The proposed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BARMM) will become reality if the results of the ongoing referendum reflect the sentiments of Filipino Muslims surveyed recently.
79 percent of Filipino Muslims nationwide are in favor of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), the law that seeks to establish the BARMM, according to a survey released by research institution Social Weather Stations (SWS) last night.
Of the 79 percent, 67 percent of Muslims nationwide definitely want it while 12 percent somewhat want it.
14 percent were undecided, 4 percent somewhat don’t want it, and only 3 percent definitely don’t want it.
However, the results are quite different when non-Muslims living in Mindanao are taken into account.
According to the same survey, only 41 percent of people in Mindanao are in favor of it. This includes 27 percent who definitely want the BOL and 14 percent who somewhat want it.
9 percent somewhat don’t want it and 22 percent definitely don’t want it. A whopping 28 percent were undecided.
This resulted in a net approval of +9, the lowest among the surveyed areas in the country.
In comparison, net approval of the BOL was highest in the Visayas at +17. Balance Luzon had a +16 net approval, while Metro Manila had a net approval of +13.
The survey was done on Dec. 16 – 19 through face-to-face interviews with 1,440 adults in Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
The BOL was signed by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in July last year. It is one of the requirements found in the 2014 peace agreement, called the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, between the government and the largest Muslim rebel group the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The law seeks to establish the BARMM, a more powerful autonomous political entity that will replace the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) which consists of the provinces Basilan (except Isabela City), Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.
The law can only be ratified through a referendum.
Voting started in the ARMM, Cotabato City, and Isabela City yesterday, the results of which are expected to come out on Friday, The Guardian reported.
The voting will continue on Feb. 6 in Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato, according to the Manila Bulletin.
If established, the BARMM will receive 75 percent of the national tax collected in the region. It will also automatically receive a 5 percent grant from the national government annually, according to ABS-CBN News.
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