SULTAN KUDARAT, MAGUINDANAO (08 November 2021) — The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped the Bangsamoro peace process from gaining momentum, as the third phase of decommissioning of 14,000 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) combatants and their weapons kicked off here on Monday.

In his message during the opening program, Undersecretary David Diciano, chair of the GPH Peace Implementing Panel, underscored how the decommissioning of MILF combatants will help strengthen and sustain the gains of the Bangsamoro peace process.

‘Jointness’ of efforts

“Decommissioning is just one aspect of normalization. Thus, the panels are also committed to the implementation of all other components for the full transformation of combatants, their communities, and the Bangsamoro,” Diciano said.

“Normalization, including the process of decommissioning, is and has always been a joint effort between the government of the Philippines and the MILF. Thus, we are grateful to all our joint mechanisms, our partners, and all our stakeholders,” he added.

Minister Mohagher Iqbal, chair of the MILF Peace Implementing Panel, likewise highlighted the significance of the decommissioning process and how it will help transform the lives of the former combatants.

“Admittedly, the discussions over decommissioning were not easy because the stakes are very high and they are very emotional also. In addition to putting weapons beyond use, the combatants’ well-being, livelihood, and security, and families, and communities are paramount,” Iqbal expressed.

The decommissioning process is among the key provisions of the Annex on Normalization of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the peace agreement  forged between the government and MILF in 2014, which aims to help former MILF-BIAF combatants make the successful transition to civilian life.

The first phase of decommissioning was held in 2015 wherein 145 members of MILF- Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) and 75 of their weapons were decommissioned. The second phase was held in 2019 which saw the decommissioning of 12,000 MILF-BIAF members and 2,100 of their weapons.

IDB oversees process of decommissioning 
 
Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) Chairperson and Turkish Ambassador Ahmet Idem Akay lauded the strong commitment of the GPH and MILF Peace Implementing Panels in proceeding with the decommissioning process amidst the difficulties caused by the pandemic.

“We would like to congratulate the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front for attaining yet another chapter in the peace process not only in Mindanao but to the entire Filipino nation and beyond,” Akay said.

The decommissioning of the 14,000 MILF combatants will be carried out in five Assembly and Processing Areas (APAs) in Mindanao.

The Old Provincial Capitol in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao is now being utilized as the first APA for the entire phase 3 of Decommissioning. This is where the IDB aims to decommission 7,200 MILF combatants programmed for decommissioning in 2021. 

The decommissioning process will strictly comply with COVID-19 health and safety protocols as prescribed by the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) and the Department of Health (DOH).

Each combatant will be subjected to pre-health screening such as vital signs check, medical history tracing, and COVID-19 swab testing before they are brought to the APA for processing.

Officials and representatives from the GPH, MILF, IDB, and Bangsamoro government also signed a “Wall of Commitment for the Phase 3 Decommissioning Process of MILF Combatants and Weapons,” to signify their continued support and commitment to the decommissioning process and the Bangsamoro peace process.

Socioeconomic assistance for combatants

In a virtual press conference held on Saturday, November 6, Atty. Laisa Masuhud-Alamia, co-chairperson of the Task Force for Decommissioned Combatants and their Communities (TFDCC) noted that the laying down of arms will not be the end of the decommissioning process for the combatants, as they will still have to reintegrate themselves into mainstream society.

Alamia said this is the reason the Normalization Program has an socioeconomic economic component that is specifically designed to help the combatants make the transition as peaceful and productive civilians.

“During the phase 2 of the decommissioning process, DSWD, which is part of the TFDCC, oversaw the provision of cash assistance worth Php100,000 to cover their settling in expenses to transition to productive civilian lives,” she explained.

Alamia added that the decommissioned combatants underwent socio economic profiling, after which they received socioeconomic identification cards to help them access government programs and services.

“Under phase 2, the government provided a total of 1.2 billion pesos cash assistance to 12,000 decommissioned combatants under the social protection program,” she said, adding “There was a catch up assistance for the 145 decommissioned combatants under phase 1, which is a total of 14.5 million pesos.”

Ariel Hernandez, Joint Normalization Committee (JNC) co-chairperson, also said in the same press conference that the implementation of the normalization track’s socioeconomic component is quite “complex” considering the issues that have to be addressed on the ground.

Hernandez said this is the importance of having a GPH-MILF Joint Communications Committee (JCC) whose role is “to go down to the ground to explain the final package that will be agreed with full support from the national government and hopefully with the BARMM government.”

Decommissioning, a ‘life-changing’ event

In a pre-recorded video message aired during the virtual presser, Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. underscored how the decommissioning of MILF combatants will help sustain the gains of the Bangsamoro peace process.

“The continued implementation of the decommissioning process — an integral part of the normalization track of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro — is a testament of the sincerity and steadfast commitment of the Government of the Philippines and the MILF Peace Implementing Panels to honor the commitments they have made under the CAB,” Galvez said.

The peace adviser said the third phase of decommissioning “will be a life-changing event for the 14,000 combatants who will be making the complete transition to peaceful and productive civilian life. They will serve as an example and inspiration to others that good things come to those who walk the path of peace.”

“The transition towards peaceful and productive lives and a peaceful Bangsamoro is anchored on the recognition and commitment that resorting to the use of arms has no place in a peaceful society committed to democratic ideals,” Galvez said.

Also present during the event were BARMM Minister of Finance Eduard Guerra, co-chair of the MILF Joint Normalization Committee (JNC); BARMM Member of Parliament Engr. Baintan Ampatuan, GPH JTFCT co-chair; Engr. Mohajirin Ali, head of the MILF  Implementing Panel Secretariat; Abdullah Pacasem, MILF TFDCC Chair; Member of Parliament Jannati Mimbantas, IDB Board Member – MILF; and Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communication Von Al Haq, co-chair of the MILF Joint Peace and Security Committee (JPSC).

The occasion was also graced by Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Director Farrah Grace Naparan; GPH Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) Chairperson Brig. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete; GPH Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) Chairperson PMaj. Gen. Nickson  Muksan; Ret. LtGen Rey Ardo, IDB Board member and GPH Panel member; Prof. Mario Aguja, IDB member; IDB Vice Chairperson William Hovland; and LTC Mohammed Shalleh Ismail, DCOS of IDB. ###