Risk education, demining workshop conducted in BARMM

Security officials in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) underwent a risk education and demining workshop that aims to reduce the dangers from unexploded land mines, artillery, and mortar shells left behind in the region by the decades-long armed conflict between government troops and rebel groups, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity said Thursday.

The national government led the workshop together with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s (MILF) Joint Normalization Committee, the international non-government organization Fondation Suisse de Déminage (FSD), and the Philippine Campaign to Ban Landmines (PCBL).

“The program on addressing UXOs [unexploded ordnance] and landmines is under the security component. Kaya nga may mga programa tayo na palakasin ang AFP sa Bangsamoro because after 2025, you will no longer see [Joint Peace and Security Teams] there. After the Exit Agreement, you will have a stronger police force in Bangsamoro,” said OPAPRU JNC co-chairman Ariel Hernandez.

“The programs of the FSD, a non-violent peace organization, constitute the ideals with the bridging of the transition. While everything is in transition, these are one of the things we are very particular about,” he added.

Representatives from OPAPRU, MILF Implementing Panels, JNC, Joint Peace and Security Committee (JPSC), the various ceasefire mechanisms, PNP, AFP, and other international and local peace partners attended the workshop.

OPAPRU Secretary Carlito G. Galvez, Jr., for his part, lauded the organizers for the successful conduct of the program, saying their intervention efforts are “crucial” in the government’s peacekeeping efforts in BARMM.

“The work being carried out by the JNC, FSD, and PCBL is crucial in our peacekeeping efforts in Mindanao, especially in ensuring the safety and security of residents in their communities,” Galvez said.

“Through the security component of our Normalization Program, the national government, in collaboration with our local and international peace partners, will make sure to rid Mindanao of these UXOs and IEDs [improvised explosive devices], and make the Bangsamoro and the rest of Mindanao a safer and more secure place to live in,” he added. — Sundy Locus/BM, GMA News