Author: Bangsamoro Research and Legal Network (BRLN)

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Watch the awarding of best 10 research papers presented at the Bangsamoro Research Online Conference 2023.

Watch the Bangsamoro Research Online Conference 2023

Bangsamoro Research and Legal Network (BRLN) in cooperation with CBRC will conduct “Bridging BARMM: Inform, Inspire, Involve”

Learn the BARMM’S political landscape, economic opportunities and careers in the Bangsamoro communities, halal marketing and etc.

We invite Muslim Students Associations, Muslim Leaders and Groups, educators and Muslim students to join us in this event.

Forum on Jan 17, from 8AM-12NN at CBRC Headquarters, Sampaloc Manila.

Just click this link to join: https://forms.gle/SwqX9MsbfqfK4CQv7

See you soon, InshaAllah!

Join us for this enriching virtual experience on December 2-3, 2023. This conference is a unique opportunity to delve into the diverse facets of the Bangsamoro society, exploring post/decolonial and policy matters through multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary lenses.

Register here for FREE: https://forms.gle/xcqTop4D6D9mLJp97

Download the Conference Programme and Book of Abstract.

Join us for this enriching virtual experience on December 2-3, 2023. This conference is a unique opportunity to delve into the diverse facets of the Bangsamoro society, exploring post/decolonial and policy matters through multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary lenses.

Register here for FREE: https://forms.gle/xcqTop4D6D9mLJp97

#BROC2023 Conference Programme and Book of Abstract

The Call for Papers

The Bangsamoro Research Online Conference, a free virtual conference (registration fees are waived) that will be held on 2023 December 2-3, presents and discusses research presentations reflective of multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary studies across post/decolonial and policy matters relevant to philosophical, Islamic, historical, religious, cultural, social, political, economic, environmental, scientific, legal, governmental, and security issues in the Bangsamoro society. To understand the complex dynamics of the region plagued by centuries-long conflicts, underdevelopment, and struggle for self-determination, the conference brings together students, academics, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners aspiring to explore the current state of the Bangsamoro studies and identify key research gaps, challenges, and opportunities. It aims to:

1. provide a platform for communities, individuals, and stakeholders working on Bangsamoro studies to present their research findings, share experiences, and engage in constructive and meaningful discussions;
2. identify gaps in existing research and explore network of opportunities for future research collaborations, engagements, and partnerships;
3. promote multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, and transdisciplinarity approaches to understand science/evidence-based policy issues facing the region; and,
4. facilitate exchanges of knowledge and best practices among academics, policymakers, and practitioners working to address various Bangsamoro issues.

Keynote speakers (in alphabetical order by their first name):

• Abhoud Syed M. Lingga is the executive director of the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies in Cotabato City and author of numerous research works including Democratic approach to pursue the Bangsamoro people’ right to self-determination (2002), Assertions of Sovereignty and Self-Determination: The Philippine-Bangsamoro Conflict (2003), Understanding Bangsamoro Independence as a Mode of Self-Determination (2004), Mindanao peace process (2005), Dynamics and management of rido in the Province of Maguindanao (2007), Bangsamoro Self-Determination (2007), The ACEH Peace Process and Lessons for Mindanao (2007), Understanding the Bangsamoro Right to Self-Determination (2008), The Bangsamoro Under the Philippine Rule (2009), Peace is for Everyone: Bangsamoro stories of hope, survival, pain and resilience (2016), Building the Bangsamoro government (2018), among others. Click here to read the abstract of Director Lingga’s presentation.
• Ayesah Uy Abubakar is an Associate Professor at the School of Business and Social Science at Al Bukhary International University, Malaysia, and author of several articles including Keeping the Peace: The International Monitoring Team mission in Mindanao (2005), The Philippines: Challenges to peacebuilding in the GRP-MILF process (2007), Defining the Bangsamoro Right to Self Determination in the MILF Peace Process (2010), The Philippines: Challenges to Peacebuilding in the GRP-MILF Peace Process (2014), Defining the Bangsamoro Right to Self-Determination in the MILF Peace Process (2018), Peacebuilding and Sustainable Human Development: The Pursuit of the Bangsamoro Right to Self Determination (2019), The Study Area: Mindanao and the Bangsamoro Conflict Communities (2019), Mindanao (2019), among others. Click here to read the abstract of Dr. Abubakar’s presentation.
• Datu Michael O. Mastura is the President and Founder of the Sultan Kudarat Islamic Academy Foundation College, a former Representative (Congressman) of districts of Maguindanao and Cotabato City, served as Deputy Minister of the Office of Muslim Affairs, Board Regent Member of Mindanao State University, Member of the Southern Philippines Development Authority and the Mindanao Economic Council, a former delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention, co-founder of the Southeast Asian Shariah Law Association, and author of The Moro Problem: An Approach Through Constitutional Reforms (1971), Aide Memoire on the Question of Autonomy (1975), Administrative Policies Towards the Muslims in the Philippines: A Study in Historical Continuity and Trends (1976), Legal Status of the Sulu Sultanate and the Mindanao Principalities (1982), Shari’a and Social Order in the Philippine Context (1984), Perspectives and Approaches to Muslim Studies in the Philippines: The Umatic Science Imperatives (1985), The Crisis in the MNLF Leadership and the Dilemma of Muslim Autonomy Movement (1985), A Reappraisal of the Administration of Islamic Law in Philippines (1996), Bangsamoro Quest: The Birth of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (2012), The Rulers of Magindanao in Modern History, 1515–1903: Continuity and Change in a Traditional Realm in the Southern Philippine (2023), among others. Click here to read the abstract of Atty. Mastura’s presentation.
• Francisco J. Lara Jr. is a retired Professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Senior Peace and Conflict Adviser to International Alert Philippines, and author and editor of books and articles including the Agrarian roots of contemporary violent conflict in Mindanao, Southern Philippines (2011), Insurgents, clans and states: Political legitimacy and resurgent conflict in Muslim Mindanao, Philippines (2014), Out of the shadows: Violent conflict and the real economy of Mindanao (2016), Lorries and Ledgers: Describing and Mapping Smuggling in the Field (2021), Conflict’s Long Game: A Decade of Violence in the Bangsamoro (2022), among others. Click here to read the abstract of Prof. Lara’s presentation.
• Henelito A. Sevilla, Jr. is the Dean and Professor at the Asian Center of the University of the Philippines Diliman, expert on Philippine-Middle East relations, and author of several articles including Why Middle East Matters to the Philippines? (2010), Middle East Security Issues and their Implications to the Philippines (2011), The Republic of the Philippines BID for Observer Status at the OIC: Motivations, Challenges and Opportunities (2013), The Nationalization of Saudi Arabia’s Labor Market and the Filipino Overseas Workers (2016), The Philippines’ Foreign Policy Direction: An Assessment of the First Year of President Duterte (2019), Marginalization of Interests: The Case of Philippine-Middle East Relations (2020), among others. Click here to read the abstract of Dean Sevilla’s presentation.
• Patricio N. Abinales is a Professor at the Department of Asian Studies, University of Hawaiʻi-Manoa, expert on Mindanao, and author of several books and articles including Making Mindanao: Cotabato and Davao in the Formation of the Philippine Nation-State (2001), Sancho Panza in Buliok Complex: The Paradox of Muslim Separatism (2007), Mindanao, Nation, and Region: The Joys of Dislocation (2008), Orthodoxy and history in the Muslim-Mindanao narrative (2010), Missing the peace in Muslim Mindanao (2015), War and peace in Muslim Mindanao: Critiquing the orthodoxy (2018), Moro Societies in the Philippines before and after the 2017 Marawi Crisis (2018), What sayeth the margins? A note on the state of Mindanao scholarship in Mindanao (2021), among others. Click here to read the abstract of Prof. Abinales’ presentation.
• Richard N. Muallil is a Professor and Director of Research at the Mindanao State University, Tawi-Tawi College of Technology and Oceanography, and author of several publications including Community assemblages of commercially important coral reef fishes inside and outside marine protected areas in the Philippines (2015), Relative abundance of flying fish gillnet fisheries in Maitum, Sarangani province (2017), Effectiveness of small locally-managed marine protected areas for coral reef fisheries management in the Philippines (2019), Preliminary report on an artisanal fishery for thresher sharks (Alopias spp) in Tawi-Tawi (2020), Inventory of commercially important coral reef fishes in Tawi-Tawi Islands: The Heart of the Coral Triangle (2020), Napoleon wrasse live fishery in the Sibutu islands in Tawi-Tawi, Philippines (2022), among others. Click here to read the abstract of Dr. Muallil’s presentation.
• Rizal G. Buendia is an Independent Political Analyst, Consultant in Southeast Asian Politics and Governance, former Chair and Associate Professor in Political Science at the De La Salle University, a former Teaching Fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies, UK, and author of several articles including The GRP-MILF Peace Talks: Quo Vadis? (2004), The secessionist movement and the peace process in the Philippines and Indonesia: The case of Mindanao and Aceh (2005), The state‐Moro armed conflict in the Philippines Unresolved national question or question of governance? (2005), The mindanao conflict in the Philippines: ethno-religious war or economic conflict? (2006), The Politics of Ethnicity and Moro Secessionism in the Philippines (2007), Looking into the future of Moro self-determination in the Philippines (2008), The Ethnopolitics of Moro Self-Determination in the Philippines: So little, too late? (2012), Bangsamoro Secessionism (2018), Charting the Future of the Bangsamoro within the Philippine Nation-State: Governance Challenges, Issues and Recommendations (2019), among others. Click here to read the abstract of Dr. Buendia’s presentation.
• Rufa Cagoco‐Guiam is a retired Professor from Sociology department of the Mindanao State University in General Santos City, a cultural anthropologist by training, and author of books and articles including Child soldiers in Central and Western Mindanao: a Rapid Assessment (2002), an exploratory study of civil society organizations among Muslim communities in two provinces in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (2003), Mindanao Forum: A Series of Discussions on the Mindanao Peace Process (2006), Gender and Livelihoods Among Internally Displaced Persons in Mindanao, Philippines (2012), State of Local Democracy in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (2013), Peacebuilding from Below: Conflict resolution, the role of women, and peace governance in select Cotabato, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat communities (2015), among others. Click here to read the abstract of Prof. Cagoco-Guiam’s presentation.
• Sha Elijah B. Dumama-Alba is a Member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), the interim government in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) during the transition period and acting as Floor Leader of the Bangsamoro Parliament. As BTA Member of Parliament, she aspires to pass legislations to further the 12-Point Priority Agenda of the Bangsamoro Government. She is currently acting as the Chairperson of the Bangsamoro Parliament’s Committee on Rules and the Vice-Chairperson of the Statutory Committee on Bangsamoro Justice System. Click here to read the abstract of Atty. Dumama-Alba’s presentation.

Based on review results of full paper submissions, its top 10 best papers will receive ₱5,000 cash prize each including a certificate proof as #BROC2023 Best Research Paper and automatic inclusion to the BRLN publications. Additional two papers in education and two papers in health receiving ₱5,000 each will be sponsored by Dr Carl Balita Review Center.

The research conference covers a broad range of themes and topics but not limited to:

1. Dynamics of socio-cultural and ethno-linguistic diversity, norms, folklores, arts, mores (customs), and preservation of cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and practices.
2. Religious freedom, interfaith and inter-ethnic relations, Islam and the ulamas, and comparative religions and traditional belief systems.
3. Historical injustices, human rights, and mechanisms for transitional (social) justice, reparation for unjust dispossession, and establishment of the Bangsamoro justice system including shari’ah courts and Islamic law.
4. Political identity, autonomy, and evolution of the Bangsamoro (moral) governance structures, from (pre)colonial sultanates, 1899 Bates Treaty, 1903 Moro Province, 1913 Department of Mindanao and Sulu, 1920 Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes, 1936 Commissioner for Mindanao and Sulu, 1975 Tripoli Agreement, 1979 Sangguniang Pampook and Lupong Tagapagpaganap ng Pook in Regions IX and XII, 1989 Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), to 2019 Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM Parliament).
5. Exploration, development and utilization of untapped economic potential and natural resources such as Liguasan Marsh, including inhabitants’ livelihood, halal economy, trade and investments, tourism, business and commerce management, entrepreneurial opportunities, Islamic banking and finance, and socioeconomic developmental state.
6. Peacemaking, peacekeeping, peacebuilding, and peace enforcement of public order and safety including rido management, conflict resolution, reconciliation, and reconstruction.
7. Lifelong learning, Madaris educational system, general secular education, and IPs educational system.
8. Health science and well-being, traditional and alternative health care system, drug problems, mental rehabilitation, and health policies on (post-)COVID-19 pandemic.
9. Issues of vulnerable sectors such as Indigenous Peoples, senior citizens (ageism), PWDs, women, youth, children, and settler communities as well as gender issues.
10. Intergovernmental relations between the National Government and the Bangsamoro Government in the areas of legislation, fiscal policies, maritime cooperation, (renewable) energy, public works and infrastructure (interconnectivity and transportation), sustainable development, and issues with constituent LGUs.
11. Land and agricultural issues in farming and fisheries including urban land reform, cadastral land surveys, housing and human settlements, and IDPs in Marawi City.
12. Biodiversity, environmental conservation, disaster risk management, and Anthropocene issues such as food and water shortage, deforestation, extinction of animal and plant species, mining, typhoons, earthquakes, climate change adaptation and global warming.
13. Labor issues, wage inequality, underemployment, unemployment, and human resource development including migrants and overseas Moro workers.
14. Preventing and countering violent extremism/radicalism, terrorism, and deradicalization strategies.
15. Graft and corruption, political dynasties, vote buying, and political patronage.

Abstract submission portal is now open and will close on October 15 while notification of acceptance is on November 06. Please consider submitting your proposed abstract directly to the form below. Thank you.

The conference will feature keynote speeches of scholars working on Bangsamoro studies, as well as paper presentations, panel discussions, and RTDs. Participants will have the opportunity to present their research findings, attend plenary sessions, and engage in discussions with fellow presenters. Participants are expected to present existing knowledge applications, discuss the prospects of generating new knowledge, identify research gaps and challenges, and explore opportunities for future collaborations and partnerships. The conference proceedings will be published as journal articles and/or edited books. Additionally, the conference organizers will explore possibilities for future research engagements.

The free #BROC2023 is a timely initiative that will provide a platform for students, researchers, scholars, and practitioners to come together by sharing experiences and exchanging knowledge, concepts, and ideas on Bangsamoro studies. Such exchanges have the potential to contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics of the region and inform policies and interventions aimed at promoting sustainable development and furthering peacebuilding efforts.

For inquiries, please email us at contact@brln.work

The norm for politicians in Muslim Mindanao could be more particularly religious for ‘moral governance’ if we leave former liberation front leaders to their own devices. If religion were to intrude into the ‘government-of-the-day politics’ can it be far beyond for their voters in the 2025 election? Given the establishment clause of the country’s constitution that separates religion and politics the all-appointed MPs work in the pretext of cabinet ministries run under color of authority (colorum). That’s why my contribution to the Voices from Moro Land published, in 2007, I already posed the hard question: “Political Islam in the 21st Century Philippines: Can It Survive?” Today, a little more than a decade, those so-called “people of faith” and their religious beliefs are perhaps no more intertwined within an imposed majoritarian composition of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) than in public life. At institutional level the lack of accountability drawn from electoral constituencies explains the absence of crucial cabinet collective responsibility to BTA members, even if they are in transition status.

The Muslim faithful and devout supporters are not mutually exclusivists; they include non-elected MPs from MNLF grouping and a few Indigenous peoples.  A project of moralizing the world by MILF-backed brand of proxy politics only suggests: It’s not economics (haram vs halal above all) but growth-points in basic rule of law (al-amr vs an-nahy) debate for the most politically aware. That issue must be taken to a new level of cabinet system as well as parliamentary practice to work out both in the Electoral Code and the Party List System (PLS) with Proportional Representation System (PRS) to function within the framework of democratic competition in politics. In consideration, the right support for growth push with decisions made in the political market—including voter’s exchange value in it—would not generally be accepted legitimacy, moral or legal. And thus what sets up as a rubric for the evaluation of legal as well as economic institutions and norms of human behavior is political education.

As a Muslim public intellectual, lawyer Datu Michael O. Mastura is well acquainted with the attitudes of the Bangsamoro intelligentsia in which Islam becomes a source of identity if not ideology.  His major books are: Muslim Filipino Experience (1984), Bangsamoro Quest (2012), and the latest The Rulers of Magindanao in Modern History (2023). He edited C. A. Majul’s collection of essays entitled Islam and Development (1984). As a lawmaker, congressman Mastura crafted the Code of Muslim Laws in the Philippines (1976); Charter of the Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines; Philippine Passport Law; and The People’s Television Act. He has been an Amicus Curae to the Supreme Court.  His seminal work on “Legal Pluralism in the Philippines” appeared in the Journal of Law and Society (1994). Also as professional lecturer, he has contributed chapters to books such as Southeast Asians in the Era of Globalization (2014); Islam and Civilizational Renewal; published articles on Islam, Muslim law, and history; other journals devoted to politics, peace negotiation, and contemporary issues. 

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The rehabilitation and restoration of Moro civil society hinges on the recovery of multiple narratives from below, many of which had been suppressed by war. This lecture suggests areas where this is urgently needed, and proposes a collaboration between Moro scholars, public intellectuals and civil society groups with the support from Moro leaders amnd colleagues from “the outside” to pursue this critical endeavor.

Patricio N. Abinales is from Ozamiz City and is currently a professor at the Department of Asian Studies, University of Hawaiʻi-Manoa.

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Conflict data has helped the Bangsamoro peace and subnational state building by filling the critical gap in information that could increase the pressure for an immediate end to hostilities, uncover the true cost of war, and institutionalize a political settlement for peace and stability to endure. However, few have turned to conflict data except for media purposes. The developmental role of conflict data has not been explored as much—why is this the case? The paper addresses the incentives and disincentives in using conflict data by subregional authorities with fragile political authority and the dilemmas faced by development actors who need to account for the peace building impact of their projects and programs. The paper posits a way out of these dilemmas and a better method for determining peacebuilding impact.   

Professor Francisco J. “Pancho” Lara Jr. PhD is a Professor at the University of the Philippines and Senior Peace and Conflict Adviser (Asia) to International Alert UK. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of the Philippines, and both an MSc (Master of Science) and PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in International Development from the London School of Economics. He was research associate at the LSE Crisis States Research Centre (2006-2010); taught classes at the LSE Development Studies Institute (2006-2008); and wrote on political economy issues in Indonesia and the Philippines for the LSE-IDEAS Emerging Markets Bulletin from 2007-2009. He authored the book, Insurgents, Clans, and States: Political Legitimacy and Resurgent Conflict in Muslim Mindanao, published by the Ateneo de Manila University Press (2014). He also co-edited and wrote the research methodology chapter of the book on Mindanao’s shadow economies and their links to violent conflict entitled: Out of the Shadows: Violent Conflict and the Real Economy of Mindanao (2016) that won the Philippines National Book Award for the Social Sciences in the same year. In 2021, he co-wrote the chapter on qualitative methodologies in researching smuggling and illicit cross-border trade entitled “Lorries and Ledgers: Describing and Mapping Smuggling in the Field,” in the volume: The Routledge Handbook of Smuggling (2021).

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