The International Monitoring Team (IMT), GPH-MILF Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (GPH-MILF CCCH) and Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) continue proactive approaches in ensuring that the ceasefire mechanism is still intact despite the existence of peace spoilers.
In a press conference on November 28, 2017 at the International Monitoring Team Headquarters in Cotabato City, Asec. Dickson Hermoso of OPAPP reiterates that the MILF helped the government in rescuing the trapped civilians in Marawi City and helped secure the humanitarian aid entering the Malabang – Marawi road through the peace corridor which was operationalized by the Joint Coordination, Monitoring and Assistance Center (JCMAC).
“The MILF helped us in rescuing the civilians in Marawi City. The peace corridor through the JCMAC were able to recover 55 trapped civilians and we were able to facilitate 167 humanitarian aid passing the corridor of Malabang to Marawi along the communities surrounding the Lake Lanao,” he said.
BGen. Earl Baliao, chairman of the GPH CCCH and the current Assistant Division Commander of the 6th Infantry Division said that the GPH and MILF CCCH are coordinating closely to help the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the MILF in driving away the ISIS-inspired group in Maguindanao.
“We cooperate with each other in containing them in order to prevent them from creating havoc,” he said.
On the part of the International Monitoring Team, Maj General Datuk Masrani Bin Paiman, head of mission of the IMT assures the public that the IMT is committed in its mandate to help sustain the ceasefire mechanism.
“As far as the IMT is concerned, we are not only monitoring these clashes but we are doing something more than that to prevent things, to shape the environment favorable to the peace process,” he expressed. ###
