Terror cannot deter region’s push for hope
- Voters have backed a plan to create a self-governing area in Muslim-majority parts of Mindanao, the Philippines’ least-developed region
- The promise of peace for the region and the unleashing of its potential are good reasons for Filipinos to reject those bent on terrorism
Extremists rejecting change are believed to be behind the bombing of a Catholic Church on the southern Philippine island of Jolo that killed at least 21 people, and for a separate grenade attack on a mosque in Zamboanga days later that left two worshippers dead.
The suspects are thought to be opposed to plans for creation of a self-governing area in Muslim-majority parts of Mindanao, the country’s poorest and least-developed region.
Voters overwhelmingly backed the idea and there will be a second plebiscite in a smaller zone on February 6. With peace, stability and prosperity promised, naysayers and terrorists have little chance of altering the course of events.
President Rodrigo Duterte blamed suicide bombers from extremist group Abu Sayyaf for the church attack. Believed to be linked to Islamic State, the group has been behind a string of bombings, kidnappings and acts of piracy that have financially benefited its fighters.
It is only one of a number of groups involved in conflict in Mindanao that has killed at least 120,000 people since the 1970s.
Government neglect and instability has scared off investors, leaving the region with poor infrastructure, insufficient numbers of schools and high rates of poverty and unemployment.