Peace in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is under threat as a horizontal form of violence has increased in Maguindanao and in Lanao provinces, the heartland of the autonomous region in the southern island of Mindanao.
The Islamist militants’ activities may have been reduced to a peace and order problem that does not need US support.
Get Real Philippines made the false claim that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is a terrorist organization
What used to be the largest Muslim rebel group in the Philippines participated in its very first election on May 9, fielding candidates in key electoral battles in the newly created autonomous Bangsamoro region in the country’s south.
The Philippines cannot afford another security problem. There are outside forces waiting for things to explode in the south. Pro-Islamic State militant forces are looking for the next region to destabilize. It could be Mindanao. Let’s hope it’s not.