Abdusakur "Sakur" Mahail Tan (born Maimbung, July 13, 1950) is a Filipino

Filipino people

The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....

 politician and current governor of Sulu Province (2007 – present) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is the region, located in the Mindanao island group of the Philippines, that is composed of predominantly Muslim provinces, namely: Basilan , Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. It is the only region that has its own government...

. He ran as a candidate of then President Gloria Arroyo's Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrat (Lakas-Kampi CMD) party.

Background

Tan is of Chinese-Tausug descent and was born on July 13, 1950, in Maimbung, Sulu, the eldest child of Hadji Abubakar Tan (former mayor of Maimbung) and Hadja Satriya Mahail. He attended high school at the Notre Dame of Jolo for Boys and obtained a Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in 1983 from the Notre Dame of Jolo College

Notre Dame of Jolo College

Notre Dame of Jolo College is private school run by Marist Brothers in Jolo, Sulu, Philippines, founded in 1952 by an Oblate priest, Fr. Emmanual A. Sison, OMI. Notre Dame of Jolo College is a member of Notre Dame Educational Association Philippines....

.

He is married to Hadja Nurunisah Abubakar-Tan (daughter of former Jolo mayor Habib Aminkandra N. Abubakar and has five children.

Political Activity

Tan (LKS-KAM) established a political base in Jolo by aligning himself with the Abubakar and Isquerdo families. He served first as the municipal councillor of Jolo

Jolo

Jolo may refer to:* Jolo Island* Jolo, Sulu* Jolo, West Virginia* Jolo is also the nickname of Swedish author Jan Olof Olsson....

 (1981–87), then as a representative of Sulu

Sulu

Sulu is an autonomous island province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao . Its capital is Jolo and occupies the middle group of islands of the Sulu Archipelago, between Basilan and Tawi-Tawi...

's first congressional district (1987–1992) and as governor (in a previous term, 1996–2001). He lost the 2001 election to MNLF leader Yusop Jikiri

Yusop Jikiri

Yusop Jikiri is a Filipino politician, leader within the Moro National Liberation Front and former governor of Sulu Province in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao . He also served as a representative from Sulu's 1st District and ran again in 2010, but lost to Tupay Loong...

 but won the governorship a second time in 2007 with 110,715 votes, according to COMELEC data. In 2010 he won re-election, beating out rivals Munir Arbison and Nur Misuari

Nur Misuari

Nur Misuari is a moro politician and former leader of the Moro National Liberation Front. He completed his education through academic scholarships at the University of the Philippines and became a student activist...

 by over 24,000 votes.

Zamboanga Terrorist Attack

Tan was among 12 persons injured when an improvised explosive device

Improvised explosive device

An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...

 (IED) exploded at the arrival area of Zamboanga International Airport

Zamboanga International Airport

Zamboanga International Airport is the main airport serving Zamboanga City in the Philippines. The airport is Mindanao's third-busiest airport after Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao City and Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro City...

 in August 2010. The attack was suspected to target Tan himself. The explosion occurred a few days after a suspected member of the regional terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah

Jemaah Islamiyah

Jemaah Islamiah , is a Southeast Asian militant Islamic organization dedicated to the establishment of a Daulah Islamiyah in Southeast Asia incorporating Indonesia, Malaysia, the southern Philippines, Singapore and Brunei...

 (JI), Edgar Malaydan, was arrested in Monkayo, Compostela Valley.

Opposition to ARMM

In a letter addressed to President Aquino, Tan in September 2010 said that the ARMM had failed to bring development or address widespread poverty since its creation more than two decades ago.

External links

• Biography at the League of Provinces of the Philippines