Basilan Province, Philippines Genealogy

Guide to Province of Basilan family history and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

History
Several waves of Negrito and ancient Chinese migration populated the Philippines. The Yakan people arrived in the area of the Sulu Archipelago, of which Basilan is a part, around 300 BCE to 200 BCE. Little is known of them before the era of Spanish colonization, but they still make up the largest ethnic group on the main island of Basilan.

As the Tausug Sultanate of Sulu grew in power, the Yakans withdrew inland, until most of the coastal communities along the island's southern, western and northwestern shores were primarily inhabited by Tausugs and their vassal tribes, the Samals and Bajaus (Tau-Laut). The only exception was the relatively prosperous Yakan communities of Lamitan.

Basilan first came to European attention when it was documented by the remnants of the Ferdinand Magellan expedition in 1521. It was eventually colonized by the Spanish as early as 1636 and was formally ceded by the Sulu Sultanate to Spain in 1726. The withdrawal of the Yakans inland was hastened by Spanish establishment of advance bases on the island's northwestern coast, bringing in Christianized 'indios' from Zamboanga, the Visayas and Luzon. By then, even the Yakan communities of Lamitan were completely overrun. Jesuit missionaries brought Catholicism to the region. Fighting with the Sultanate, the Dutch East India Company, Moro Pirates, and the French figured in Basilan's history over the years.

With its victory in the 1898 Spanish–American War, the United States gained possession of the Philippines. Americans proceeded to 'pacify' Basilan, cleared large expanses of land and established plantations, mainly to produce rubber and copra.

Following the Japanese occupation of the country during World War II, in 1946, the Philippines gained its independence. Beginning around 1970, heavy fighting broke out between the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front, which was determined to secede and form a new country.

Then President Marcos made Basilan a province in 1973. It joined the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in 2001, the last province to do so. Its former capital, Isabela City, however, opted out and remains a part of the Zamboanga Peninsula Region (formerly Western Mindanao, Region 9).

Research Methods
'''The vast majority of your family research will be in civil registration and church records. This article explains different methods for obtaining these records.'''

Civil Registration (Registros Civiles)

 * The recording births, marriages and deaths, provides important information of events in a person's life and required valid evidence, making these records very important.
 * Most vital records from before 1889 come from Catholic parish and diocesan archives.
 * In 1889, the Spanish government created the Central Office of Statistics, which required each parish priest to give the government a detailed list of the births, marriages, and deaths in his area.
 * After the Philippine Revolution of 1898, the church and state became separate. Within the first few years, officials responsible for civil registration were appointed in each municipality.
 * In 1930, civil registration became mandatory and, in 1932, the Bureau of Census and Statistics was created to oversee all civil registration in the Philippines. It was not until 1940 that most registrations began to be recorded.
 * Contents:
 * Births: Child’s name, birth date and place; parents’ names, residence, and occupation; witnesses’ ages, relationships, residences.
 * Marriages: Bride and groom names, ages, residences, occupations, marriage date and place; sometimes ages and/or birth dates and places; parents' names;  residences, occupations; witnesses and officer who performed ceremony; former spouses.
 * Death registers: Name of deceased, age, death date and place, occupation, name of surviving spouse, informant’s name and residence, cause of death, sometimes birth date and place, parents’ names, children’s names.
 * Fetal deaths: Record of all stillbirths, includes information similar to birth and death data shown above.
 * Population coverage: Before 1922, 20%; after 1922, 90%.

1. Online Civil Registration Records
The following online collections may have records for your town. There is a small possibility that some of the records for your town have been indexed. A comprehensive index will search all the available indexed records of these collections at once: Search Historical Records. Do not be discouraged if records for your town are not found in these collections. The next section of this article '''2. Microfilm Copies of Civil Registration Records in the FamilySearch Catalog''', should lead you to many more records.
 * 1706-1911 Basilan, Philippines Civil Registration (Spanish Period), 1706-1911, images, incomplete.
 * 1888-1986 at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1888-1984 at FamilySearch — images, incomplete.
 * 1902-1945 Zamboanga, Philippines Civil Registration (Archives Division), 1902-1945 at FamilySearch — images, incomplete. Basilan was part on Zamboanga during this time period.
 * 1945-1984 -  at FamilySearch — index, incomplete.
 * 1945-1984 - Basilan, Philippines Civil Registration (National), 1945-1984 at FamilySearch — images, incomplete.

2. Microfilm Copies of Civil Registration Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
You can also search microfilmed copies of available civil registration records. If the locality and time period you need are not included in the online records, the next step is to try to find them in the microfilm collection of the FamilySearch Library. Currently, they are being digitized, and plans are to complete that project by 2020. Check back occasionally to see if your records have become available. In the meantime, some of them might be available at a FamilySearch Center near you. To find a microfilm:


 * a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Philippines, Basilan.
 * b. Click on "Places within Philippines, Basilan" and a list of towns and cities will open.
 * c. Click on the town or city you wish to search.
 * d. Click on "Civil Registration" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor.
 * f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3. Writing for Records

 * Civil registry documents that can be obtained from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), 1945 -.Click here for detailed instructions for requesting certificates by mail.  Click here to order records online.
 * Civil registry records from the National Archives, prior to 1945. See Philippines Civil Registration (Archives Division) collection listed above under 1. Online Civil Registration Records to find the starting date for your province. Click here for the Archives Collection and Access Division. . Here you will find instructions and forms for ordering records from the National Archives.
 * A copy of the records have been retained in local civil registry offices. Because many records were lost or damaged in the war, checking both the national office and local office might help find a surviving record. Click here for a directory of office telephone numbers, fax numbers, and sometimes e-mail addresses. To write to them, address your letter to:

City Civil Registry (postal code--find it here) (City) Basilan, Philippines

English is the official language of the Philippines. This Letter Writing Guide will help you with organizing your letter and phrasing your requests.

Church Records
Church records are very important for family research. Civil authorities did not consistently register vital events in the Philippines until the nineteenth century. Church records, on the other hand, were well kept from 1569 (in accordance with the directives of the Council of Trent), with some records dating even earlier. They are generally an excellent source—and many times the only source—of names, dates, and places of births, marriages, and deaths. Key records are baptisms/christenings, marriages, and deaths/burials.

Generally registers exist for the following denominations: Other religious groups in the Philippines:

Contents:
 * Islam (Muslim immigrants and converts 11th-15th centuries, also called Moros)
 * Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian (Some Chinese immigrants arrived in the 16th-19th centuries, but many more arrived in the 20th century)
 * Hindu (East Indian immigrants arrived in the 20th century)
 * Jews (Arrived in the 20th century)
 * Baptismal records: Baptism dates; children’s names; parents’ residence and names (sometimes mother's maiden name is given); witnesses’ and godparents’ names, and sometimes their residence and relationship to infants; sometimes grandparents’ names.
 * Marriage records: Candidates’ names; marriage and/or proclamation dates; often birth places, residence, witnesses, former spouses and parents’ names.
 * Death/burial records: Name of deceased; burial date; often age and cause of death; residence; spouse’s name, especially for women; parents’ names for deceased children.

1. Online Church Records
These very limited collections include some church records:
 * 1615-1985 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1642-1994, index, incomplete.
 * 1723-1957, index, incomplete.
 * 1726-1957, index, incomplete.

The Ancestry.com collections are the same, but their search engine seems more powerful.
 * 1642-1994 Philippines, Select Births and Baptisms, 1642-1994, index, incomplete ($).
 * 1723-1957 Philippines, Select Marriages, 1723-1957, index, incomplete ($).
 * 1726-1957 Philippines, Select Deaths and Burials, 1726-1957, index, incomplete ($).

The collections are also available on MyHeritage.
 * 1642-1994 Philippines, Births and Baptisms, 1642-1994, index, incomplete ($).
 * 1723-1957 Philippines, Marriages, 1723-1957, index, incomplete ($).
 * 1726-1957 Philippines Deaths and Burials, 1726-1957, index, incomplete ($).

2. Microfilm Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
You can also search microfilmed copies of available church records. If the locality and time period you need are not included in the online records, the next step is to try to find them in the microfilm collection of the FamilySearch Library. Currently, they are being digitized, and plans are to complete that project by 2020. Check back occasionally to see if your records have become available. In the meantime, some of them might be available at a FamilySearch Center near you. To find a microfilm:


 * a. Click on this link to see a list of records for Philippines, Basilan.
 * b. Click on "Places within Philippines, Basilan" and a list of towns and cities will open.
 * c. Click on the town or city you wish to search.
 * d. Click on "Church Records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor. "Bautismos" are baptisms. Matrimônios and "Casamentos" are marriages.  "Óbitos"  and Defunciones are deaths.  "Índice" is the index.
 * f. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

3. Writing to Request Records
Unless you know your ancestor was of another religion, begin by searching Catholic records. Basilan Province is in the Prelature of Isabela. Write or telephone to inquire whether the diocese holds the parish records:

Bishop of Isabela Bishop's Residence Santos-Mallari Road Isabela, 7300 Basilan Province Philippines

Tel.: (062) 200-7359

Or write directly or call the parish. See The Catholic Directory for addresses and telephone numbers for parishes.

Use this address, substituting names:

Parish Priest (name of parish) (city), (postal code--find it here) Basilan Philippines

For other religions, Google the denomination and the location. Many churches maintain websites.

Write, call, or personally visit the parish or church. Ask for permission to study their records or make arrangements for them to search for you. It is usual to pay for their help in the form of a donation to the church. When you write, send the following:


 * Full name and the gender of the person sought.
 * Names of the parents, if known.
 * Approximate date and place of the event.
 * Your relationship to the person.
 * Reason for the request (family history, medical, etc.).
 * Request for a photocopy of the complete original record.
 * Check or cash for the search fee (usually about $10.00).

English is the official language of the Philippines. This Letter Writing Guide will help you with organizing your letter and phrasing your requests.

Reading the Records

 * Many records are written in Spanish. You do not have to be fluent in Spanish to read your documents. Genealogical records usually contain a limited vocabulary. Use this Spanish Genealogical Word List to translate the important points in the document. Handwriting skills are taught in BYU Spanish Script Tutorial.


 * Online Learning Center class on reading Spanish handwriting:
 * Deciphering Spanish Handwriting


 * Detailed instructions for reading Spanish records, examples of common documents, and practice exercises for developing skills in translating them can be found in the Spanish Records Extraction Manual.
 * The Spanish Documents Script Tutorial also provides lessons and examples.

Tips for finding your ancestor in the records
Effective use of church records includes the following strategies.


 * Search for the relative or ancestor you selected. When you find his birth record, search for the births of his brothers and sisters.
 * Next, search for the marriage of his parents. The marriage record will have information that will often help you find the birth records of the parents.
 * You can estimate the ages of the parents and determine a birth year to search for their birth records.
 * Then repeat the process for both the father and the mother.
 * If earlier generations (parents, grandparents, etc.) do not appear in the records, search neighboring parishes.
 * Search the death registers for all known family members.

Cemeteries

 * Muslim cemeteries
 * Find A Grave
 * Martin's Cemetery
 * Cemetery
 * Chinese Cemetery

Websites

 * Basilan Province Government
 * Basilan wikpedia
 * Basilan Province, Philippines
 * Directory of Cities and Towns in Province of Basilan, Philippines
 * ZIP Codes & Phone Area Code of Basilan, Philippines