Independent body to manage decommissioning of MILF forces

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines  - An independent  body will be created to oversee the decommissioning of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) forces when the normalization annex of the Framework Agreement of the Bangsamoro (FAB) is implemented, according to a member of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) negotiating panel Wednesday.

Mejol Sadain, GPH peace panel member and chairman of the National Commission on Muslim Filipino (NCMF), said the decommissioning will be implemented parallel to the Bangsamoro transition commission.

“The decommissioning will be implemented when the independent decommissioning body is created,” Sadain said.

Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Secretary Teresita Deles said  the decommissioning of the MILF forces and other private armed groups will start in  May.

Sadain said the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) will be composed of three foreign experts and four local experts jointly nominated by the government and MILF parties. He said the experts could come from the retired members of the military or those who have backgrounds and knowledgeable in the arms and military process.

Sadain said as part of the its task , the IDB will conduct the inventory, verification and validation of the members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), armed wing of the MILF, as part of the dismantling or decommissioning process.

According to Sadain, the IDB shall plan, design, and implement techniques and technology for weapon collection or retrieval, transport, and storage and putting weapons beyond used in accordance with the agreement of both parties.

He said the IDB will also develop and implement the schedule to decommission the MILF forces and other armed groups and report the progress of its task to the GPH and MILF panels.

Meanwhile, the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), following the signing of the annex of normalization, initiated the initial planning steps in anticipation for the decommissioning implementation.

“This initiative is necessary since the bulk of the Armed Forces’ responsibility in the peace process with the MILF is prescribed within the said annex and this will require an in-depth planning in order to allow its unhampered implementation,” Westmincom said in its statement.

Lt. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, Westmincom chief, pledged full support to the normalization and the whole of the peace process to ensure stability is achieved in the Bangsamoro Areas.

Westmincom area of responsibility currently covers all areas of interest of the MILF and the proposed Bangsamoro Domain.