By Kris M. Crismundo
MANILA, March 24 (PNA) — The International Alert, with the support of World Bank, has launched Tuesday the Bangsamoro Conflict Monitoring System (BCMS) — a comprehensive online data platform about conflicts in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Through www.bcms-philippines.info, anyone can access data such as number and kinds of conflicts, where these conflicts took place, their causes and costs, and the implications of these on policy via computer or mobile devices.
World Bank senior social development specialist Matt Stephens, in a briefing at the World Bank Manila office in Taguig City, said the BCMS will give better understanding on conflict dynamics and will help the government to set smarter programs to address conflict in ARMM base on data provided by the platform.
Among the data that can be provided by the BCMS include number of incidents by provinces, by month, by causes, and by data sources; human cost by provinces; conflict manifestations; and rido or clan feuding incidents by provinces.
Data available were captured from 2011 up to present with two data sources including the Philippine National Police (PNP) and reliable media outfits.
“The BCMS helps us to understand where violent conflict is happening, why, who is involved and what the human and economic costs are. This information deepens our understanding of the dynamics of conflict in the Bangsamoro areas,” said World Bank Country Director Motoo Konishi.
“It will help policymakers in government, civil society, and the development community to make smarter decisions to target resources to communities that need them most, to design projects that are conflict-sensitive, and to better monitor the results on security and peace building,” Konishi added. (PNA)