MANILA – Peace in Mindanao will help unlock the region’s growth potential, the World Bank said, after the enactment of a law that will grant wider autonomy to the Muslim minority in the south.
The Bangsamoro Organic Law, which President Rodrigo Duterte signed last week, can help bring lasting peace to Mindanao, said Birgit Hansl, World Bank lead economist for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand, East Asia and the Pacific.
“Peace is always a great condition for economic and social development for the communities. With the law, we see the opportunity to scale up these efforts and reach even more beneficiaries,” Hansl said.
The World Bank is working with partners and investors to create a “good cycle of peace and economic development in the region,” Hansl said.
The Bangsamoro Law is one of the requirements under a 2014 peace agreement between the government and MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group (ABS-CBN News)
