Gov't, MILF to cooperate to disarm private armies

From the Philippine Star (Dec 30): Gov't, MILF to cooperate to disarm private armies

The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will work in partnership to reduce and control firearms in Mindanao, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles said today. Deles said disarmament of private armed groups along with the MILF forces in the southern region will be part of the "normalization process" under the framework agreement that the Aquino administration and the Muslim rebels signed on Oct. 15. "You don't just talk about the arms of the MILF, but also of everyone else. That is part of normalization. How can you ask the MILF to completely disarm if other groups or some families are armed? We are looking for a real partnership among the government, the MILF, and other governance constituencies to look at this matter on how to make a life more secure, to trust in the state forces to make them secure, and be engaged in other productive activities," she said.

Deles said that decommissioning of the estimated 12,000 MILF forces will be phased and calibrated and will start once the political commitments are delivered. "We agreed that substantial decommissioning happens when the basic law is delivered," she said. She added that a joint normalization committee will be formed for the coordination between the parties towards full decommissioning, which will be overseen by a third-party monitor composed of domestic and international partners of the peace process. Details of the decommissioning process are being discussed on the annex on normalization of the framework agreement. The other annexes include power-sharing, wealth-sharing, and transitional arrangement and modalities.

http://www.philstar.com/breaking-news/2012/12/30/891675/govt-milf-cooperate-disarm-private-armies