From Rappler (Nov 13, 2020): What's in Bangsamoro government's 3-year development plan? (By TAJ BASMAN)
Normalization, or giving former MILF combatants a chance to rejoin society and pursue sustainable livelihood, is crucial to the region's development
Over a year after its creation, the Bangsamoro government launched its 3-year development plan with the ultimate goal of uplifting the lives of the Bangsamoro and establishing the foundations of self-governance through moral governance.
“Bangsamoro Development Plan 2020-2022” was institutionalized after the interim Bangsamoro parliament approved it in July this year and was launched on November 4 in the regional government’s seat of power in Cotabato City.
The 366-page document articulated the overall thrust and direction of the BARMM for a 3-year period, or until the end of its transition phase in 2022.
Experiences of governing the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) informed the formulation of the plan.
“It takes into account the ARMM performances and lessons learned from the implementation of programs and projects in the ARMM Regional Development Plan, 2017-2022, as well as, the priorities identified in other existing Bangsamoro Plans such as the Bangsamoro Development Plan or BDP I of the MILF and Bangsamoro Development Agency and BDP II of the MNLF and MILF, and the Unified Bangsamoro Development Plan (UBDP),” said Mohajirin Ali, Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) Director General.
After a look at Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data on how regional economies fared in 2019, BARMM still has much room for improvement.
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) OIC Undersecretary Mercedita Sombilla said that despite the Bangsamoro region posting a 5.9% growth and being one of the fastest growing regions, its contribution to the national economy remains the lowest at 1.3%.
“Nevertheless, we are hopeful that this challenge will be addressed with the implementation of the BDP and with the effective governance of this Bangsamoro leadership," she said.
The change of political structure and fiscal autonomy ushers in a new hope in the BARMM to catch up with development and be at par with the rest of the country, she said.
She added that sustained commitment and strong support from development partners are keys in complementing the region’s resources to fund BDP programs.
Displacement hampers economic development
The development plan acknowledges the autonomous government’s challenge in sustaining the gains of the peace process to protect the safety of the Bangsamoro citizenry.
The areas covered by BARMM have had to face several security challenges like rido (clan wars), terrorism and violent extremism, illegal drugs, and human rights violations,
Identifying upholding peace, security, public order and safety, and respect for human rights as its development goals, the development plan “aims to cement the gains of the peace process achieved in the past years while strengthening the institutions and mechanisms in the BARMM to ensure the protection and safety of the people.”
According to the BDP, "recurring displacements hampered various socioeconomic activities in the community, delaying economic development that worsens the poverty situation and well-being of the people.”
As a response, the development plan provided strategies “to ensure the recovery and rehabilitation of areas long affected by armed conflict and transform them, including the former combatants, into a more productive communities and members of the society.”
Normalization as tool for the economic
BDP 2020-2022 stressed the importance of national government support to the normalization process.
Normalization, according to the development plan, provides for a process where former combatants can achieve their desired quality of life, attain sustainable livelihood, and participate in society.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is to decommission 40,000 of its combatants by the end of 2022, the last year of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, as stated in the Annex on Normalization of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Assistant Secretary Wilben Mayor, on the other hand, said that the Joint Task Force on Camps Transformation (JTFCT) is also reaching the completion of the camps transformation plans for all government-acknowledged MILF- Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (MILF-BIAF) camps.
The camps transformation plans, he said, are anchored on the BDP “to ensure that these once conflict-affected areas are transformed into peaceful and productive communities.”
In an interview with Rappler, Benedicto Bacani of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) emphasized that the mandate of the transition covers not just the political but also the normalization track.
Every decommissioned combatant will receive a socioeconomic package worth P1 million which will cover cash assistance, personal security (education, health, and skills development), and housing.
This phase of the peace process, according to BDP 2020-2022, will sustain stability in the region and create a conducive environment for investments and development.
“It is critical. The normalization has to work and it will only work if the capacities are there, because that will be a burden to the governance side if it doesn’t,” said Bacani.
The development plan indicated 8 development goals which will be the focus of BARMM’s interventions until 2022:
“Bangsamoro Development Plan 2020-2022” was institutionalized after the interim Bangsamoro parliament approved it in July this year and was launched on November 4 in the regional government’s seat of power in Cotabato City.
The 366-page document articulated the overall thrust and direction of the BARMM for a 3-year period, or until the end of its transition phase in 2022.
Experiences of governing the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) informed the formulation of the plan.
“It takes into account the ARMM performances and lessons learned from the implementation of programs and projects in the ARMM Regional Development Plan, 2017-2022, as well as, the priorities identified in other existing Bangsamoro Plans such as the Bangsamoro Development Plan or BDP I of the MILF and Bangsamoro Development Agency and BDP II of the MNLF and MILF, and the Unified Bangsamoro Development Plan (UBDP),” said Mohajirin Ali, Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) Director General.
After a look at Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data on how regional economies fared in 2019, BARMM still has much room for improvement.
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) OIC Undersecretary Mercedita Sombilla said that despite the Bangsamoro region posting a 5.9% growth and being one of the fastest growing regions, its contribution to the national economy remains the lowest at 1.3%.
“Nevertheless, we are hopeful that this challenge will be addressed with the implementation of the BDP and with the effective governance of this Bangsamoro leadership," she said.
The change of political structure and fiscal autonomy ushers in a new hope in the BARMM to catch up with development and be at par with the rest of the country, she said.
She added that sustained commitment and strong support from development partners are keys in complementing the region’s resources to fund BDP programs.
Displacement hampers economic development
The development plan acknowledges the autonomous government’s challenge in sustaining the gains of the peace process to protect the safety of the Bangsamoro citizenry.
The areas covered by BARMM have had to face several security challenges like rido (clan wars), terrorism and violent extremism, illegal drugs, and human rights violations,
Identifying upholding peace, security, public order and safety, and respect for human rights as its development goals, the development plan “aims to cement the gains of the peace process achieved in the past years while strengthening the institutions and mechanisms in the BARMM to ensure the protection and safety of the people.”
According to the BDP, "recurring displacements hampered various socioeconomic activities in the community, delaying economic development that worsens the poverty situation and well-being of the people.”
As a response, the development plan provided strategies “to ensure the recovery and rehabilitation of areas long affected by armed conflict and transform them, including the former combatants, into a more productive communities and members of the society.”
Normalization as tool for the economic
BDP 2020-2022 stressed the importance of national government support to the normalization process.
Normalization, according to the development plan, provides for a process where former combatants can achieve their desired quality of life, attain sustainable livelihood, and participate in society.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is to decommission 40,000 of its combatants by the end of 2022, the last year of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, as stated in the Annex on Normalization of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Assistant Secretary Wilben Mayor, on the other hand, said that the Joint Task Force on Camps Transformation (JTFCT) is also reaching the completion of the camps transformation plans for all government-acknowledged MILF- Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (MILF-BIAF) camps.
The camps transformation plans, he said, are anchored on the BDP “to ensure that these once conflict-affected areas are transformed into peaceful and productive communities.”
In an interview with Rappler, Benedicto Bacani of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) emphasized that the mandate of the transition covers not just the political but also the normalization track.
Every decommissioned combatant will receive a socioeconomic package worth P1 million which will cover cash assistance, personal security (education, health, and skills development), and housing.
This phase of the peace process, according to BDP 2020-2022, will sustain stability in the region and create a conducive environment for investments and development.
“It is critical. The normalization has to work and it will only work if the capacities are there, because that will be a burden to the governance side if it doesn’t,” said Bacani.
The development plan indicated 8 development goals which will be the focus of BARMM’s interventions until 2022:
- establish the foundations for inclusive, transparent, accountable, and efficient governance
- uphold peace, security, public order and safety, and respect for human rights
- create a favorable enabling environment for inclusive and sustainable economic development
- promote Bangsamoro identity, cultures, and diversity
- ensure access to and delivery of quality services for human capital development
- harness technology and innovations to increase socio-economic opportunities and improve government services
- increase strategic and climate-resilient infrastructure to support sustainable socioeconomic development
- improve ecological integrity, and promote and enhance climate change adaptation, and disaster risk reduction to sustain resilience of communities
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