The Maura Law may refer to two different decrees named after Don Antonio Maura, the Spanish Minister of Colonies at the time.
Royal Decree of May 19, 1893: was a law that laid the basic foundations for municipal government in the Philippines. It was put into effect starting in 1895.
The Maura Law established tribunales, municipales and juntas provinciales, and these foundations laid by the Maura Law were later adopted, revised, and strengthened by the American and Filipino governments that succeeded Spanish rule in the country.
Royal Decree of February 13, 1894: was promulgated upon its publication in the Gaceta de Manila. The law's preamble stated that the law was intended to "... insure to the natives, in the future, whenever it may be possible, the necessary land for cultivation, in accordance with traditional usages." Article 4, however, provides that "... title to all agricultural lands which were capable of adjustment under the Royal decree of ... 1880, but the adjustment of which has not been sought at the time of promulgation of this decree ... will revert to the State. Any claim to such lands by those who might have applied for adjustment of the same but have not done so at the above-mentioned date, will not avail themselves in any way nor at any time." Those who had pending applications for titles were given one year upon its publication in the Gaceta de Manila (e.g. Volume No. 106 on April 17, 1894) to secure their documentation. No extensions were made, and any paper titles issued after April 17, 1895 were deemed to have no force and effect.
Nu’ain Bin Abdulhaqq, an official of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), contends that a proclamation by President Diosdado Macapagal changing the celebration date for Philippine independence June 12, 1898 (a date earlier than the December 10, 1898 signing date of the Treaty of Paris) as the date of Philippine independence provides the pretext for Moro independence by redefining the geographical extent of the country to its pre-treaty boundaries under Maura law.