Background
In 1978, then President Ferdinand E. Marcos
created the Southern Philippine Development Authority (SPDA) which
took over the government programs for the Muslims and later became
the Ministry of Muslim Affairs and the Presidential Assistance on
National Minorities (PANAMIN), which took over the government programs
for the Non-Muslim or other tribal groups. One of its main tasks
was to integrate into the mainstream of society certain ethnic groups
which seek full integration into the larger community and at the
same time protect the rights of those who wish to preserve their
original lifeways beside the larger community (P.D. 1414, 1978).
Before the collapse of the Marcos regime, however, PANAMIN Secretary
Manuel Elizalde Jr., left the country and abandoned his organization.
The interim government under Pres. Ferdinand Marcos created another
agency, the Office for Muslim Affairs and Cultural Communities (OMACC)
by virtue of the Executive Order No. 969. The OMACC catered to the
needs of both the Muslims and the Non-Muslim communities as its
clientele. This agency did not last long as government management
soon realized that lumping the Islamicized groups and the ICCs into
one office did not work well as envisioned. In January 1987, following
the 1986 February Revolution, the OMACC was abolished and the Aquino
government issued three Executive Orders creating three distinct
and separate offices, as follows, E.O. No. 122-A, creating the Office
for the Muslim Affairs (OMA); E.O. 122-B, creating the Office for
Northern Cultural Communities (ONCC) and E.O. 122-C, creating the
Office for Southern Cultural Communities(OSCC). These three Offices
were attached to the Office of the President.
(Excerpt from the website of the
National Commission on the Indigenous Peoples)
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The Office on Muslim Affairs (OMA) was created by
virtue of Executive Order No. 122-A dated January 30, 1987 as amended by
Executive Order No. 295 with the mandate of preserving and developing the
culture, traditions, institutions and well-being of Muslim Filipinos, in
conformity with the country’s laws and in consonance with national unity
and development.
(Excerpt from the website of the
Commission on Audit)
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