Bangsamoro

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, known as BARMM, is a special administrative area in the Philippines.

It sits in the southwestern portion of the island of Mindanao. This region is unique because it is the only Muslim-majority autonomous region in the country. The name Bangsamoro comes from two words. "Bangsa" is an Old Malay word meaning nation or race. "Moro" is a term used for the various predominantly Muslim ethnic groups in the Philippines.

The history of this region begins long before modern borders existed. In 1380, Sunni Sufi scholars arrived in Tawi-Tawi to trade and preach. Their arrival led to the conversion of native populations to Islam. This established the area as a traditional homeland for Muslim Filipinos. By 1457, the Sultanate of Sulu was founded. Later, the sultanates of Maguindanao and Buayan were also established.

For centuries, these sultanates maintained their independence. They even challenged Spanish rule by conducting raids and repelling incursions into their territory.

For over 400 years, the Moro people resisted various colonial powers. They fought against Spanish, American, and Japanese rule. Modern leaders view this long history as a national liberation movement. However, the arrival of American colonial rule changed the landscape of Mindanao. In 1903, the United States began the Homestead Program. This program encouraged people from non-Muslim areas to migrate to Mindanao. These migrants came from places like Luzon and the Visayas.

This migration created deep tensions regarding land and rights. Many Christian migrants established legal claims to land. At that time, the native peoples did not have a formal land titling system. This led to the disenfranchisement of many Muslims and indigenous Lumad groups. Over time, the proportion of indigenous peoples in Mindanao shrank significantly. In 1913, they were the majority, but by 1976, they had become a minority. This shift caused economic and political domination by the new settlers. It also caused many Muslim families to be pushed out of their ancestral lands.

These grievances eventually led to intense conflict and armed struggle. One major event was the Jabidah Massacre in 1968. A survivor named Jibin Arula recounted how Muslim recruits were killed during a secret operation. This event helped inspire various groups to fight for their rights. Groups like the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) emerged. These organizations sought to protect the Islamic identity and land of the Bangsamoro people. They wanted more power to govern themselves away from the central government.

The path to peace involved many years of difficult negotiations. In 2014, the national government and the MILF reached a framework agreement. This was called the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. After further debates, the Congress of the Philippines created the Bangsamoro Organic Law. This law was signed on July 26, 2018.

To make the law official, a two-part plebiscite was held in early 2019.

Voters decided to dissolve the old ARMM and replace it with the BARMM. This vote also allowed 63 barangays from Cotabato to join the new region.

Today, the BARMM is in a transition period that lasts until 2025. It is being used as a testing ground for constitutional reform in the Philippines. The region uses a parliamentary system, which is different from the presidential system used by the rest of the country. In September 2024, the Supreme Court of the Philippines made an important ruling. The Court upheld the constitutionality of the organic law. However, it declared that the province of Sulu is not part of the autonomous region. This was because a majority of voters in Sulu had voted against joining during the 2019 plebiscite.