Jamalul Kiram II (27 March 1868 – 7 June 1936) was the sultan of Sulu from 1894 to 1915. During his long reign, he signed treaties with several nations. He served under both Spain and the United States. Jamalul Kiram II rose to the throne following Sultan Harun Ar-Rashid allegedly being forced to abdicate in 1894 after Kiram’s Datu supporters elected him to be sultan. Sultan Jamalul Kiram II ascended to the throne after undergoing the Gibha ceremony, a traditional rite through which a sultan officially becomes the ruler. This ceremony was overseen by Panglima Bandahala, who inherited the responsibility from Binatal Arah. Panglima Bandahala played a pivotal role in the history of the Luuk and Tandu municipalities in Sulu. As a trusted adviser and close relative of the Sultan, he held significant positions such as Municipal President and peace emissary. His contributions to the Sultanate of Sulu earned him the reputation of being "a warrior and hero among his peers." Sultan Jamalul Kiram II frequently sought his counsel, addressing him respectfully as "Bapa," meaning uncle. Panglima Bandahala is also the grandfather of Sayyid Capt. Kalingalan Caluang, with their lineage tracing back to Sattiya Munoh, son of Sayyid Qasim, a Hadhrami descendant from the Ba 'Alawi sada. Over the following decade, tensions in the American-controlled Philippines would break out into insurrection and war, leading 

the United States to negotiate the Kiram–Bates Treaty in 1899, believing the Sultan would be able to suppress Moro resistance to American colonization, as well as ensuring Sulu neutrality in the war broadly. Sultan Jamalul Kiram II and other government advisers and datus, most notably Hadji Butu, agreed to the treaty both desiring American economic support to Sulu's dismal finances, alongside fears of American aggression should they decline. The treaty was retracted on the 2 March 1904 however, with the Office of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt declaring the Kiram–Bates Treaty null and void, following the suppression of the Filipinos to the north. With annexation looming, Kiram joined the Moros struggle against the American expansion, prolonging an asymmetrical war across the Sulu Archipelago against superior equipment and manpower reserves the US possessed. After nine years of warfare, Kiram resigned himself to the Carpenter Treaty on 22 March 1915, effectively constituted the fall of the Sulu Sultanate and enshrined full American sovereignty over its former lands. This officially concluded over 400 years of Sulu independent sovereignty, although the war gains had already been organized into the Department of Mindanao and Sulu. Kiram was appointed as a senator of the Philippines from the 12th district in 1931, serving for one term until 1934. Kiram continued to live in his residence at Maimbung for the remainder of his life, dying after kidney troubles there on the 7 June 1936. He did not have any son or heir. Although he had seven daughters, no woman could be appointed as heir or successor according to Islamic law.

The Civil Guard in the Philippines (Spanish: Guardia Civil en las Filipinas) was the branch of the Spanish Civil Guard organized under the Captaincy General of the Philippines and a component of the Spanish Army. It was disbanded after the Spanish–American War. After the Philippine–American War, it was eventually replaced by the American occupational government with the Philippine Constabulary (PC). The Guardia Civil was introduced to the Philippines by the Spanish colonial government in 1868, during the term of Governor-General Carlos María de la Torre y Navacerrada. The organization began with a size of one division or around 1,200 men. By 1880, and this size was maintained until 1897, the Guardia Civil in the Philippines had a size of three divisions or more than 3,600 men. Two were stationed in Luzon and the third in the Visayas. The majority of the civil guard consisted of non-criollo natives, otherwise known then as indios, making up approximately 60% of the total force. The Guardia Civil in the Philippines followed closely the organisation of the metropolitan institution. Officers were drawn from the regular Spanish army. Under normal conditions, they formed patrols consisting of two men. Larger detachments were organized for operations such as the suppression of bandit groups. By 1897, the force had 155 Spanish officers. The Guardia Civil had the power to impose penalties for infringements of law and 

local ordinances. They could arrest people upon suspicion alone, and the Spanish colonial government did not bar the Guardia Civil from using torture techniques in interrogation processes. They could also kill suspects without trial if resistance was offered. During the first phase of the Philippine Revolution (1896–1897), the Guardia Civil constituted around 60 percent of the native component of the Spanish military forces in the colony. The Guardia Civil Veterana (literally "Veteran Civil Guard") was formed during the period of 1871 to 1872 under Governor-General Rafael Izquierdo y Gutiérrez to be the urban gendarmerie force of Manila. This organization began with 37 officers and 322 men as of July 11, 1872. By 1898, it had 14 officers and 325 men.