The Bangsamoro Region's Complex Path a Decade After the Agreement

The Bangsamoro region in the Philippines, an autonomous area with a Muslim majority, has experienced notable advancements in the decade following the signing of a peace agreement with a separatist group. The region has seen improvements in education and healthcare, along with increased investment and economic growth.

A significant reduction in poverty has also been observed. The poverty rate decreased considerably from 52.6 percent in 2018 to 23.5 percent in 2023, positioning the region no longer as the poorest in the country, based on data released last year. The region is preparing for its first parliamentary elections this October.

Despite these positive developments, the Muslim natives of the area still carry painful memories from the region's long history of conflict. Tarhata Tarapas, a member of the Moro people, shared that she would not have been able to work as an educator in the past.

The establishment of the autonomous region in 2019, following a referendum, granted the region greater control over its resources. This development was a direct result of the 2014 peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a rebel group, which brought an end to nearly four decades of conflict. The MILF was the largest Muslim separatist group to arise from a rebellion that began in the late 1960s. The movement was fueled by years of injustice, including the forced resettlement of Christians from the north to the Moro's lands in the south.