Historic Bangsamoro referendum vote starts in Philippines
COTABATO CITY, Philippines; 21 Jan 2019; AA: A referendum set to shape the future of Muslims in the southern Philippines has started on Monday.
The Bangsamoro Muslims, long deprived of freedom under the U.S. and the modern Philippine state, reached the final phase in an autonomy agreement signed with the government in Manila in July 2018.
On Monday, nearly 3 million people are voting on the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) under tight security measures in Cotabato City, the regional center of Muslim Mindanao.