Transition challenges

An overwhelming “Yes” for the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) was seen in an unofficial tally on 21 January.

The Commission on Elections also reported it exceeded expectations at “more than 85 percent” voter participation in the plebiscite.

These clearly boded well for the move for autonomy which is generally seen as a positive step toward achieving peace in the region that had long been locked in poverty and strife.

Poverty and strife, at the other end of the spectrum, are tied together like hands clasped together in peace. They are part of a cycle, which government had long tried to bring to an end, hoping to give a fair chance to a people who, after all, are also Filipinos.

The rest of the populace are, unfortunately, clueless about the real contexts surrounding the issue in Muslim Mindanao. And because many do not understand what is being called for, people generally ignore the problem, feeling it is too far away, out of sight and out of mind.

Until the blasts of violence reached our ears, that is.

Such a blast was heard in Jolo, Sulu recently. The “godless” act of attacking a place of worship smacks of terrorism. So, it was no surprise that the Islamic State claimed responsibility. The authorities are also looking into the Abu Sayyaf, as Jolo is a hotbed for its criminal activities, as as well as other angles that may lead to the root of this deadly attack.

As of 28 January, reports said 12 civilians and six soldiers were killed in the two explosions that rocked the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

National Security Adviser Jun Esperon was the first to note the timing of the events, implying that those opposed to the BOL ratification may somehow have been responsible.

Government, strongly condemning the dastardly act, is pulling all stops to rope in the perpetrators.

Jolo had a strong negative vote to be part of the new autonomous government that is being created. Yet it doesn’t make sense that those opposed would instigate violence to show they are opposed because that was already established through their majority vote.

What this means, perhaps, is that even with the overwhelming vote for the creation of the Bangsamoro, there are still issues that need to be fleshed out and fully understood for the whole transition to succeed.

Ultimately, there is that question of whether a new autonomous government will be effective in bringing peace through real progress in Mindanao.

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), unfortunately, had been viewed as ineffective in ending the conflict in the region. The ARMM, composed of five provinces — Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi — generally supports the BOL which will create the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or BARMM. Only Sulu was against it, but then also Cotabato and Isabela City which also will be part of BARMM.

Why the entire province of Sulu deeply opposes the Bangsamoro is something government must closely examine even though it makes sense for everyone to expect that the majority vote will be respected by all.

Obviously, this is not the case, as seen in that violent blasts. There was only hate in that action, a brutal attack on our sensibilities and a challenge to the Duterte administration’s goals of bringing peace to Muslim Mindanao — a show of respect, really, for the call for a chance to govern themselves — and to finally allow economic development to flow in the region.

But Sulu’s opposition brings to light continued rivalries or conflicts among members of the ARMM itself in which rebel groups are unwilling to work toward a common goal for the entire region. This does not bode well for a smooth transition at all, unless an acceptable compromise is reached.

Otherwise, not all wounds related to the Muslim Mindanao issue will heal and that could mean continued chaos.

That may just be too bad because the BARMM government, once set, will get more powers than the ARMM did to prove itself capable of deciding its own fate, moving for its own economic growth and managing its own natural resources.

An “unconditional funding amounting to P60 billion to P70 billion yearly,” though a topic of contention for some, also gives it the fuel to push for long-needed development. When will all of Muslim Mindanao be ready to move forward when some people keep dragging it down?