MONDAY, March 29, marked the seventh anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), which created the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the Muslim-majority areas of the country’s south, and is regarded as the catalyst for lasting peace and development in the region after decades of conflict.

A statement from the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID), however, reminds us that while much encouraging progress has been made, the great project is still in a delicate state, particularly now when the country is beset by the Covid-19 pandemic.