RegionOutline guide

Bangsamoro

Autonomous region of the Philippines

Photo: BARMM Bureau of Public Information, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

Bangsamoro, or Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in full, is a Muslim-dominant region of Mindanao. The region once formed the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), renamed after a plebiscite in January 2019.

Getting there and around

Getting there

By bus
The region is less served by buses; Mindanao Star provides bus service from Davao City to Cotabato City, Rural Transit has buses from Cagayan de Oro and Pagadian to Cotabato City, and Husky Tours has…
By car
The BARMM is served by the Pan-Philippine Highway (Route 1 or AH26), but is unnumbered except for a short segment in Cotabato City.

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Getting around

By plane
Bangsamoro Airways has flights from its Cotabato City base to the Sulu Islands, using turboprop planes. PAL Express also has a flight to Tawi-Tawi using turboprops.

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Airports and nearby hotels

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Cotabato (Awang) Airport

Datu Odin Sinsuat · Regional · CBO

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Read before you go to Bangsamoro

Articles and travel topics about Bangsamoro and Philippines.

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Full travel guide

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Provinces, cities and islandsThe BARMM includes the three provinces of the Sulu Islands:

UnderstandThe region has a distinctive Muslim majority and a colorful culture different from the rest of the Philippines; however, it is also the least developed region of the country, despite being given more autonomy.

TalkThe most-spoken native languages of the Moros are Maguindanaon, Tausūg and Maranao.

Get inMost visitors will enter via the regional capital at Cotabato City. There is only one major airport, Cotabato Airport CBO}, which serves Cotabato City but is at the town of Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao.

Get aroundRoads in the region are poorly maintained; there are more motorcycles and tricycles than cars. Boats are the only way to get around the island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-tawi.

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Stay safeThere remain significant risks for travel in the region; the political situation has been unstable for many years and remains dangerous.

RespectMost local laws in this region are based on Sharia: alcoholic drinks, pork and homosexuality are banned. As a Muslim-majority region, dress code in Bangsamoro is more conservative than in most of the Philippines.

Sources and licences

Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Bangsamoro" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Summary from the Wikipedia article "Bangsamoro", available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia
Photo: BARMM Bureau of Public Information, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

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