Gov't, MILF sign ceasefire agreement in Basilan after deadly clash

The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Thursday signed an agreement to stop the fighting in Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan, which started on Tuesday and claimed the lives of six people.

In a statement,  the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) said the agreement was signed on Thursday afternoon by the government and the MILF’s Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), and the Non-Violent Peace Force (NVFP).

“We are happy to announce that a ceasefire agreement has been signed by the GPH (Government of the Philippines) and MILF, which brings to an end the armed encounter between government troops and MILF forces,” said Presidential Assistant David Diciano, the head of OPAPRU Bangsamoro Transformation Program.

“We would like to thank the MILF CCCH and AHJAG for meeting with us and helping find ways on how we could immediately de-escalate the situation, and finally put an end to the armed conflict,” he added.

Diciano arrived in Basilan on Wednesday, a day after the clash  between forces of the military's 101st Infantry Brigade and members of the MILF-Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces' (BIAF) 114 Base Command.

Among the consensus points in the ceasefire agreement were:

• To immediately implement a ceasefire between the engaged parties. This will be done by sending the representatives of the MILF CCCH, MILF AHJAG, and Non-violent Peace force to relay the agreement regarding the immediate implementation of the ceasefire to the 114 Base Command, BIAF-MILF while the Commander, Joint Task Force Basilan/101st Infantry Brigade, Philippine Army will direct the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) troops on the ground to do the same;
• To immediately implement the pull-out of the reinforcements of the BIAF-MILF who are not residents of the said barangay;
• To allow the return of the group of Commander Huram Malangka of [the] 114BC, BIAF-MILF who are residents of Brgy. Ulitan and their firearms should be kept within their respective houses as they wait for their decommissioning. BIAF-MILF residents of Brgy. Ulitan should be properly identified and registered;
• To establish a composite detachment which shall be composed of AFP, PNP and BIAF-MILF who will jointly cooperate to address the lawless elements and help in the maintenance of peace and order in the said barangay; and
• Issues and concerns pertaining to the BIAF-MILF in the municipality of Ungkaya Pukan should be immediately reported to the GPH-MILF CCCH and AHJAG for immediate resolution.

Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. commended the ceasefire agreement and said that the peace mechanisms of the GPH and MILF are working

“We are also hopeful that armed clashes such as these will not happen again so as not to undermine the major gains we have achieved under the Bangsamoro peace process,” he said.

Three soldiers and three MILF members were killed in the clash, according to AFP Western Mindanao Command spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Abdurasad Sirajan on Thursday.

Aside from the fatalities, seven soldiers were also wounded.

Joint Task Force—Basilan commander Brigadier General Domingo Gobway said the clash started when the alleged MILF members and some lawless elements fired at the troops during a negotiation.

According to Gobway, the MILF members asked the military to let them return to Barangay Ulitan. He said he allowed the MILF members to pass but told them not to bring their weapons. —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA Integrated News