Indonesians in the Philippines

Total population
10,000[1]
Regions with significant populations
Mindanao[1]
Languages
Various languages of Indonesia and of the Philippines[1]
Religion
Islam[1]

There are estimated to be 10,000 Indonesians in the Philippines, largely in the Muslim-dominated region of Mindanao.^[1]

Contents 1 Migration and settlement 2 Registration, residency, and deportation 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading

[edit] Migration and settlement

Some Indonesians came to Mindanao as early as the 1970s, settling down and married local women.^[2] However, the largest influx, consisting of fishermen and petty traders, began settling illegally in the early 1980s.^[3] They continue to maintain consciousness of their separate ethnic identity, as well as material links with Indonesia.^[1] Illegal entry and settlement is easy due to the Philippines' long coastline and insufficient personnel in the Border Crossing Office. More recently, many of the fishermen in fact have landing permits which allow them to move freely around the area where their boats are docked.^[4]

[edit] Registration, residency, and deportation

As early as 1999, the Philippine government had been attempting to get Indonesians to register with the authorities, holding out the possibility that they might be granted citizenship as an incentive.^[5] However, a survey the next year, which counted 7,200 Indonesians living illegally in the area, found that few wanted to be naturalized in the Philippines, though they hoped to obtain permanent residency in order to regularize their living situation, while 30-35% hoped to be repatriated to Indonesia. That survey found the largest community of Indonesians in Sarangani province, with others in South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Davao City, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, and North Cotabato. At that time, they planned to deport 1,738 of them.^[2] In 2002, the Philippine government, alarmed by the number of Indonesian nationals implicated in recent Jemaah Islamiyah bombings in the Philippines, drew up a plan to deport a further 12,000 Indonesians from Mindanao; however, the implementation of the plan stalled due to disagreements between the Philippine and Indonesian governments over who would pay for it.^[3] Indonesians in the Philippines are often stereotyped as terrorists as a result.^[6]

In 2003 and again in 2005, the Philippine government initiated another survey and registration drive; that one registered 2,448 Philippine-born Indonesians, including 247 in General Santos, 371 in Glan-Sarangani, 265 in Davao del Sur, 108 in Davao City, 339 in Kiamba, Tupi and Malapatan, another 253 in Sarangani Island, 341 in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat and Kidapawan, and an additional 154 in Sarangani and Davao del Sur.^[7] The Indonesian government is also attempting to convince them to register with the local Indonesian consulate and with the Philippine government, and offered to pay their registration fees for identity documents.^[8]

[edit] See also

• Filipinos in Indonesia

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Tan-Cullamar, Evelyn (1991), "The Indonesian diaspora in Southern Philippines", Proceedings of the Conference of International Association of Historians of Asia, 12, OCLC 320232176 
• Masalah warga negara Indonesia di Mindanao, Pilipina Selatan/The problem of Indonesian citizens in Mindanao, southern Philippines, Jakarta: Direktorat Jenderal Bina Bantuan Sosial, Departemen Sosial, OCLC 80856283 

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