Ilaga
| Ilaga | |
|---|---|
| Participant in Moro conflict | |
| Active | 1971–1979 2008–? (re-formed as 'New Ilaga') |
| Ideology | Folk Catholicism |
| Leaders | Norberto Manero, Jr. (formerly) |
| Headquarters | North Cotabato |
| Area of operations | Mindanao, Philippines |
| Opponents |
 Moro National Liberation Front (until 1979) Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters
|
The Ilaga is a Christian extremistparamilitary group based in southern Philippines. The group is predominantly composed of Visayans (mostly Ilonggo), embracing a form of Folk Catholicism that utilizes amulets and violence. The group complemented the Philippine Constabulary as a militia force during the 1970s in southern Mindanao while fighting against Moro guerrillas during the Moro insurgency in the Philippines.
The group committed its bloodiest act on June 19, 1971, when the group killed 70–79Moro civilians inside a mosque.
The Mindanao region is rich in natural resources, including large quantities of mineral reserves. The American colonial government and subsequently the Philippine government pursued a policy of migration by resettling significant numbers of Christian Filipino settlers from the Visayas and Luzon onto tracts of land in Mindanao, beginning in the 1920s. This policy allowed Christian Filipinos to outnumber both the Moro and Lumad populations by the 1970s, which was a contributing factor in aggravating grievances between the Moro and Filipino Christian settlers as disputes over land increased. Another grievance by the Moro people is the extraction of Mindanao's natural resources by the central government whilst many Moros continued to live in poverty.
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