AS Congress deliberates on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), legislators may want to consider other solutions besides development in the establishment of the Bangsamoro region in Mindanao because “development alone does not reduce conflict and it can actually exacerbate conflict,” an international adviser said in a recent forum.

Sam Chittick, International Adviser of the United Nations-World Bank-Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) partnership called Facility for Advisory Support for Transition Capacities (FASTRAC), said sub-national conflicts (SNCs) in Asia present a major challenge to the common assumptions about the drivers of conflict.