Lack of funds impeding post-insurgency normalization in Philippines' Bangsamoro: Top official

By Ahmet Furkan Mercan and Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - A lack of funds has become an obstacle in achieving full normalization in Bangsamoro, according to the top official of the southern autonomous region of the Philippines.

“One challenge we are facing in normalization is that despite the agreement to compensate decommissioned combatants … unfortunately (we) have not completely received the amount (for the first and second phases of the decommissioning process) as promised by the government,” Murad Ebrahim, chief minister of Bangsamoro, told Anadolu Agency in an interview.

In 2018, a decades-long insurgency by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) led to peace negotiations with the Philippines government, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) was formed.

The regional government is run by the Bangsamoro Transitional Authority (BTA), led by Ebrahim, who was elected as the first chief minister in February 2019.

The mandate of the transitional authority was due to end this year, but the Philippines government has extended it until 2025 to allow Ebrahim and his team to achieve all targets, including decommissioning of former MILF fighters.

Ebrahim said some 14,000 MILF fighters have laid down their weapons so far, and the national government has pledged to pay 1 million pesos (over $19,000) to each of them.

“There is no budget from the national government for this purpose. This is a real challenge in the normalization track … (we) cannot move because of the lack of funding from the government,” he said.

He said the decommissioned combatants have received just about 100,000 pesos, while the “economic foundation” that was to manage the compensation process has not been established yet.

Apart from the money, “other components like livelihood programs, housing, training, and scholarships for children” have also not been delivered yet, Ebrahim added.

“This is why the third phase is being delayed … we are demanding that the government must fulfill its commitments before we proceed with the third phase of the decommissioning,” he said.

- ‘Smooth’ transition

The functioning of the transitional authority has been “quite smooth,” Ebrahim asserted.

He said three of the six codes that will lay the foundations for the region’s formal administrative and bureaucratic structure have been finalized – Bangsamoro Administrative Code, Bangsamoro Civil Service Code, and Bangsamoro Education Code.

“These are among the six codes that should be passed during the transition period,” he explained.

Of the other three, he said the Local Government Code has “already been submitted to parliament and is now at the committee level.”

“The Electoral Code will be scheduled for discussion in the Cabinet after several revisions. The Draft Revenue Code, on the other hand, will be completed within this year,” he added.

Ebrahim said all programs and projects launched by his administration “are continuing.”

“Almost all municipalities in the entire Bangsamoro area have their own share of infrastructure projects and programs,” he said.

“We are confident that within this extended transition period, we will be able to complete all … that we need to accomplish during this period,” he added.​​​​​​​