3rd party body oversees MILF decommissioning

MANILA – The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) on Thursday said that both the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have agreed to use a third-party body, the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB), to maintain the integrity of the process.

"To ensure the integrity and maintain a high level of trust and confidence, the GPH and MILF parties agreed to designate a third-party body, the Independent Decommissioning Body, to specifically oversee the decommissioning of MILF forces," OPAPRU chief Carlito Galvez Jr. said in a statement on Thursday.

The IDB is composed of international experts from Turkiye, Norway, Brunei Darussalam, Japan and the designation of competent and local experts from the GPH such as retired Lt. Gen. Rey

C. Ardo, former commander of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Mindanao Command, and former congressman and Prof. Mario Aguja of Mindanao State University, and other local representatives.

Galvez also said the implementation of the decommissioning process of the MILF forces is guided by the roadmap of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) specifically in the Annex on Normalization, which is agreed upon by the GPH and MILF.

"Under the roadmap, the MILF shall undergo a graduated and gradual decommissioning in four phases by percentage: ceremonial in Phase 1, 30 percent in Phase 2, 35 percent in Phase 3, and remaining MILF forces in Phase 4," he said.

The OPAPRU chief said the decommissioning process