NEDA to 'review' economic plans in anticipation of Bangsamoro Organic Law

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine government will review its economic plans to adapt to the expected impact of the enactment of the Bangsamoro Organic Law on the economy.

“We will have to review our plans in terms of their [economic] landscape — the new landscape. So we haven’t done that yet because the law has yet to be implemented,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said at a press conference Thursday.

“But there will be some changes but I guess it shouldn’t be too drastic if it’s only the new Bangsamoro region,” Pernia added.

President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to sign into law the BOL, which would implement the 2014 peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The new legislation seeks to grant more autonomy to the country's predominantly Muslim region and replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The BOL is the product of a rocky 20-year peace process between the state and the MILF in a bid to end years of rebellion in that part of resource-rich Mindanao that has stunted the region's economic growth.

“I guess they would have more say but there would still be collaboration between the new Bangsamoro region and the national government,” Pernia said.

For his part, National Economic Development Authority Undersecretary Rolando Tungpalan said projects in the ARMM that are funded through loans will “continue as they are” once the BOL is enacted.

“So the implementation arrangement I think will just continue for a time but those that have yet to be started I guess that is where we will have to discuss how it will be funded and how it will be executed,” Tungpalan said.

Among the 4,490 projects in the Duterte administration’s Public Investment Program 2017-2022, 4,321 are region-specific, with the ARMM having one-third of the projects at 1,340. — Ian Nicolas Cigaral