Completion of MILF decommissioning pushed to advance Bangsamoro peace, says SAP Lagdameo
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang is pushing to sustain the gains of the Bangsamoro peace process by advancing the decommissioning of former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants and accelerating the implementation of the normalization commitments under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.
Special Assistant to the President Anton Lagdameo Jr. figures in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s continuing peace efforts as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) moves beyond its September 14 parliamentary elections.
Attention now shifts to the remaining commitments under the 2014 peace agreement between the Philippine government and the MILF.
The renewed push gained momentum during the September 25 meeting of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and MILF Peace Implementing Panels in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where both sides reaffirmed their partnership and committed to advancing outstanding provisions of the CAB.
The meeting produced a Declaration of Continuity of the Partnership and approved the terms of reference for a technical working group tasked with developing an updated roadmap for implementing the agreement.
The scale of the remaining decommissioning work remains significant. The latest specific cumulative figures verified for this report are from July 4, 2024: 26,145 of the 40,000 MILF combatants covered by the process had been decommissioned, or 65.4 percent of the target.
The same historical report recorded the decommissioning of 4,625 of the 7,200 weapons covered by the process, or 64.2 percent. On that basis, 13,855 combatants and 2,575 weapons remained to be processed at the time.
The fourth and final phase, which reportedly involved 14,000 combatants and 2,450 weapons, was deferred by the MILF in 2025 amid concerns over the implementation of socioeconomic commitments. Joint engagements resumed in August 2026, followed by the September meeting that renewed efforts to address outstanding issues.
Lagdameo said that normalization extends beyond decommissioning and weapons disposition. It also covers socioeconomic development, security arrangements, the disbandment of private armed groups, civilian protection, and transitional justice and reconciliation.
To accelerate assistance, the peace panels reportedly adopted an integrated, beneficiary-centered approach to socioeconomic interventions for decommissioned combatants and the six previously acknowledged MILF camps, aiming to improve coordination and delivery of agreed programs.
The government reported in July 2025 that it had invested an estimated P4 billion in socioeconomic support for decommissioned combatants since 2019, in addition to providing P100,000 in transitional cash assistance to each combatant upon decommissioning. Other interventions included PhilHealth enrollment, civil registration assistance, skills training, and emergency employment.
For 2026, the national government had also allocated assistance for an additional 3,500 beneficiaries under its educational assistance program and 2,000 beneficiaries for skills training, according to the same statement.
“These initiatives are intended to help former combatants and their families establish sustainable civilian livelihoods,” Lagdameo stressed.
The September 25 meeting also advanced security and civilian-protection mechanisms. The panels reportedly extended the mandate of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group until September 25, 2027, and the Civilian Protection Component until September 25, 2028, while agreeing in principle to a framework for managing small arms and light weapons.
On transitional justice, the parties approved recommendations to strengthen legislative measures for establishing a National Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission for the Bangsamoro, with the recommendations to be submitted to Congress for legislative action.
He added that the next phase will reportedly require sustained coordination among the national government, the MILF, and the Bangsamoro government to resolve outstanding concerns, establish clear implementation milestones, and ensure that former combatants and conflict-affected communities receive the assistance and security provisions promised under the peace agreement.
Lagdameo emphasized that for the Marcos administration, the challenge is to translate the political gains of the parliamentary elections into lasting peace and inclusive development.
“Completing the remaining normalization commitments under the CAB will be a key measure of progress toward a stable and peaceful Bangsamoro,” he said. (Contributed story)
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