Bangsamoro autonomy vote aims to end decades of conflict in southern Philippines
- A new political entity known as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region would replace the current autonomous region created following a 1996 deal with another rebel group, the Moro National Liberation Front
- The Bangsamoro is set to have more powers and cover a bigger area
Citizens in the southern Philippines will vote Monday on a proposal to give the region greater autonomy, a move the central government says will help end decades of violent conflict.
More than 2.8 million residents of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao are expected to vote on a law creating an expanded region called Bangsamoro, which provides more funding, a bigger revenue share and full control of its resources.
Another round of voting will be held on February 6. Some local politicians are opposing the move, refusing to cede control of their areas to a new political entity that will control the region.
It’s the culmination of two decades of talks aimed at ending four decades of insurgency that’s killed tens of thousands of people and stifled the development of the Philippines’ second-biggest island that has mineral deposits worth an estimated US$300 billion.
“The approval of this law will signal peace, and hopefully, the Bangsamoro can hitch on the coming Mindanao boom in investments,” the head of the region’s investment board, Ishak Mastura, said.