There are similarities between Catalonia, the Spanish region whose quest for independence climaxed this year in an independence referendum, and the proposed Bangsamoro, which since the 1970s has been the goal of an often violent movement for “real autonomy.” There are dissimilarities too.
One similarity is that the Catalonians’ agitation for independence from Spain and the Bangsamoro people’s quest for separation from this country are not new things. They have been in existence for centuries, surviving the administrations of colonial powers Spain and the US. In times past they were referred to in reports to Madrid and Washington D.C. as bands of “Moros” or “tulisanes” or “insurrectionists.” Today they are referred to by the more respectable names Moro Independent Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). On the other hand, the people of Catalonia in modern times have considered that region to be in a distinct and prideful part of Spain and regarded themselves as a people distinct from the rest of the Spanish population.
Another similarity between Catalonia and the proposed Bangsamoro is that, in the absence of overpowering considerations, Spain and this country will never agree to give up Catalonia and the proposed Bangsamoro. In the first place, the Spanish and Philippine Constitutions allow the grant of autonomy but not the dismemberment of the national territory. This provision of the two Constitutions was invoked during the Congressional hearings on the propose Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) and in the pro-independence aftermath of the Catalonian referendum. In the second place, both the Spanish and Philippine governments consider Catalonia and the proposed Bangsamoro to be special to Spain and the Philippines for historical, cultural and social reasons. And, thirdly, Madrid and Manila are experiencing the fear that is experienced by all countries that are confronted by separatist movements: the fear that if one region is allowed to separate, other regions might wish to break away too.
One of the dissimilarities between Catalonia and the proposed Bangsamoro are the sizes of the two regions in relation to Spain and the Philippines. Catalonia is a relatively small part of territory located in the northeast corner of one of Western Europe’s largest countries. In contrast, the proposed Bangsamoro covers about a third of this country’s second largest island plus a slice of Palawan. The proposed Bangsamoro territory is simply too large to stand a fair chance of favorable consideration. In any sensible discussion of BBL, the specter of the dreaded D word – dismemberment – looms very large.
The other dissimilarity between the Catalonian and Bangsamoro situations is arguably the most important of all the relevant considerations. I refer to the position of the proposed Bangsamoro economy in relation to the economy of this country. Catalonia accounts for fully 24 percent of the Spanish economy. In contrast, because the proposed Bangsamoro is largely agricultural in character, has very little industry and has comparatively poor infrastructure, its share of the Philippine GDP (gross domestic product) is very small. The authorities in Madrid could not, and cannot, contemplate Catalonia’s ceasing to be a part of Spain. And, small though its place in the national economic scenario is, the Philippine government will not, and cannot, afford to think of letting the proposed Bangsamoro go.
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