This report presents an assessment of the data gathered using the Bangsamoro Conflict Monitoring System (BCMS) from 2011 to 2013, which captures robust evidence of violent conflict in provinces comprising the proposed Bangsamoro territory in the Philippines.

The lack of adequate, reliable, and timely conflict data has hampered development and peacebuilding efforts that can deal effectively with the enduring violence in many parts of Mindanao. The available datasets are mostly national in scope or focused mainly on rebellion or both – datasets that inadequately capture the new dynamics of conflict, including the phenomenon of recurring violence, the rise in conflict incidents linked to illicit economies, the persistence of clan conflict, and the rise in criminal violence.

The need to fill this gap cannot be overemphasized. Access to useful and reliable conflict data is critical in dealing with the potential recurrence of violent conflict in the transition phase following the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). It is crucial in informing development policies and programs in conflict-affected areas and vital in determining the effectiveness or lack of it, of current measures designed to reduce conflict.

The Bangsamoro Conflict Monitoring System (BCMS) fills the gap in dynamic, real-time data that track conflict incidence, typology, cause, actors, and effects in a publicly accessible manner and enables development practitioners and peacebuilding actors to identify where, when, and how resources can be targeted and to understand the conflict effects of development initiatives. The BCMS harvests data from reports of the Philippine National Police and credible media sources.