Third phase of MILF Decommissioning Process completed —Palace

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Decommissioning Process and other aspects of the Normalization Program resumed this week, according to Malacañang. 

According to a Palace statement, "both sides carried out the resumption of Phase 3 of the Decommissioning Process" as the Marcos government said it remains dedicated in fulfilling its commitments in the peace agreement.

“The completion of the third phase signifies the strong partnership of the government and the MILF to pursue a singular mission of transforming the Bangsamoro…..reflective of the President’s vision to build a Bangsamoro that is self-governing, progressive, and effective,” said Special Assistant to the President Secretary Antonio Ernesto F. Lagdameo, Jr.

“The national government also maintains its dedicated support and commitment to the other aspects of the Normalization Program such as socioeconomic development, security, transitional justice and reconciliation, and confidence-building measures including amnesty,” added Lagdameo.

Last week, Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said 1,301 MILF combatants will join the third phase of the decommissioning while another 14,000 are expected to follow suit in the next two years.

From 2015 to 2022, a total of 28,844 MILF combatants and 4,625 firearms have been decommissioned, 5,499 of which were decommissioned in September to October 2022 under the Marcos Administration, according to Malacañang.

The Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB), Galvez said, is expected to complete the decommissioning process before the first election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in 2025.

Meanwile, the Palace said 5,499 decommissioned combatants (DC) have been provided with cash assistance; and, around 35,000 birth certificate applications have already been processed.

For Capacity Development, 3,000 decommissioned combatants completed their skills training with TESDA, while 3,658 and their next-of-kin also finished their basic education through the Alternative Learning System.

According to Lagdameo, Transitional Justice and Reconciliation (TJR) measures and initiatives were also undertaken and that there is an ongoing establishment of Local Amnesty Boards nationwide.

“As mentioned in the last ICCMN (Inter-Cabinet Cluster Mechanism on Normalization) Meeting, the socio-economic aspect of the Normalization Program, aimed at providing combatants with a sustainable means of reintegration, will remain a top priority,” Lagdameo said.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. earlier said in his second SONA that he is proud of the progress that the BARMM has taken, and that the region will be self-governing, progressive, and effective. —VAL, GMA Integrated News