Maas Kamlon’s Leadership: Resistance, Negotiation, and the Path to Establishing Mindanao State University

The historical resistance movements in the Sulu Archipelago represented a powerful event of transformative leadership during the pre-colonial period and through American colonialism, given that the Sulu Sultanate was a formidable maritime state. This research explores the multifaceted dynamics of resistance and negotiation in the context of Maas Kamlon, a visionary folk hero from Luuk, Sulu Archipelago, aiming to unveil the transformative pathways that culminate in an innovative agreement for the establishment of a new academic institution later named Mindanao State University. This paper employed a historical research of resistance and negotiations qualitatively from news reports, academic papers, and biopic films, including 11 in-depth interviews with family members and selected individuals, to investigate Maas Kamlon’s nature of resistance and negotiation strategies through transformative leadership. The research findings underline the historical roots of resistance in the Sulu Archipelago and the life of Maas Kamlon, including the timeline of events in which he initiated resistance and engaged in negotiations. Moreover, by employing Burns’ theory of leadership and Galtung’s theory of positive peace, the establishment of this academic institution symbolizes a transformative initiative to address systemic inequalities and expand educational opportunities for marginalized Muslim and IP communities. Ultimately, it is hoped that this research can serve as a means to incorporate historical events in the Philippines, particularly within history courses.