict. The team is led by Malaysia, followed by Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Japan, Libya, Norway and subsequently the European Union.
The 2019 Bangsamoro autonomy plebiscite was a two-part plebiscite held in Mindanao, Philippines, that ratified the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) and replaced the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), as well as the scope of the said region.
Separatism in the Philippines refers to bids for secession or greater autonomy for certain areas in the Philippines. The scope of the article includes such efforts since the Philippine Revolution both currently and historical.
The 1989 Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao creation plebiscite was a creation plebiscite held on November 17, 1989, in parts of Mindanao and Palawan in the Philippines.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain : "Presidential Decree No. 1111, s. 1977". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. March 30, 1977. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
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| Autonomous regional elections | |
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| Sangguniang Kabataan elections | |
| Regional-level plebiscites | |
| Provincial-level plebiscites | |
| Municipal- and city-level plebiscites | |
