Muslims in the Philippines: A Blurry Path to Peace
On February 3rd, the Filipino Congress denied passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). If passed, the bill would have afforded the country’s Muslim minority self-rule in the south of the country. This was President Benigno Aquino’s last effort at ending Muslim insurgency as his six-year term ends in June and Congress is adjourned in the wake of May’s presidential elections. The country has been waiting for peace since 2014, when the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed a peace agreement. However, the government has yet to recognize the Bangsamoro people in politics, nor has it institutionalized equality between Muslims and non-Muslims. The BBL would have led to the creation of an independent region, the Bangsamoro, equipped with its own police force, regional parliament and taxation powers.
The MILF and other pro-independence political organizations have been fighting for Muslim independence since the 1970s. During this time, more than 100,000 Filipinos have died and more than 3.5 million have been displaced since 2000 alone.
The BBL’s passage seemed hopeful in 2014 in the wake of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. However, a failed operation to arrest Malay extremist Zulkifli Hir last year has allowed the BBL’s opponents to prevent its passage. The government’s chief negotiator blamed the “sheer indifference and chronic absenteeism” of current lawmakers for the failure of the BBL’s passage.
Politicians that voted against the BBL, however, stated that at least 48 of the provisions to be instituted by the BBL were unconstitutional. The primary controversy regarding Moro sovereignty is how the BBL’s passage would deal with an elected Bangsamoro government, the implementation of Shari’ah Law and the establishment of a Bangsamoro Police, all of which hint at possible Bangsomoro secession.
At the same time, insurgent attacks by militant groups have further prevented progress in the peace process as the threat of extremist influences from ISIS continues to loom. Yet, a former leader of the MILF and current representative in Sulu, stated that Islam was a “religion of peace” and that MILF was willing to cooperate. For the MILF and Filipino government alike, war would be the “least favorable option.”
The Filipino government and Congress are currently awaiting the election of the new president in May 2016 to determine the fate of MILF and the proposed Bangsomoro Basic Law. Current presidential candidates have expressed a mixture of support and indecision about the BBL.
The public also appears to be divided over the BBL. A survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations showed 48% of Filipinos disagree with the BBL, 23% approve of it and 28% remain undecided. Most are skeptical of the Bangsamoro government maintaining peace. The same survey revealed that nationwide knowledge of the BBL was extremely low, as 83% of respondents stated they had “little or no knowledge” of the bill.
Peace has been a hopeful prospect since the Agreement on General Cessation of Hostilities between the government and the MILF in 1997. Despite various declarations of war and recent attacks, the MILF vice chairman of political affairs and the government peace panel agree upon maintaining the framework of the peace process and continuing peace initiatives both now and into the establishment of the new government. Although MILF leaders and government negotiators remain hopeful regarding the progress towards peace, the BBL remains an important obstacle between the two parties.