The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) remains a worthy
and faithful peace partner of the government, said Armed Forces of the Philippines
He believed the MILF in general had been a consistent
partner in the current administration's quest to restore peace in the Mindanao
area of southern Philippines
"While there may be a few alleged abuses by some of
their ground commanders, overall their leadership is able to keep everyone in
line," he said in a statement Saturday.
The statement from the Peace Process Media Bureau in Manila
Pascual said the ceasefire between the government and MILF
which was restored just hours after the unfortunate firefight in Mamasapano
last January 25 speaks volume on the desire of both parties to pursue the
course of peace.
Prior to the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the
Bangsamoro (CAB) in 2014, the ceasefire between the Government of the
Philippines (GPH) and the MILF held a record of zero skirmishes for more than
three years, since 2012.
The only recorded breakdown was during the unexpected
encounter between the police commandos of the Philippine National Police (PNP)
Special Action Force and MILF fighters in Mamasapano, according to the
statement.
Pascual said while the encounter left more than 60 Filipinos
dead, the ceasefire breakdown did not escalate into a full-blown armed conflict
because of the Bangsamoro peace process' built-in safeguards that were
immediately activated.
"The latest data from independent polling company
Social Weather Stations showed that Filipinos still support the peace process
with the MILF.
"We are for peace in the AFP, and I'm sure the PNP will
also say the same. We are at the frontlines of armed conflicts and even though
that is part of our job, we are also normal, Filipino people with families to
go home to. I think no one from the security sector, even from the MILF, wants
war anymore," he added.
Meanwhile Pascual said on June 16, 145 MILF fighters were
decommissioned and 75 crew-serve and high-powered armaments were turned over to
the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) as mandated by the CAB. The MILF
combatants who were decommissioned have now started their transition to
peaceful, civilian lives.
"The decommissioning process is another concrete proof
of the MILF's commitment to the promise they made to the current
administration. For some, the weapons are just that - weapons. But to them,
those arms represent their decades-long struggle.
"For them to proceed with the decommissioning is
admirable. We expect the next phases of the decommissioning to push through
until the MILF is truly transformed into a civil movement and no longer a rebel
group," he said.
The CAB stipulates that the decommissioning process, which
is part of the more comprehensive normalization arrangement, will happen in a
phased and gradual process, he added.
As agreed by both parties, the second phase will happen once
the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) has been ratified, the third phase after the
plebiscite and the last phase will happen when the Bangsamoro Government which
will replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has been
established.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=786269
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