A rice farmer checking his paddy field which has been hit by the extreme hot weather in Mindanao. — Filepic/Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
THE Special Geographic Area in the Philippines is a patchwork of 63 barangays in six municipalities of Cotabato province that joined the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in a plebiscite in 2019.
As with the entire region, it represents hope for lasting peace after decades of armed conflict. However, the transition to peace has been fraught with long- standing and emergent challenges.
