Duterte’s law for Moro

The signing of the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday or Thursday, will hopefully, provide another chapter of peace in the southern Philippines to end the nearly five-decade Muslim armed rebellion.

The provincial population will give their final say on whether they agree with the law in a plebiscite later this year. As the first president from Mindanao, Duterte is convinced that the law will lead to sustainable peace between Moro Muslims and the predominantly Catholic nation.

“I make the solemn commitment that this administration will never deny our Muslim brothers and sisters the basic legal tools to chart their own destiny within the constitutional framework of our country,” Duterte said Monday.

Duterte will sign the peace accord 10 months after the Maute Muslim rebels, which had Islamic State (IS) movement support, were defeated in urban warfare in Marawi in October. The law is based on a 2014 peace agreement between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the government. The new legislation will replace the 1989 Law on Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Is Duterte too optimistic, as we have seen this before? In the mid-1990s, Manila signed a similar accord with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader Nur Misuari, the largest local armed group. The truce collapsed and Misuari failed to fulfil his promise to bring justice and prosperity to the resource-rich province.

Under the 2014 agreement, the government of Bangsamoro (Nation of Moro) will be based on a parliamentary system under a regional leader, the chief minister. The power- and revenue-sharing system will be similar to that of Papua and Aceh.

Most local revenue, including from natural resources, will go to the local government, apart from the annual budget from the central government. Like in Aceh, Bangsamoro will be entitled to introduce Islamic law into its justice system.

In return for the wide-ranging autonomy, the MILF must dissolve its military and surrender all weapons. This will be challenging given the splinter groups that resist peace with Manila.

Indonesia has strategic military and political interests in Mindanao given its proximity to Sulawesi. Many terrorists, including from Indonesia, have used it as a training ground and source of weapons. With our experience in resolving conflict, particularly in Aceh, Indonesia could share its expertise with the Philippines to help ensure peace in Mindanao.