Body to decommission MILF forces created

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines  - The government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are going ahead with the  creation of the the International Decommissioning Body (IDB) to take the lead in the gradual process of decommissioning the MILF forces and their weapons,  government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said.

Ferrer said the creation of the IDB was part of the recent discussion between the two panels in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the composition of the different bodies that will oversee and implement the normalization process.

“The IDB would be the one to supervise, oversee, and basically implement the decommissioning process,” Ferrer said in a statement Tuesday.

The IDB is stipulated specifically on the annex of normalization, which is one of the salient documents of the Comprehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed last March 27 in Malacañang.

The IDB shall be composed of three foreign experts, including the chairperson, and four local experts jointly nominated by the parties.

According to Ferrer, the procedure is for the MILF to submit a list of weapons and combatants, an inventory which will be verified by the IDB and work towards the programming of the decommissioning schedule as agreed upon in the Annex on Normalization.

She said the normalization aims to ensure human security in the Bangsamoro and helps build a society that is committed to basic human rights “where individuals are free of violence or crime and where long-held traditions and values continue to be honored.”

“We really have to put up the body as soon as possible so that the job of verification of the inventory that would be submitted by the MILF will begin,” Ferrer said.

“And everything proceeds from there. Until we are able to verify the number of weapons, the kinds of weapons and also the combatants—who are they, where are they located?—we can’t actually begin, for example, the socio-economic programs that we’ll be providing for the communities of these combatants,” she added.

Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Emmanuel Bautista in his recent visit noted that the MILF forces in Basilan remain "irregular" after some of its members participated with the Abu Sayyaf group in gunbattle against the military troops three weeks ago in sitio Kurilem, Barangay Silangkum, Tipo-Tipo that left 10 militants killed and 28 soldiers wounded.

No wholesale MILF integration to AFP, PNP

The government chief negotiator said there will be no wholesale integration of MILF combatants into the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP), thwarting groups from taking advantage of conducting illegal recruitment of new combatants.

Ferrer said, unlike the integration undertaken by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) following the 1996 Final Peace agreement during the Ramos administration, only interested and qualified former combatants will be welcomed to join the regular forces.

Ferrer said there is the provision for the setting up of the police force for the Bangsamoro which will still be part of the PNP. The forces will be provided with resources to guarantee their professionalism and capability to take charge of peace and order concerns.

According to the Annex on Normalization, the decommissioning of MILF forces shall be parallel and commensurate to the implementation of all the agreements of the Parties. The MILF shall undertake a gradual program for decommissioning of its forces “so that they are put beyond use.”

“The decommissioning process includes activities aimed at achieving a smooth transition for the members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) of the MILF to productive civilian life,” according to Ferrer.

She said during their meeting it was also discussed the formation of the Joint Normalization Committee (JNC) and the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC).

The JNC is mandated to coordinate all components of the normalization process. It will be co-chaired by National Security Council Undersecretary Zenonida Brosas on behalf of the government, and by Mohamed Nasif on the side of the MILF.  -  Roel Pareño