The Marcos regime sabotages the peace process in Bangsamoro to justify the continued massive Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) deployment to secure the interests of land grabbers and plunderers of the Moro people’s wealth.

Since the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) was signed, land use conversion has continued in areas in the region labeled as “conflict-ridden.” Under the cover of “economic development” and the “peace dividend” of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), vast lands and seas have been opened to local and foreign plantations, mining, energy facilities, and other destructive projects.

The Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) uses the AFP, paramilitaries and private armed groups, to clear the way for foreign corporations and their local partners. They collude with the Moro elite now in power.

The Marcos regime also uses the Southern Philippines Development Authority (SPDA) as a “mechanism” for “economic recovery and development in Bangsamoro.” Established in 1975 by the Marcos Sr dictatorship, the SPDA is directly controlled by the current president to manage the flow of capital and kickbacks from projects. It has the authority to seize large tracts of land and evict anyone living on or cultivating them. The GRP appointed its Moro allies to the SPDA as mere token.

Rich agricultural lands

The SPDA’s largest project is the Agro-Industrial Development Program in Wao and Amai Manabilang areas in Lanao del Sur, where American companies have now entered. Asia Pacific Precision Agriculture Group and EcoPlanet Bamboo, along with Kennemer Foods (for Mars Inc.), have taken over 26,000 hectares of agricultural land. The SPDA also introduced Mount Kalatungan Agri Ventures, in partnership with the Japanese firm Sumifru, for a 4,000-hectare plantation in Lanao del Sur for bananas for export. Soldiers, police, private armed groups, and CAFGU are driving thousands of Moro, Lumad, and settler farmers out of these lands.

A few months after the CAB was signed in November 2014, Unifrutti, a subsidiary of the American company Chiquita Brands International, “invested” $120 million to establish a banana plantation covering the MILF’s former Camp Abubakar in Maguindanao.

Foreign oil palm plantations expanded in Basilan. Kenram Palmoil Industries, Inc. announced plans to establish a 12,000-hectare oil palm plantation in 2026. Large-scale land conversion has resulted in deforestation and the seizure of farmers’ lands. Kenram already has oil palm plantations in Maguindanao and South Cotabato.

Energy sources

One of the richest areas in BARMM, and in the entire Philippines, is the 288,000-hectare Liguasan Marsh, said to potentially yield up to 4.8 billion barrels and 3.4 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas. The Moro armed struggle has long preserved this area along with its environment and the livelihoods of its residents. Under BARMM, large portions have been opened to exploration despite warnings of ecosystem destruction and massive community displacement. A Philippine company leads the exploration, partnered with United Kingdom-based NextMetals. Major companies Shell and Chevron have expressed interest.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr opened 1.31 million hectares of seas in the Sulu and Tawi-Tawi archipelago to natural gas exploration in October 2025. This covers the ancestral waters of the Tausug, Sama, Yakan, and other Moro peoples. It is estimated to contain around 10 TCF of natural gas (comparable to Malampaya). Marcos awarded the contract to companies based in Australia and the UK, with big bourgeois-comprador Manuel Pangilinan as partner.

Still mired in poverty and oppression

The Bangsamoro does not benefit from the contracts entered into and to be entered into by the GRP and some of its Moro partners. BARMM has long had one of the highest poverty rates (23.5%, double the national average). State data show BARMM remains the weakest in literacy, nutrition, education, and overall living standards in the country.

Hundreds of thousands of Moro are landless and face the seizure of their farms due to the expansion of plantations and “development” projects. Most of those considered employed are in agriculture (60%), where work is irregular and wages are low. Even by the state’s deliberately underestimated figures, nearly half of families in the region (48%) lack sufficient food.

Wages range from ₱366–₱411 per day, the lowest in the country. According to the Ibon Foundation, ₱1,947 is needed for a five-member family in the region to live decently. The gap between the minimum and living wage is ₱1,606, the largest in the country. The last wage increase was a meager ₱50 granted in July 2025.

In this situation, MILF’s refusal to proceed with decommissioning its weapons is not surprising. Their people remain mired in poverty, and the GRP sabotages their opportunity to manage their resources and improve the lives of the Moro.