Hard work begins for BARMM

Hard work begins for BARMM “Generally peaceful.” This was how Commission on Elections (Comelec) chair George Garcia, police information chief Col. Allen Co, and Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Adiong described the historic parliamentary elections of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) early this week. This, despite several violent incidents, including shootings that left four people dead and at least 20 wounded, a powerful explosion, a mob destroying luxury vehicles parked outside a voting center, 300 voters disenfranchised because a precinct had run out of ballots, over 16,000 pre-shaded ballots in 36 polling precincts, and several confrontations between partisan groups that prevented teachers from getting into the area. That more than 80 percent of BARMM’s 2.39 million registered voters braved such risky scenarios, not to mention the “scorching heat,” has left Garcia positively euphoric. “I believe the people of Bangsamoro have shown that they are not afraid—whether there is gunfire, unrest, or even fistfights. It doesn’t really matter; they will vote. We are grateful to them for the trust they have placed in the Comelec,” he added. True autonomy The significant turnout wasn’t exactly surprising, given that the voters had waited four years for this election to finally push through. The polls have been postponed four times since 2022 due to the pandemic, the delays in passing the Bangsamoro Electoral Code, the Supreme Court ruling that excluded Sulu from the region, another high court ruling that declared regional districting laws unconstitutional, and operational time constraints. But the enthusiastic response reflects as well the Bangsamoro people’s clamor to choose their own leaders to see through the promise of the Mindanao peace process that resulted in the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. As Adiong noted, the election “will be the foundation of the regular BARMM government, which will enable it to exercise its true autonomy.” Aside from completing the political track of the peace deal signed after 17 years of often contentious negotiations, the BARMM election also ensures a place at the table among the different segments of the Muslim community. As mandated by the Bangsamoro Organic Law, there are sectoral seat allocations in the 80-member regional parliament. Economic incentives To balance regional, political, and sectoral voices, the 80 seats are divided into three categories: party representatives get 40 seats, district representatives 32, and sectoral representatives eight. The sectors represented are non-Moro indigenous peoples and settler communities, with two seats each, while one seat each is allocated to women, youth, ulama (Islamic religious scholars), and traditional leaders. The region’s chief minister, who heads the executive branch, will be elected by parliament in its first session. With the polls over and the winners chosen, the real, hard work of self-governance and autonomy begins, starting with the national government fulfilling its commitments under the normalization track of the CAB. Without the promised economic incentives for decommissioned combatants, the delayed camp transformations, and the nonpassage of the national Transitional Justice and Reconciliation bill in Congress, long-term regional stability will remain an aspiration and could expose former fighters to dangerous enticements from extremist groups. A stable and peaceful BARMM could meanwhile free military forces from the rigors of protracted counterinsurgency operations in the countryside and reorient them toward external territorial defense. In a region where “rido” or violent feuds between families and generations still prevail, elected leaders must focus on strengthening grassroots support for the democratic process by facilitating community-level conflict resolution and women-led mediation efforts. Patronage politics With no single political entity expected to command an absolute majority in BARMM’s parliament, effective governance hinges on coalition building among the elected leaders if they are to chip away at patronage politics and the conflict-prone dynamics that keep the geographic region economically marginalized. Among the challenges facing BARMM’s elected representatives are severe revenue shortfalls, with the regional revenue code still to be passed. Needless to say, they have to address decades of systemic neglect, conflict, and underdevelopment that keep the region’s poverty level among the highest in the country. With the BARMM election confirming the Bangsamoro people’s right to self-determination, it’s now incumbent on its political leadership to carve a path that upholds peaceful negotiations among warring parties, as well as policies that grant economic empowerment to its segmented communities. The successful polls are a good start, but they only mark the beginning of the hard work that still lies ahead to make self-government a lived reality for the Bangsamoro people. /atm