The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has achieved historic poverty reduction during its seven-year transition, but progress has been highly uneven. While mainland areas have benefited, the island provinces of Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, and Sulu feel neglected, according to a 2025 study by researchers Yasmira Moner and David Timberman. Underspending of massive annual block grants—amounting to hundreds of billions of pesos since 2020—as well as the Special Development Fund, has exacerbated this inequality. Parliament member Naguib Sinarimbo attributes the low disbursement to the immense workload of building the new bureaucracy, officials’ unfamiliarity with government processes, and the geographical distance between provinces.