This research focuses on the ongoing socioeconomic transformation of the sea-oriented Sama-Bajao whose sad plight caught the attention of the government authorities due to the outbreak of violent hostilities between the armed Bangsa Moro rebels and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the 1970s. Among hundreds of refugees who were resettled on land, the Sama-Bajao, who avoid conflicts and do not engage in battles, were displaced and driven further out to sea. Many sought refuge in neighboring islands mainly to Sabah, Borneo, where they have relatives, trading partners, and allies. Massive displacements of the civilian populations in Mindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi that spilled over to outlying Malaysia and Indonesia forced the central government to take action. This research is an offshoot of my findings as a volunteer field researcher of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) to monitor the implementation of the Indigenous People's Rights to their Ancestral Domain (IPRA Law RA 8371 of 1997).