Philippine Bill Would Give Muslims Autonomy
The long-running conflict between the government and Muslim fighters in the south has killed thousands of people and displaced more than three million. It has also left Mindanao, the largest island in the southern Philippines, mired in poverty and lawlessness despite being rich in resources that include natural gas, gold and other valuable minerals.
The draft law that Mr. Aquino submitted to the Philippine Congress on Wednesday stems from an October 2012 peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the largest of the Muslim rebel groups. It would group Muslim-dominated southern areas into what would be called the Bangsamoro region, based on the traditional name of Filipino Muslims. To emphasize the importance of the law to his administration, Mr. Aquino personally presented the draft measure to leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives at a ceremony on Wednesday morning.
The Bangsamoro region would have local self-government, including locally recruited law enforcement officials — a critical demand by the rebels, given the allegations of human rights abuses in the region by the Philippine police and military, many of whom are Christians from the north. About four million people would live in the Bangsamoro region. Of the Philippines’ population of 107 million, about 5 percent are Muslim, most of them living in the south; about 80 percent are Roman Catholic.
The region would also retain most of the tax revenue generated from its natural resources. The central government would retain control over currency, foreign policy issues and national defense.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/world/asia/philippine-bill-would-set-up-autonomous-region-in-muslim-dominated-south.html?_r=2
