Thanks to President Rodrigo Duterte, the new Bangsamoro region is in place and the Mindanao promise is on track. His challenge in the next 3 years is to make sure that BARMM delivers on its promises.
Cotabato City, the seat of power of the newly created Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), is bursting with activities these days.
Booking a hotel room is a real pain. Traffic is bad around the main thoroughfares. Coffee shops are packed with a mix of city residents and all kinds of visiting consultants, analysts, and journalists, holding meetings or waiting for appointments with BARMM personalities.
At the end of the day, Pagana restaurant’s loyal customers now find it hard to get a table because foreigners of all colors and sizes – representing the alphabet soup of international organizations – have also taken a liking to the food and the ambiance.
What happy problems! It wasn’t too long ago when the future of BARMM wasn’t certain, and fear gripped everyone who understood the grim consequences of another setback in the peace process with the former rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which abandoned its quest for Mindanao independence for stronger autonomy.
ALSO READ: Forbes: Duterte's Philippines is the 10th Fastest Growing Economy In The World
BARMM is finally in place and Cotabato City voted to join the region – thanks in large part to the efforts of President Rodrigo Duterte. It was a promise from the first president from Mindanao, and he delivered.
Notwithstanding setbacks in the region in the first 3 years of his presidency – including the 2017 Marawi crisis and the rough start of the new autonomous government – analysts say BARMM’s creation after a decade of setbacks is the single achievement that has brought the region to “a better place.”
People in Muslim Mindanao see BARMM as the be-all-and-end-all solution for the historical injustices. It is packaged as the antidote to extremism, paving the way for an environment that will bring in peace and development in the region.
ALSO READ: Philippines Peso Beats Asian Neighbors in Surprise Win to become Asia's Best Currency
As Duterte gets half-way through his 6-year administration, analysts give him high grades for his performance in Muslim Mindanao.
Regular surveys and the results of the midterm elections in May also show how the President continues to enjoy overwhelming support from Mindanao.
High grades from Mindanao observers
Benedicto Bacani, executive director of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance, gave Duterte a score of 8 out of 10 “if only for moving the peace process forward significantly.”
READ: Japan Pledged to Lend ₱620 Billion to the Philippines to Build More Railways under Duterte's Term
BARMM, said Bacani, is a “a key milestone that triggered other milestones,” especially normalization and decommissioning, where tens of thousands of MILF combatants who used to fight government forces are now expected to lay down their weapons and transition to civilian life.
“These former rebels are now allies of the government. It is a big achievement. It’s really because of Duterte’s leadership,” said Bacani.
Social Weather Stations fellow-in-residence and Mindanao expert Steve Rood gave Duterte 2.0 based on the grading system of the University of the Philippines, which he said, is “just below honors” and equivalent to 83%.
“For sure, we’re in a better place than where we were. Duterte gets a fair amount of credit. It’s not because of his detailed lobbying effort – he doesn’t do that kind of thing – but he made it clear he wanted it to happen,” said Rood.
Rood cited Duterte’s critical role in getting Congress to pass the Bangsamoro law. “The fact of the matter is that most congressmen don’t care about the Bangsamoro so they took direction from Duterte,” said Rood. It also helped that he pushed it at the start of his administration, when he enjoyed a strong sway with Congress.
Southeast Asia expert Zachary Abuza from the United States National War College gave Duterte lower but a passing grade nonetheless. “I give him a 5 or a 6,” he said.
“He deserves real credit for shepherding the MILF peace process. He did that against my own expectations,” said Abuza, who believed that Duterte would push for federalism instead.
“The MILF peace process has the potential to do more to improve the security in the Southern Philippines, if successfully implemented,” Abuza said..
Abuza had strong opinions against other developments in the region, including areas outside Muslim Mindanao. Thus, the lower grade.
Found this article interesting? Share it with your friends! 👍🏼
This article first appeared on Rappler.
No comments:
Post a Comment