‘Just economy’ and inclusive growth

Almost half a century of armed conflict has painted a portrait of socioeconomic disproportion in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Here, the indicators of economy and poverty are glaring. In 2012, when the Philippine economy grew by 6.8 percent, which was one of the fastest worldwide, ARMM’s gross regional domestic product grew by only 1.1 percent and contributed only 0.8 percent to the national output. In that same year, the ARMM was the only region where more than half of its people (55.8%) were poor—more than double the national poverty incidence of 25.2 percent. The Philippine government’s strong resolve to correct this picture is evidenced by its unwavering commitment to the peace process. One of the key documents that resulted from the gains of the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro is the Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP), which aims to build the foundations of a “just economy ” in the region. The BDP was strategically completed even before approval of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) to ensure that development interventions are implemented even prior to Bangsamoro’s autonomy. This DevPulse issue focuses on the economic potentials and imperatives of an autonomous Bangsamoro. This is an offshoot of the NEDA-sponsored session in last year’s Philippine Economic Society meeting, which was moderated by journalist Marites Vitug. The session provided multiple perspectives from the national government (NEDA and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process), civil society (Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy) and the peace process ’ independent Third Party Monitoring Team (The Asia Foundation). Three articles are assembled for this issue. The main article answers a very basic question that people in Mindanao often ask: How will the creation of an autonomous Bangsamoro government affect our lives? According to Dir. Maria Lourdes Lim of NED