Datu Piang
Piang Tan (Maguindanaon pronunciation: [daːtʊ pɪjaːŋ]; c. 1846–1933) a Maguindanaon-Chinese ruler, popularly known as Datu Piang, is often referred to as the Grand Old Man of Cotabato.
| Datu Piang Piang Tan / Tan Sim Ping دات ڤياڠ 大都皮昂 | |
|---|---|
Datu Piang (fourth from left) with American officers, 1899. | |
| Born | c. 1846 Kuta Watu, Sultanate of Maguindanao |
| Died | August 24, 1933 (aged 86–87) Cotabato, Insular Government of the Philippine Islands |
| House | Sultanate of Maguindanao |
| Father | Tuya Tan (陳頓仔, POJ: Tân Tùiⁿ-á) |
| Mother | Tiko |
| Religion | Islam |
Born of a Hokkien Sangley Chinese merchant named Tuya Tan (陳名頓) from Amoy, China and a Maguindanaon woman identified as "Tiko" (Philippine Hokkien Chinese: 豬哥; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ti-ko; lit. 'muslim moro'), he was Datu Utto's Minister of Lands and became the wealthiest and the most prominent datu during the American era. He was a Chinese mestizo due to his Maguindanaon and Hokkien Sangley Chinese admixture. Datu Piang (sometimes referred to as Amai Mingka) was recognised as the undisputed Moro leader in Central Mindanao when the United States Army occupied and administered what was then referred to as "Moroland".
Datu Piang's son by his sixth wife, Polindao, was Datu Gumbay Piang, who led the Moro-Bolo Battalion to fight against the Japanese during their occupation of Mindanao in World War II.