Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao – Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez said that the successful decommissioning of 40,000 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants could encourage other armed groups in Mindanao to turn in their weapons and return to the folds of the law, OPAPP website said in its report on Wednesday.
In an inter-cabinet Cluster Mechanism on Normalization (ICCMN) meeting held at Malacañang on Tuesday, Galvez said “We will ensure that the MILF combatants who will undergo the decommissioning process will receive a decent comprehensive and sustainable socio-economic package,”
“Now, if the other armed groups will see the fruits of this process, I believe they will be encouraged to join in the decommissioning process,” he added.
“The main goal of the government is for non-state armed groups to become irrelevant in the country”, Galvez stressed.
Galvez said that based on his informal conversations with representatives of these armed groups, some of them have already expressed their desire to be part of the decommissioning process.
“The willingness to give up their firearms is already a sign that they want to change their lives,” he said.
Normalization is a multi-faceted strategy which encompasses the key aspects of security, socio-economic development, sustainable livelihood, political participation, confidence-building, and transitional justice and reconciliation.
Early this month, the Office of the President instructed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to release the P2.024-billion Normalization Fund for the 12,000 MILF combatants.
At present, there are about 225 MILF-Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) who are undergoing basic military training in Camp Lucero in the town of Carmen in North Cotabato who will compose the Joint Peace and Security Team (JPST) along with some selected members of the Philippine Army, and the Philippine National Office (PNP).
Representing Cabinet Secretary Nograles, Undersecretary Jo Ann Burgos said “everything is proceeding as planned for the implementation of the Normalization program for the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.L-R: Undersecretary Jo Ann Burgos, Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez
Burgos said the ICCMN “is mandated to ensure the timely, appropriate and efficient delivery of services under the Normalization program in the Bangsamoro.”
“We need to get all government agencies to seriously work together, especially when it comes to peace and development in Mindanao,” Burgos said. (Source: OPAPP Website)
http://www.luwaran.com/news/article/1878/decommissioning-of-40-000-milf-combatants-could-encourage-other-armed-groups-to-return-to-the-folds-of-the-law-galvez
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