From a paper presented to an international conference, "State of Philippine Studies," James Cook University, Townsville, Australia, July 8-11, 1998. This article traces the role of Muslim Filipinos (or Moros) in the debate on Philippine independence, and its consequent effect on nation-building after 1946. Withholding the grant of independence appeared to rest on the "Moro factor" apart from the perceived lack of readiness among Filipino officials.