ARMM to BARMM: A Historical Inquiry of Co-optation and Integration of the Bangsamoro (Muslim Filipinos) to the Filipino Nation

Abstract. The Philippine government, the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and the Moro National Liberation Front, the Muslim revolutionary groups in the Philippines, signed a peace agreement that led to the ratification of a law establishing the BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao). It claims to provide greater autonomy to Muslim Filipinos than the defunct Republic Act 1387, the organic law that created the ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao). In effect, the BARMM replaced the ARMM. This was accomplished with great expectations by both parties that it would address the problems that have plagued Moro-Filipino relations in the past. Moro and Filipino leaders have welcomed the benefits of the establishment of BARMM for the Muslim region, particularly in achieving lasting peace and development in Mindanao. However, it has also prompted criticism and pessimism from the Moro people, who perceive both the ARMM and BARMM as government political projects primarily intended to neutralize Moro self-determination through superficial solutions to the Bangsamoro's political and economic problems. They have cast doubt on the sustainability of BARMM based on the track record of ARMM and other government projects, which appeared to be mere tools or instruments of integration or co-optation of the Moro people. This paper will examine, in a historical context, the ARMM and BARMM as instruments or tools of the Philippine government to co-opt and integrate the Bangsamoro into the Filipino nation.