C H A P T E R 5Clamor from the Ground

27

5Clamor from the Ground

Bangsamoro Development Plan

28

A. Community Visioning Exercises: Results and InsightsTo ensure that the BDP adequately targets the priority

needs of its beneficiary communities, a total of ten44

one-day CVEs were conducted across the proposed

Bangsamoro and expansion areas representing the

ethnic and religious diversity of the stakeholders in the

Bangsamoro. Participants included members of Muslim

groups (including both MNLF and MILF), settlers,

and also IPs, as represented by formal and informal

community leaders, and organized stakeholder groups,

among others.45 Each CVE workshop was structured

around focus group discussions and meta-analysis against

three broad objectives:

1. Define the needs, identity, and aspiration of the

Bangsamoro for their envisioned society;

2. Determine the problems, sources of dissatisfaction,

and grievances of Bangsamoro communities, their

causes and possible solutions; and

3. Identify priority projects and programs that respond

to the needs and aspirations of Bangsamoro

communities, and address sources of dissatisfaction.

The results of the CVEs show that most sources of

dissatisfaction, aspirations, and priority programs are

common to all areas. They also validate the BDF, as

the needs and priorities articulated in the CVE results

are reflective of it. In turn, the results provide guidance

to the clustering of the report into six broad themes that

also partly guide the structure and the content of this Plan:

(1) economy and livelihood; (2) social development; (3)

environment and natural resources; (4) culture and identity;

(5) governance; and (6) security. The key messages from

each theme are presented below.46

A.1. Economy and Livelihood

As expected, issues related to the Bangsamoro economy

formed a substantial part of the responses from the CVEs.

The Bangsamoro lags significantly behind the rest of

Mindanao and the Philippines in Gross Regional Domestic

Product (GRDP) and poverty levels as identified earlier,

which correlates with the identified major sources of

dissatisfaction.

This translates directly to the vision and aspirations of the

people for a prosperous Bangsamoro with reduced poverty

where a dynamic private sector can provide livelihood

opportunities and help foster sustainable development.

Priority programs to help address the sources of

dissatisfaction and attain the vision range from direct

livelihoods inputs to infrastructure development in support

of livelihoods and specific interventions to help foster a

private sector based on Islamic principle of halal. Table 3

presents the top responses identified in the CVEs.

Clamor from the Ground5

C H A P T E R 5Clamor from the Ground

29

A.2. Social Development

Social development issues were equally prominent in

the responses of participants in the CVEs, reflecting the

substantial lag in social service provision and individual

development outcomes across the Bangsamoro (see Table

4). Poor access to health and education facilities drives

the vision and aspirations, which also reflects the plight of

IDPs and their lack of secure housing. Of key importance

to the peacebuilding aspect of the BDP is the prevalence

of out-of-school youth (OSY), whose lack of opportunities

contributes to a disaffected society susceptible to

nefarious influences, including drugs, gambling and

violence, teen pregnancy, and early marriage.

Table 3: Economy and Livelihood-Related Concerns, Aspirations, and Priority Programs

Sources of Dissatisfaction Vision and Aspirations Priority Programs

Poverty Prosperity Economic program and livelihood assistance

Lack of livelihood opportunities Employment and livelihood support Inputs to production (farming, irrigation, aquaculture)

Poor transportation network Sustainable development Farm-to-market and municipal roads

Unreliable power supply Dynamic private sector Increased power generation capacity

High price of inputs to production Economy sensitive to religious diversity

Access to finance (microfinance, mini-coop, Islamic finance)

Table 4: Social Development-Related Concerns, Aspirations, and Priority Programs

Sources of Dissatisfaction Vision and Aspirations Priority Programs

Inadequate access to health services and facilities

Reliable access to health services and facilities

Construction, rehabilitation, and staffing of health centers

Poor provision of education (including madaris)

Quality educational system reflective of religious diversity

School/Madrasah construction and teacher training

Lack of housing Resettlement and safe integrated return of migrant communities with reliable housing/shelter

Support for “Balik-Bangsamoro” and IDPs including housing, nutrition, and orphan support

Poor sanitation Potable water and sanitation system Waste management

Drugs/gambling Social safety net system OSY programs/sports centers

Bangsamoro Development Plan

30

A.3. Environment and Natural Resources

The CVEs reinforced the importance of environmental

stewardship across the Bangsamoro (see Table 5).

Many of the Bangsamoro, and also IPs, associate their

very existence with their natural resources. Therefore,

in association with the Bangsamoro people’s right

to self-determination, environmental restoration,

and sustainable management should be streamlined

in connection with the economic development of the

Bangsamoro. Coupled with this is reliable access to

personal and communal lands, conflict over which

continues to be a major issue across Bangsamoro.

A.4. Culture and Identity

As with the environment, communities understand

the CAB as an expression of their right to self-

determination. Related to that is the equal expression of

the multicultural societal fabric of the Bangsamoro. As

part of a peacebuilding effort, supporting the recognition

and sharing of the various religious and cultural traditions

of the Bangsamoro people can help foster social cohesion

(see Table 6).

Table 5: Environment and Natural Resource-Related Concerns, Aspirations, and Priority Programs

Sources of Dissatisfaction Vision and Aspirations Priority Programs

Environmental degradation Balanced ecology and sustainable environmental stewardship

Reforestation/Forestland management and protection

Illegal logging/mining Strong regulation of mining industry and enforce forestry laws

Conflict-sensitive assessment of mineral potential in Bangsamoro

Land conflict Land conflict resolution Land conflict management system

Pollution Realized returns of environmental exploitation to communities

Enforcement of environmental policy

Frequent environmental disasters Reduced environmental disaster susceptibility

Disaster Risk Reduction and Management programs (flood protection)

Table 6: Culture and Identity-Related Concerns, Aspirations, and Priority Programs

Sources of Dissatisfaction Vision and Aspirations Priority Programs

Lack of respect for ethnic/religious traditions

Ethnic and interfaith understanding Cultural preservation programs (museums, memorials, parks)

Minimal access to Islamic justice, finance, health, and education facilities

Access to culture-specific social, economic, and governance systems

Construction of culture-specific facilities (prayer rooms, traditional birthing facilities, cemeteries)

Disregard of traditional cultures by the youth

Pride in multi-ethnic background of Bangsamoro

Peacebuilding and cultural education program

C H A P T E R 5Clamor from the Ground

31

A.5. Governance

Transitioning from the ARG structure to the Bangsamoro

Government with a parliamentary form, along with the

associated human resource capacity development, will

require substantial effort. At the same time, addressing

the governance issues identified in the CVEs—

particularly corruption—will be a priority for the new

government (see Table 7). Building a new government

with institutions able to provide citizen security, justice,

and job opportunity will have one of the most significant

impacts in breaking the cycle of conflict.

A.6. Security

As a socioeconomic development plan, it is difficult for

the BDP to address security issues directly. However,

the protracted history of violence and conflict plays an

important part in shaping the views of the Bangsamoro

people. Hence, security was one of the main themes

identified by the CVEs (see Table 8). These should,

therefore, be addressed in parallel by the relevant

institutions to create an enabling environment where

socioeconomic interventions can help foster stability and

prosperity.

Table 7: Governance-Related Concerns, Aspirations, and Priority Programs

Sources of Dissatisfaction Vision and Aspirations Priority Programs

Corruption/lack of transparency Good governance Values Transformation

Inequitable implementation of laws/ distribution of services

Participatory/representative government

Transparency and accountability measures in budget utilization

Nepotism/political dynasty/electoral fraud

Progressive/fair community Electoral reform

Injustice/weak judiciary Justice and human rights (including Shari’ah)

Implementation of laws

Discrimination/tribalism Good inter-ethnic relations Government accountability programs

Limited Shari’ah Shari’ah Justice System Implementation of Shari’ah

Table 8: Security-Related Concerns, Aspirations, and Priority Programs

Sources of Dissatisfaction Vision and Aspirations Priority Programs

Armed conflict/militarization Peace and stability Police reform/law enforcement promotion/demilitarization

Rido Peaceful community environment Reconciliation and unification

Crime (kidnapping, rape, human trafficking)

Strong enforcement of the law Moral recovery and police operation enhancement

Private armies Strong and equitable law enforcement

Disbandment of private armies

Insecurity/lack of law enforcement Strong police visibility Strict enforcement of laws

B. Cross-Validation of Consolidated OutputsThough representative of the geographical and ethnic

diversity of the Bangsamoro, the CVE process, in the

limited time available, covered only a sample of the

proposed territory and population. However, the

CVE results were cross-validated and compared with

parallel and past processes to ensure they were aligned

with the views expressed by a broader constituency of

stakeholders and potential beneficiaries of the BDP.

Bangsamoro Development Plan

32

B.1. Community Consultations on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL)

The BTC, in line with its mandate to draft an inclusive

BBL, conducted an extensive series of community

consultations. Through a partnership with the

Mindanao Civil Society Organizations Platform for

Peace (MCSOPP), it held more than 120 community

consultation sessions across the potential core territory

and expansion areas.

In drafting the BDP, the BDA coordinated with MCSOPP

to draw on data gathered in the consultations. While the

consultations on the BBL focused primarily on political,

legal, and institutional concerns, the issues identified

by the population through the MCSOPP process, and

the suggested remedies, closely match those of the CVE

exercise. These include the major themes of security,

governance, social services, livelihood, and environment.

An overview consolidation of the CVE, CV, and MCSOPP

outputs is in Annex D (Clamor from the Ground).

B.2. Alignment with Previous Regional Analysis of Development Priorities

Several Official Development Assistance (ODA) partners

have conducted detailed analyses of the needs and

priorities of the Bangsamoro people based on community

consultations across the ARMM and in potential expansion

areas. Through a desk review, BDP confirmed the

close alignment of the aspirations, needs, and priorities

identified by the CVEs with those described in previous

studies47 in Table 9.

The results of these studies provide a regular polling

of the issues, aspirations, and priorities of Bangsamoro

communities over the past decade of neglect and reinforce

the continued underdevelopment experienced in the

Bangsamoro. The alignment of the results of the MCSOPP-

led consultations on the BBL with earlier socioeconomic

assessments and development plans, as well as the CVE

results, confirms that the CVEs provide a sound basis to

guide the priority programs of the BDP.

44 See note 32 in Chapter 3, page 16 for the complete listing of the Community Visioning Exercises in selected Bangsamoro areas. 45 Refer to Annex D (Clamor from the Ground) for a full description of the CVE methodology and results.46 The list in the matrix table is not meant to have correspondence from sources of dissatisfaction, vision, and aspirations to that of the priority

programs. The table merely enumerates the responses of communities consulted. 47 These are the World Food Programme and World Bank (2010), Japan International Cooperation Agency (2009), and World Bank (2003 and 2005).

NOTES

Table 9: Top Community Priorities Based on Previous Needs Assessments

Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3

JNA (2005) Livelihood/income above subsistence

Water and sanitation Durable housing/protection from natural disaster

JICA SERD-CAAM (2009) Livelihood and economic infrastructure

Reliable water supply Access to health and education

WB and WFP (2010) Money Jobs Food

MTF PPA 3 Assessment (2014) Livelihood and employment Capital for businesses Farm inputs, implements, and postharvest facilities

ARMM Social Fund Baseline Survey (2014)

Money Basic needs Food