MILF leader: we now have peace and justice in the Bangsamoro

SULTAN KUDARAT, MAGUINDANAO – Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Implementing Panel Chair Mohagher Iqbal and his comrades have witnessed the atrocities of war. But now, after more than four decades, they are finally reaping the dividends of peace and development in their homeland.

“If you ask us about our condition now, it’s better than being a combatant. We now have peace, justice, and socioeconomic interventions from the government and the international community so Inshallah, we hope that the quality of our lives will improve most especially the MILF combatants,” Iqbal said during a press briefing here on Tuesday, as the second phase of the decommissioning process of MILF combatants officially resumed. Decommissioning is the formal process agreed upon by the Government of the Philippines and the MILF wherein the former combatants shall lay down their arms and live peaceful and productive civilian lives. Ahead of schedule A total of 3,109 MILF-BIAF combatants and 558 weapons are set to be put beyond use here at the Assembly and Processing Area (APA) by March of this year during the second phase of decommissioning. This event marks an important milestone in the lives of these ex-fighters and their families, as they turn away from armed struggle and play an active role in pushing forward the Bangsamoro peace process. Government of the Philippines (GPH) Implementing Panel Chair and Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Undersecretary David Diciano announced that phase two of the decommissioning process is ahead of its target schedule. “The original target for the completion of the second phase of decommissioning is April this year, but with the cooperation of all the MILF combatants and their commanders, we were able to carry out the activities ahead of schedule,” Diciano said. The Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) has already facilitated the decommissioning of 8,879 combatants, 1,542 firearms and 617 ammunitions from September to December of last year. The decommissioned MILF fighters will be receiving a livelihood package from the government which includes P100,000 in immediate cash assistance, scholarship grants and various livelihood and skills training. During the ceremony which marked the resumption of decommissioning, Iqbal underscored the MILF’s unwavering commitment and dedication to pursue the path of peace. “(We) are fully committed to overcome the obstacles along the way because there is no other way except to overcome these obstacles. The way of peace has started and we have to continue that no matter what the price is,” he said. Sustaining the gains of peace Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Executive Secretary Abdulraof Macacua emphasized the sincerity of the MILF “in making sure that we fulfill our end of the bargain through the Bangsamoro Government – as a vehicle – to make sure that the peace process will prosper throughout this transition phase and in the years to come...” Meanwhile, Diciano reassured stakeholders in the Bangsamoro region that the implementation of the Normalization Program of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) is on track, as evidenced by the accelerated implementation of the decommissioning process and the provision of livelihood assistance packages. “The milestones we have achieved over the years will not be possible without the commitment, hard work, and resilience of everyone present here. Some of us here may not be Bangsamoro by blood, but I am sure you that we are all Bangsamoro in mind and spirit,” he said. Diciano also underscored the commitment of the MILF in pursuing the path of peace, saying “...this laying down of arms represents the sincerity of the MILF to transform from an armed group into peaceful and productive organization which is capable of creating, positive change in once underdeveloped, conflict-ridden communities.” Abdullah, who was among the combatants decommissioned last year, shared his insights on the process he went through. “We were able to undergo decommissioning because of the commitment shown by our leaders and by our belief that this is the key to achieving genuine peace,” he said in the vernacular. In his message read by OPAPP Undersecretary Isidro Purisima, Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. also reaffirmed the government’s “sincerity in implementing all its commitments under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).” “This is one of the top priority of the Duterte administration – to bring peace and development closer to the Bangsamoro people.” Also present during the ceremony were officials and members of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and BTA; MILF leaders and members of the different peace mechanisms under the CAB – the IDB, Third Party Monitoring Team, Joint Task Force Camps Transformation, Coordinating Committee On The Cessation Of Hostilities, Ad Hoc Joint Action Group, and International Monitoring Team; and representatives from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP), and various international development organizations. Going beyond the call of duty Ariel Hernandez, a member of the GPH Implementing Panel, underscored the importance of greater synergy among stakeholders in pushing forward the normalization track during a two-day meeting organized by OPAPP in January. “(We) should (work on) the Normalization Program at a faster pace. The faster we can deliver, the better. But it’s not only about being fast. We make it faster but we make it as a team,” Hernandez told representatives of line agencies belonging to the Inter-Cabinet Cluster Mechanism on Normalization’s (ICCMN) socioeconomic cluster. “It’s not just about delivering the numbers because our programs will directly impact not only individuals but the whole community. Equally important is really how we challenge ourselves to go beyond. It’s about efficiency and teamwork,” he added. The ICCMN is an offshoot of Executive Order No. 79 implementing the Annex on Normalization under the CAB, the peace agreement signed between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The multi-agency body is tasked, among others, to carry out the socioeconomic, security, confidence building, transitional justice and reconciliation components of the normalization track. Bringing socioeconomic initiatives to transform MILF camps, communities The ICCMN’s socioeconomic sub-cluster will focus on implementing initiatives that are designed to help MILF decommissioned combatants and their families reintegrate into mainstream society and live as peaceful and productive civilians. For 2019, the government invested P1.9 billion for socioeconomic programs, including the transitional cash assistance and other forms of assistance through partner government institutions. For 2020, a total of 2.4 billion pesos will be allocated to implement the other aspects of normalization which include education, health, technical and livelihood training, livelihood programs and assistance, agriculture support, social interventions, and camps transformation. The government intends to roll out all of these initiatives within this year to spur peace and development in the Bangsamoro. Engr. Baintan Ampatuan, co-chair of the GPH’s Joint Task Force on Camps Transformation (JTFCT), said that she was impressed by the dedication and commitment shown by the ICCMN member-agencies. “I am happy that the national agencies converged its efforts towards a common goal and that is, towards the normalization of former Bangsamoro combatants and their communities,” Ampatuan said. Prof. Abhoud Syed Lingga, co-chairman of the MILF-JTFCT, stressed that in the delivery of these interventions, “What is important here is that the people in the conflict-affected areas feel the fruit of the peace process. This will serve as a sample to [those] who are inclined to the use of violence in order to achieve greater goal.”