Turkey-led decommissioning body of GPH-MILF, eyes Army base as guns' storage

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 21): Turkey-led decommissioning body of GPH-MILF, eyes Army base as guns' storage

A Philippine military brigade headquarters in Maguindanao, once the main camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is being eyed to be the storage facility of firearms the MILF will decommission as part of the Mindanao peace process.

Colonel Ariel dela Vega, the military's 603rd Infantry Brigade, said the brigade compound is ready to host the firearms to be turned over by the MILF to an independent body.

“It’s the best option since the place has historical relevance for the MILF, that until now it is a sentimental place, the home of former leader and founder Salamat Hashim is still preserved in thickly forested site inside the camp,” Dela Vega told the visiting members of the Independent Decommissioning Body of the GPH and MILF.

If plan pushes through, the storage facility will be jointly guarded by the Joint Security Peace Team (JSPT), to be composed of 1,400 men (700 police and soldiers and 700 MILF combatants).

MILF chief negotiator Mohaqher Iqbal said the IDP is yet to decide with finality whether the Army camp will be the official storage facility for firearms laid down by the MILF combatants.

The 603rd Army Brigade headquarters in Barira, Maguindanao used to be the Camp Abubakar, the main MILF camp before it fell to government hands following the 2000 all-out war. It is now known as “Camp Iranun.”

On Tuesday, Turkey Ambassador to the Philippines Haydar Berk, chair of the IDB, led his team to a site inspection inside the Army camp and received briefing about the camp profile by Colonel Dela Vega.

Berk was accompanied by his vice-chairman General Jan Erik Wilhelmsen of Norway, fellow Norwegians and Brunei delegates and GPH and MILF panel members.

During the briefing, Dela Vega told the IDB team that Camp Iranun was ideal and conducive for the decommissioning team and GPH and MILF because it is accessible to both sides.

Camp Iranun compound was also eyed as training venue for the composite JSPT.

The IDP is also eyeing two other areas. These are the regional headquarters of PNP in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the old Maguindanao provincial capitol in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.

The formation of JSPT is still underway. Its main tasks, aside from securing the arms storage facility, is to ensure law and order prevail in the area and its surroundings and to ensure it is safe from Armed Lawless Group, clan wars or “rido,” illegal drug operations and election violence.

The possible scenario would be the MILF firearms will be kept in container van and will be secured IDP representatives and JSPT. “Should both sides dedice, the firearms will be destroyed,” Dela Vega said.

Dela Vega said the Army is still waiting technical people to assess and determine what are other requirements needed in the establishment of a storage facility.

Under the Normalization process, the IDP will conduct inventory, verification and validation of Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) members, its arms and weapons.

It is tasked to develop and implement a schedule of decommissioning, plan, design using techniques and technologies for weapons collection or retrieval, transport and storage in accordance with the agreement of the parties and report on the progress of its work to the GPH-MILF panels.

The decommissioning body is expected to receive about 75 assorted firearms from the MILF in the first week of February.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=727678