MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles ) – Ah, the price of peace in the Philippines!

The proposed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region that will be created should the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) be passed is expected to receive P336.9 billion total funds over a period of five years. This includes the nearly P37 billion allocations for 2016 approved by the Committee on Appropriations and Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) projected that the Bangsamoro region is set to receive a total of P56.6 billion in 2016; P58.2 billion in 2017; P65.9 billion in 2018; P73.5 billion in 2019; and, P82.7 billion in 2020.

President NoyNoy Aquino and many legislators are aggressively campaigning for the approval of the controversial  BBL, in their desperate attempt to put an end to the decades-long Muslim insurgency and separatist movement  in southern Philippines.

The Philippine government, of course, has been steadfast in its “no ransom” policy for the kidnapping of foreigners as well as Filipino citizens.  But Aquino and the legislators seem to be willing to violate that same policy to buy back  the elusive peace in Mindanao.

Money talks. But the question is : whose money?

(We think they’re  called taxpayers.)