Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) camp commanders huddled
for three days with representatives of government line agencies in this city to
undergo formal training on how to kick off and implement development in six
previously acknowledged MILF camps located in the Maguindanao and Lanao
provinces.
The Area Development Planning (ADP) Workshop was held at the
Em Manor Hotel in this city from July 9-11 with MILF commanders, and government
military and agriculture officials to begin the transition plans for the MILF
camps into peaceful and productive communities. After the three-day workshop,
both GPH and the MILF participants will collaborate on formulating the priority
development plans in the six sites.
Under the Annex on Normalization, the GPH and the MILF
mutually agreed to constitute joint task forces that “will assess the needs,
plan appropriate programs, and undertake the necessary measures to transform
these areas into peaceful and productive communities."
These areas are in the vicinity of former MILF Camp Abubakar
as-Siddique, Camp Badre, and Camp Omar ibn al-Khattab in Maguindanao; Camp
Rajamuda in North Cotabato and Maguindanao; Camp Bilal in Lanao del Norte and
Lanao del Sur; and Camp Busrah Somiorang in Lanao del Sur.
The six camps were identified and acknowledged in 1999
during the term of former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada in order to
facilitate the observance of the 1997 ceasefire agreement. However, an all-out
war was waged against the MILF in 2000. The MILF withdrew from some of these
camps, notably Camps Abubakar and Omar.
Mohamad Saleh, MILF Task Force Camps Transformation
Coordinator, expressed his deep gratitude to the national government for its
“commitment to achieve genuine peace and development in Mindanao .”
The work of the Joint Task Forces in each of the six sites
is one of the confidence-building measures provided in the Annex on
Normalization, an integral part of the Comprehensive Agreement on the
Bangsamoro which the Government and MILF Panels signed in March 2014.
“The peace dividends must already be felt by the people in
our communities as soon as possible,” Saleh said.
Former Agriculture Secretary and GPH Peace Panel member
Senen Bacani briefed participants on the rudiments of area development
planning. He also urged the participants to identify quick-response projects
that will address immediate needs of the communities such as electricity, water
supply system, minor infrastructure and quick gestation livelihood projects.
“These efforts should continue because we are all Filipinos
and we should provide assistance to those who need help,” Bacani said.
The three-day workshop was facilitated by Roberto “Roy”
Tordecilla, World Bank Senior Expert and Engr. Nasser Sinarimbo.
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