Philippines Embassy to Host Film Screening About ‘Moros’ People

Rabat – The Philippines’ Embassy in Rabat is organizing a film screening on May 28 to shed light on Moro people, the Muslim inhabitants of the Southeast Asian country, and deepen the understanding of the country’s history.

Moros, who are descendants of the early Malay, Arab, and Indian migrants into the Philippines from as early as the 13th century, belong to three ethnic groups: the Maguindanaoans, the Maranaos, and the Tausugs.

Scheduled to be held at the Rabat headquarters of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) at 7:00 p.m. The embassy’s event will feature the screening of the short documentary “Ing paglayag” by Moro filmmaker Rhadem Musawah, Regine Guevara, Asia TV producer told MWN.

The term “Moro” holds a different meaning in North Africa as many people use it to refer to those from the region.

Moroccans are often casually referred to as “moros” by non-Muslims. Spaniards also occasionally use the term to refer to all migrants or all Muslims.

The 30-minutes documentary to be screened at the embassy’s event revolves around the forgotten history of Sulu, the kingdom that birthed the Filipino Moro nation. It narrates the great voyage of the Balangay – the first wooden boat that was excavated in Southeast Asia – with Sulu’s eastern King to China 600 years ago.

Muslim Filipinos represent only 5% out of 82 million inhabitants of the Philippines, and they are concentrated in the southern Islands of Mindanao and Sulu.

Before Spain took control of the region, the Philippines’ southern Islands had the largest presence of Muslim communities who benefitted from flourishing trade and commerce activities across the Malay regions, according to a report by the US Institute of Peace (USIP).

The report argues that Muslim Filipinos resisted Spanish colonization for three centuries and were perceived as the “enemies” of the Spinards, who began to call them by the name of “Moros,” like how they referred to people from Morocco and Mauritania.

Produced by AsiaTV studios, the short documentary to be screened at the embassy’s ceremony marks the beginning of a month-long heritage journey of the Philippines in Morocco, Guevara added.

The screening comes as a celebration of this year’s Philippine National Heritage Month, an annual festival aimed at highlighting the importance of preserving and promoting local heritage within a community and its impact in shaping Philippine cultural identity.

The embassy will wrap up the month-long celebration with a fashion show in Marrakech on June 15. The show will feature Moro designer Azizah Talusan, who is also the founder of Hers Laha, a clothing brand based in Zamboanga City in Philippines specializing in Abaya.