Non-traditional military interventions and its relationship to development in conflict affected areas : A focus on the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi (BaSulTa)

Development and security are inextricably linked. This paper looked at how the non-traditional interventions of the military affect the development in the conflict affected areas of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-tawi. The study focused on how the military understood their changing roles in the development framework of the government. The study used qualitative research methods and employed in-depth interviews to gather data. Participants of the study are military officers and representatives from civil society organizations that were assigned or is currently assigned in the provinces of BaSulTa. The results of the interviews were supported by secondary data taken from government policy documents, books, journals and media articles. The study uses civil military relations, securitization theory, militarization and the nexus of development and security in the interpretation and analysis of data. The findings of the study showed that: (1) the development issues in the area makes the people more vulnerable to security threats likewise the presence of security threats impede development in the area, (2) the whole of nation approach of the government is used by the military in their strategies however the implementation of such is dependent on the commander on the ground and on his views on the roles that the military should take in development efforts, (3) being in a conflict affected area affects how the people look at militarization in their community, and lastly, (4) there is a need to acknowledge the authority of local chief executives in the area over the military.