Clamor from the Ground. Clamor from the Ground

Transcription

1 Clamor from the Ground C H A P T E R 5 5 Clamor from the Ground 27

2 Bangsamoro Development Plan 5Clamor from the Ground A. Community Visioning Exercises: Results and Insights To ensure that the BDP adequately targets the priority needs of its beneficiary communities, a total of ten 44 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. 28

3 Clamor from the Ground C H A P T E R 5 Table 3: Economy and Livelihood-Related Concerns, Aspirations, and 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, minicoop, Islamic finance) 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 4: Social Development-Related Concerns, Aspirations, and Priority Programs Inadequate access to health services and facilities Poor provision of education (including madaris) Lack of housing Reliable access to health services and facilities Quality educational system reflective of religious diversity Resettlement and safe integrated return of migrant communities with reliable housing/shelter Construction, rehabilitation, and staffing of health centers School/Madrasah construction and teacher training 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 29

4 Bangsamoro Development Plan 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. Table 5: Environment and Natural Resource-Related Concerns, Aspirations, and Priority Programs Environmental degradation Illegal logging/mining Balanced ecology and sustainable environmental stewardship Strong regulation of mining industry and enforce forestry laws Reforestation/Forestland management and protection Conflict-sensitive assessment of mineral potential in Bangsamoro Land conflict Land conflict resolution Land conflict management system Pollution Frequent environmental disasters Realized returns of environmental exploitation to communities Reduced environmental disaster susceptibility Enforcement of environmental policy Disaster Risk Reduction and Management programs (flood protection) A.4. Culture and Identity As with the environment, communities understand the CAB as an expression of their right to selfdetermination. 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 6: Culture and Identity-Related Concerns, Aspirations, and Priority Programs Lack of respect for ethnic/religious traditions Minimal access to Islamic justice, finance, health, and education facilities Disregard of traditional cultures by the youth Ethnic and interfaith understanding Access to culture-specific social, economic, and governance systems Pride in multi-ethnic background of Bangsamoro Cultural preservation programs (museums, memorials, parks) Construction of culture-specific facilities (prayer rooms, traditional birthing facilities, cemeteries) Peacebuilding and cultural education program 30

5 Clamor from the Ground C H A P T E R 5 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. Table 7: Governance-Related Concerns, Aspirations, and Priority Programs Corruption/lack of transparency Good governance Values Transformation Inequitable implementation of laws/ distribution of services Nepotism/political dynasty/electoral fraud Injustice/weak judiciary Participatory/representative government Progressive/fair community Justice and human rights (including Shari ah) Transparency and accountability measures in budget utilization Electoral reform Implementation of laws Discrimination/tribalism Good inter-ethnic relations Government accountability programs Limited Shari ah Shari ah Justice System Implementation of Shari ah 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 8: Security-Related Concerns, Aspirations, and 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) Private armies Strong enforcement of the law Strong and equitable law enforcement Moral recovery and police operation enhancement Disbandment of private armies Insecurity/lack of law enforcement Strong police visibility Strict enforcement of laws B. Cross-Validation of Consolidated Outputs Though 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. 31

6 Bangsamoro Development Plan 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 studies 47 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 MCSOPPled 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. Table 9: Top Community Priorities Based on Previous Needs Assessments JNA (2005) JICA SERD-CAAM (2009) Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3 Livelihood/income above subsistence Livelihood and economic infrastructure Water and sanitation Reliable water supply WB and WFP (2010) Money Jobs Food Durable housing/protection from natural disaster Access to health and education 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 NOTES 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). 32