On Sept. 14, residents of the Bangsamoro in the southern Philippines will elect regional parliamentary representatives. In this Q&A, Crisis Group expert Georgi Engelbrecht explains the importance of this step in the peace process between the national government and ex-rebels in the region.

As BARMM enters its historic first parliamentary elections, thousands of police and military forces have been deployed across the region in order to ensure a “safe” election season. However, public safety may not be so easily achieved since, as Sandatahang Dahas data has shown, state agents themselves are often the perpetrators of violence–even against their own.

COMMENTARY: What we need for the long haul: Pass the National Cybersecurity Agency and Critical Information Protection Bill now.But do not, under any circumstances, place it under the administrative control and supervision of the DICT.