Soldiers inspect 75 pieces of assorted high-powered firearms that will be turned over by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to the Independent Decommissioning Body on Tuesday, June 16, as part of its peace agreement with the Philippine government. President Benigno Aquino III is expected to witness the event in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao. Andreo Calonzo
The government will spend P2.4 billion this year to support former fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who decided to return to full civilian lives.
Presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles made this announcement in a speech during decommissioning rites of MILF fighters and weapons here.
Deles pledged full support to former MILF fighters in the form of "socio-economic packages" to help them and their communities transition from lives lived in warfare to living in peace.
"Ang pangako ng gobyerno ay programa sa normalization upang maging matagumpay at makabuluhan ang kanilang pagwaksi sa pakikidigma at pagpasok sa tahimik na buhay," Deles said.
She added that each decommissioned MILF fighter will undergo profiling to determine which form of livelihood suits him best.
Unlike with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the Moro rebel group that signed a peace agreement with the government in 1996, MILF fighters will not be integrated into the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The official also committed that government agencies will ensure that support for former MILF fighters will be sufficient and continuous.
On Tuesday, 145 former members of the MILF's armed wing, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), registered here for decommissioning, which marked the first step toward their transition to civilian lives.
Deles further said that the peace panels are exploring the possibility of forming a normalization trust fund to further assist the former fighters.
The government is also engaging international groups such as the World Bank and the United Nations on how they can extend aid to the decommissioned MILF fighters.
The normalization annex of the peace deal between the government and the MILF requires both parties to undertake socio-economic programs to help those who will undertake the decommissioning process.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/504758/news/nation/govt-to-spend-p2-4b-this-year-to-support-ex-milf-fighters
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