‘Not a sign of surrender, but symbol of peace’

MANILA, Philippines — The decommissioning of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants and their weapons is not a sign of capitulation but a symbol of their sincerity and determination to push forward the Bangsamoro peace process.

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Interim Chief Minister Al Haj Murad Ebrahim issued the statement ahead of the decommissioning of 1,060 MILF-Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) members and 920 of their weapons yesterday.

“I would like to emphasize that we have not given up what we used to fight for. It is simply to demonstrate our full commitment to fulfilling our obligations and responsibilities in the peace agreement we signed with the government,” Murad said.

The decommissioning of the MILF-BIAF members will be handled by the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB), which was established by the Philippine government and MILF Implementing Panels in 2014 to oversee the decommissioning process of combatants under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

“Decommissioning is the first step in achieving our goal to return our combatants to civilian but productive life,” Ebrahim said.

Ebrahim said the decommissioned fighters will be receiving socio-economic packages which include health benefits, scholarships, housing and livelihood projects.

“Through these interventions, our combatants will be able to return to mainstream society. We will be able to transform our combatants from revolutionary forces to civilian life,” he said.

At the same forum, IDB chairman and Turkish Ambassador Fatih Ulosoy lauded the MILF and the government for sustaining the gains of peace through the implementation of the Bangsamoro peace agreement.

“I would like to commend the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for reaching another milestone in the Bangsamoro peace process – the decommissioning of MILF combatants and their weapons,” Ulosoy said.

Ulosoy said the IDB must work with full adherence to confidentiality. 

In order to effectively carry out its mandate, the IDB has developed guidelines and protocols to ensure the decommissioning process will be done with utmost impartiality and integrity.

“The presence of President Duterte at all stages of the peace process attest to the solid will of the GPH (Philippine government). The MILF, on their side has repeatedly shown its sincerity to work together with the government, and this event is a clear example of that,” Ulosoy said.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Carlito Galvez Jr. highlighted the significance of the decommissioning process and its impact on the Bangsamoro peace process.

“We are celebrating another key milestone in the peace process: the decommissioning of MILF-BIAF members and their weapons. The decommissioning process will enable the MILF combatants to return to mainstream society as productive and peaceful citizens,” Galvez said.

“By and large, the decommissioning of MILF-BIAF members is a clear testament of the MILF’s desire to sustain the gains of the peace process, and President Duterte’s political will and unwavering commitment to fulfil all signed peace agreements,” he added.

More than a thousand MILF rebels will turn in today assorted firearms and crew-served weapons, such as machineguns and mortars, to the IDB.

Ebrahim earlier said they will compel the local government units in BARMM’s core territory to help the police and the military disband local private armed groups.

“We will ask the local government units in BARMM to help dismantle private armed groups to complement the decommissioning of MILF members,” Ebrahim said.

The MILF is turning over 940 firearms, including mortars, rocket launchers and machineguns in a symbolic event today at Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao.

Galvez and Isidro Lapeña of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) on Friday forged an agreement to provide the Moro rebels listed for decommissioning with vocational schooling for them to become productive while being reintegrated into mainstream communities.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said the 1,193 former MILF combatants will receive P100,000 aid packages.

The aid packages were composed of P80,000 as Bangsamoro Transitory Family Support Package and the P20,000 Livelihood Settlement Grant.

The support package is composed of food subsidy and family, hygiene, kitchen, sleeping and shelter kits.

The cash grant, meanwhile, can be used by the former combatants as seed capital to start micro-enterprises or to purchase starter kits for the re-establishment of damaged livelihood. – With John Unson, Roel Pareño, Janvic Mateo