Rajah Kalahap (21st Century Crisis)

Rajah Kalahap (baptized as Felipe Kaláhap, c. 1456 - 1522) was the rajah of the Kingdom of Butuan at the time of Spanish encounter, as well as its last king. His background is oblivious, but there is record contained by Spanish historians based on information given to the colonists by the natives of Butuan.

He was the son of Rajan Tunkin, who ruled until 1499, and belonged to who today is referred to as the Butuanon people, who can be considered either Visayan or Lumad. During the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos, along Rajah Aluy and the sultans of the four Islamic kingdoms, he was venerated as a National Hero of the Philippines for his participation of war against the Spanish Empire during the Great War in Mindanao and Sulu.

Rajah Kalahap was a Muslim, along with his father Rajah Tunkin and his grandfather Rajah Soloy. His grandfather Soloy, converted to Islam after Malay and Moro missionaries spread Islam to the Kingdom of Bukidnon, converting a good bulk of the population of Islam. However at the time of Spanish encounter, Rajah Kalahap allowed himself and his family to be converted and baptized to Roman Catholicism. He took the name "Felipe", his sons Datu Kalaw and Datu Ali were baptized as "Carlos" and "Enrique" and his wife as "María". In addition, Kalapah allowed Roman Catholic missionaries to convert the majority of the people to Christianity.

The Spanish gave him the honorific title Don Felipe Kaláhap de Butuan, and he was integrated into the Principalía de Minanao. His kingdom was accepted and integrated as a vassal state of the Spanish Empire. By the end of 1521, almost the entire royal classes were baptized as Roman Catholics.

However in 1522, just like Rajah Aluy, he rebelled and relented on his actions. Like Aluy, he ordered the slaying of Spanish soldiers and officers in his kingdom. However unlike Rajah Aluy, he spared the Roman Catholic missionaries and didn't order them to be killed. Both rajahs, along with the four Moro sultans from the south, signed a pact and formed the "Great Alliance" in a war effort against the Spanish Empire.

Rajah Kalahap was much more successful than his western counterpart, he mounted a stubborn resistance against the Spanish rule. By 1526 however, Rajah Kalahap was killed with a Spanish arrow, his sons were taken captive and given ultimatums, be wed to Spanish princesses and live as obedient Roman Catholics or be beheaded. His sons chose the former and were wed to Spanish princesses. His wife was also taken captive, and wed to a Spanish soldier. Although Butuan and Bukidnon were to be used as bases for the Spanish to launch an attack against the Moro Islamic armies to the south, the Sultan of Maguindanao and Sultan of Buluan sent savage armies to attack the Spanish forces in retaliation.