Datu ''Datu'' is a title which denotes the rulers (variously described in historical accounts as chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs) of numerous indigenous peoples throughout the Philippine archipelago. The title is still used today, especial ...

Akadir Akobar (died March 10, 1895), better known as Amai Pakpak, was a

Maranao The Maranao people (Maranao: mәranaw Filipino: ''Maranaw''), also spelled Meranao, Maranaw, and Mëranaw, is the term used by the Philippine government to refer to the southern indigenous people who are the "people of the lake", a predomi ...

military leader who is noted for leading the Maranao resistance against

Spanish colonization The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

of the Lanao region in the 1890s.

Background

Marawi Marawi, officially the Islamic City of Marawi (Maranao language, Maranao: ''Inged a Marawi''; fil, Islamikong Lungsod ng Marawi), is a 4th class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of th ...

native, Amai Pakpak maintained a fortification known as Fort Marawi (situated near modern-day Agus 2 hydroelectric dam) which defended the region from Spanish colonizers. While there were presumed to be many instances of Maranao resistance against the Spanish only battles involving Amai Pakpak were recorded; in 1891 against forces sent by Governor General

Valeriano Weyler Valeriano Weyler y Nicolau, 1st Duke of Rubí, 1st Marquess of Tenerife (17 September 1838 – 20 October 1930) was a Spanish general and colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of the Philippines and Cuba, and later as S ...

and in 1895 against forces sent by Governor General Ramón Blanco. In the first battle in 1891, Amai Pakpak and his forces held off a Spanish attack in Lanao and suffered heavy casualties. The Spaniards retreated to Iligan after reinforcement from other areas around Lake Lanao arrived. In 1895, Amai Pakpak, together with his family and most of his forces were killed after a fleet of steamships organized by Governor General Blanco arrived in Lake Lanao to secure conquest of the Lanao region. The Spanish withdrew from the area following the outbreak of the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

in 1898.

Legacy

Amai Pakpak is widely regarded as a Maranao hero. in 1970, the Lanao General Hospital, was renamed after Amai Pakpak for his role in fighting against the Spanish in the 1895 Battle of Marawi.

References

{{Authority control 19th-century monarchs in Asia Filipino datus, rajas and sultans People from Marawi People from the Spanish colonial Philippines 1895 deaths