Will MILF surrender SAF 44’s guns?

From the Manila Standard Today (Jun 15): Will MILF surrender SAF 44’s guns?
 

THE authorities still do not know whether today’s initial decommissioning of the MILF’s combatants and firearms will include the 38 high-powered firearms out of the 44 taken by its fighters from the 44 police commandos slain in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, on Jan. 29 this year, an official said Monday.

PNP Public Information Office Chief Wilfredo Franco said they had no specific knowledge whether the 38 weapons of the 44 commandos would be included in the turnover of MILF firearms to the international Independent Decommissioning Body.

So far, the MILF has only returned 16 firearms to the government, but the authorities hope the group will finally surrender those weapons in the decommissioning process.

Franco expressed optimism that the MILF would return the slain commandos’ firearms in the symbolic turnover, a move that he said “will build trust and confidence.”

 “We hope the MILF will be moving towards that by unilaterally giving the firearms of SAF,” Franco said.

President Benigno Aquino III will lead today’s turnover of weapons and decommissioning of the combatants of the MILF in Sultan Kudarat.

“As part of our ongoing peace-building efforts, the government and the  Moro Islamic Liberation Front will hold tomorrow [Tuesday] the first phase of the decommissioning of the MILF’s weapons and combatants,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

He said phase 1 involved the ceremonial turnover of 75 high-powered and crew-served weapons and the decommissioning of 145 members of the MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces.

Armed Forces Chief Gregorio Catapang Jr. on Monday said Tuesday’s decommissioning was a historic event and praised what he described as the MILF’s commitment to peace.

“What is laudable here is that the MILF is voluntarily turning in their firearms in an environment that continues to have other armed groups,” Catapang said.

The Joint Verification and Monitoring Team of the Independent Decommissioning Body its still validating the total number of firearms in the MILF’s inventory to know whether those firearms are government-owned.

Sources said most of the MILF’s firearms were secured from several ambush operations against government forces at the height of the MILF’s secessionist movement in the 198’s.

“Inventory is taking place, and we are validating the total firearms in the inventory of the MILF,” Franco said.

The PNP will took part in the symbolic turn-over by designating three police commissioned officers who will assist the four members of the Independent Decommissioning Body what will oversee the decommissioning of the MILF’s forces and weapons.

Franco identified them as Chief Inspectors Randall-Lyon Bueno, Filmore Calib and Christopher Muego.

The Joint Verification and Monitoring Team is led by a foreign independent expert with a member each from the government and the MILF. The JVMT  will supervise the 30-member Joint Peace and Security Team  or JPST that is responsible for securing the mutually-agreed upon Weapons Storage area.

The JPST is made up of 15 members from the government’s army and police and an equal number from the MILF.

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