GPH-MILF peace panels assure Bangsamoro peace process integrity

IN A demonstration of unwavering trust and solidarity to the Bangsamoro peace process, the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Peace Implementing Panels released on Saturday a joint statement describing as “baseless” the accusations that there is alleged corruption involved in the decommissioning process of former MILF combatants.

The joint statement was issued following the GPH-MILF’s first panel meeting this year, both parties ensured “the integrity of the peace process.”

“Contrary to baseless allegations on corruption, especially in the decommissioning, the GPHMILF Peace Implementing Panels assured the public that proper mechanisms and procedures are in place to guarantee accountability, and trust and confidence in the process,” the statement read.

The statement was signed by GPH Panel Chair Cesar B. Yano and MILF Panel Chair Mohagher Iqbal during their 34th panel meeting.

“Informed by lessons of the past, best practices, and internationally accepted norms on processing combatants and weapons, the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) undertakes stringent verification and validation, among other established safeguards, before MILF combatants and weapons undergo decommissioning,” the parties said.

The IDB oversees the decommissioning process, ensuring that it is carried out efficiently and with utmost impartiality and integrity. The body was created by the GPH and MILF negotiating panels as part of the Annex on Normalization of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

The body is composed of representatives from the governments of Turkey, Norway, Kingdom of Brunei, as well as local experts nominated by the GPH and MILF peace panels.

Funds all accounted for According to the statement, the parties guarantee full transparency in the implementation of programs under the Normalization Track of the CAB, which are both nationally-funded and donor-assisted, and more importantly, “are adequately accounted for by proper documentation and in compliance with rigorous monitoring processes to ensure transparency.”

The GPH and MILF panels also agreed on the decision points made in the implementation of the Socioeconomic Development Program, which is under the Normalization Track of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). /