The local government units of North Upi and South Upi held a joint meeting for the prevalence of peace in the localities in the light of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) last April 12 at the conference hall of the capitol building of Upi town.
The joint meeting for peace was the first of its kind between the two LGU’s initiated by Upi Mayor Ramon Piang. The meeting was attended by Mayor Piang and Mayor Abdullah Campong of South Upi and other LGU officials.
Also in attendance were invited guests from the MILF- BIAF headed by Mohammad Nassif, Chief for Operations of the MILF-BIAF and head of the MILF-TWG on Normalization, members of MILF Political Committees of Upi, business groups, farmers, members of the International Monitoring Team (IMT), Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH), Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), Office for Southern Cultural Communities-ARMM, Philippine Marines, Philippine National Police (PNP), the media and barangay officials of North Upi and the South Upi.
Maintenance of peace and order, the future Bangsamoro government, and others issues concerning IP's and settlers from Luzon and Visayas were the agenda of the meeting set by the organizers.
In his message, Mohammad Nassif assured that members of BIAF who are assigned or native inhabitants in the area are ready and willing to assist the LGU’s and their counterparts in the AFP in the maintenance of peace and order should the need arises.
“Kaya kasama ko ngayon ang mga opisyales ng BIAF at ng AFP para makilala ninyo sila” (That is why they are here so that you will be familiarized with them) Nassif said.
Captain Azhar Adam of the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and member of the IMT-Mission 9 clarified the IMT mandates and the reasons for their presence in Mindanao.
The tour of duty of the IMT which monitors the ceasefire agreement, civilian protection, rehabilitation and development, and socio-economic components of the agreement between the GPH and the MILF is extended until March 2015.
The GPH and MILF also agreed to reduce the number of IMT members to 36, 14 from Malaysia, nine each from Brunei and Indonesia, and two each from Japan and Norway.
Also present was Takayuki Nakagawa of Japan, a member of IMT for Socio-Economic Assistance Component.
BGen. Romeo Gan, Assistant Division Commander of the 6th Infantry Division, has been designated by the AFP hierarchy as the new head of the GPH Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), following the retirement of MGen. Leo Cresente Ferrer last December 2013.
In 2002, AHJAG was formed through joint efforts of the GPH and the MILF Peace Panels in 2002 that seeks to interdict and isolate lawless elements. It coordinates, monitors, and disseminates information between and among the AFP, Philippine National Police (PNP), and the MILF to undertake smooth and careful law enforcement operations without jeopardizing the GPH-MILF peace process.
The AHJAG is comprised of representatives from the MILF, the AFP and the PNP that operate on a yearly GPH-MILF bilateral mandate and is supervised by the joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH).
The group will serve as a crime prevention mechanism to help security authorities maintain law and order in far-flung areas.
The AHJAG has resolved dozens of domestic peace and security issues in areas covered by the ceasefire agreement and had managed to secure the release without any ransom of several kidnap victims in Central Mindanao and surrounding regions in recent years.
Colonel Arturo M. Beo, Deputy Commander of 1st Marine Battalion who represented the Philippine Marines assured the support of the Marines in the peace process.
Director Fatima Kanakan, a Teduray Muslim, of the Office for Southern Cultural Communities-ARMM, clarified the issue on delineation of the ancestral domain of the Indigenous People (IP’s) particularly of the Teduray, by the National Commission Indigenous People –Region 12 (NCIP). She explained that the IPRA shall be superseded by the BBL once it becomes a law. The law includes ancestral domain, basic rights, customs and tradition of the IP’s.
After the signing of the CAB, a lot of adjustments shall be undertaken by different agencies of the government particularly in the implementation of programs.
Kanakan also asked his brethren Tedurays to give chance to the MILF and the Bangsamoro Government to uplift the conditions of the Bangsamoro people and the IP’s.
Mayor Piang also explained that the IPRA Law is also incorporated in recently signed CAB and to be included in the BBL with more benefits for the IP’s compared to the IPRA law.
In the open forum facilitated by Major Carlos Sol Jr. of GPH-CCCH it was suggested that members of the local committee members of MILF shall be invited during the Municipal Peace Order Council (MPOC) meeting of the LGU.
Mayor Piang bought the idea and announced that in the next meeting of the MPOC he will invite members of the MILF political committee in the municipality and ask them to be the LGU partners in maintaining peace and order.
Cattle rustlings in villages are one of the serious problems mentioned by the LGU’s that shall be put on the table during the executive session.
Another issue raised during the open forum is the alleged recruitment of prospective members of Police Force for the Bangsamoro which Nassif denied. He said that the GPH-MILF Peace Panels are still waiting for the recommendations of the National Police Commission tasked to study the structure and guidelines of the proposed police force for Bangsamoro.
After the meeting, an executive session was held with the two mayors, and the security sectors: IMT, AHJAG (MILF-GPH), CCCH (GPH-MILF), PNP, Philippine Marines to discussed the implementation of all issues relative to peace and order affecting the adjacent municipalities.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/924-lgu’s-north-upi-and-south-upi-hold-joint-meeting-for-peace-in-bangsamoro
Also in attendance were invited guests from the MILF- BIAF headed by Mohammad Nassif, Chief for Operations of the MILF-BIAF and head of the MILF-TWG on Normalization, members of MILF Political Committees of Upi, business groups, farmers, members of the International Monitoring Team (IMT), Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH), Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), Office for Southern Cultural Communities-ARMM, Philippine Marines, Philippine National Police (PNP), the media and barangay officials of North Upi and the South Upi.
Maintenance of peace and order, the future Bangsamoro government, and others issues concerning IP's and settlers from Luzon and Visayas were the agenda of the meeting set by the organizers.
In his message, Mohammad Nassif assured that members of BIAF who are assigned or native inhabitants in the area are ready and willing to assist the LGU’s and their counterparts in the AFP in the maintenance of peace and order should the need arises.
“Kaya kasama ko ngayon ang mga opisyales ng BIAF at ng AFP para makilala ninyo sila” (That is why they are here so that you will be familiarized with them) Nassif said.
Captain Azhar Adam of the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and member of the IMT-Mission 9 clarified the IMT mandates and the reasons for their presence in Mindanao.
The tour of duty of the IMT which monitors the ceasefire agreement, civilian protection, rehabilitation and development, and socio-economic components of the agreement between the GPH and the MILF is extended until March 2015.
The GPH and MILF also agreed to reduce the number of IMT members to 36, 14 from Malaysia, nine each from Brunei and Indonesia, and two each from Japan and Norway.
Also present was Takayuki Nakagawa of Japan, a member of IMT for Socio-Economic Assistance Component.
BGen. Romeo Gan, Assistant Division Commander of the 6th Infantry Division, has been designated by the AFP hierarchy as the new head of the GPH Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), following the retirement of MGen. Leo Cresente Ferrer last December 2013.
In 2002, AHJAG was formed through joint efforts of the GPH and the MILF Peace Panels in 2002 that seeks to interdict and isolate lawless elements. It coordinates, monitors, and disseminates information between and among the AFP, Philippine National Police (PNP), and the MILF to undertake smooth and careful law enforcement operations without jeopardizing the GPH-MILF peace process.
The AHJAG is comprised of representatives from the MILF, the AFP and the PNP that operate on a yearly GPH-MILF bilateral mandate and is supervised by the joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH).
The group will serve as a crime prevention mechanism to help security authorities maintain law and order in far-flung areas.
The AHJAG has resolved dozens of domestic peace and security issues in areas covered by the ceasefire agreement and had managed to secure the release without any ransom of several kidnap victims in Central Mindanao and surrounding regions in recent years.
Colonel Arturo M. Beo, Deputy Commander of 1st Marine Battalion who represented the Philippine Marines assured the support of the Marines in the peace process.
Director Fatima Kanakan, a Teduray Muslim, of the Office for Southern Cultural Communities-ARMM, clarified the issue on delineation of the ancestral domain of the Indigenous People (IP’s) particularly of the Teduray, by the National Commission Indigenous People –Region 12 (NCIP). She explained that the IPRA shall be superseded by the BBL once it becomes a law. The law includes ancestral domain, basic rights, customs and tradition of the IP’s.
After the signing of the CAB, a lot of adjustments shall be undertaken by different agencies of the government particularly in the implementation of programs.
Kanakan also asked his brethren Tedurays to give chance to the MILF and the Bangsamoro Government to uplift the conditions of the Bangsamoro people and the IP’s.
Mayor Piang also explained that the IPRA Law is also incorporated in recently signed CAB and to be included in the BBL with more benefits for the IP’s compared to the IPRA law.
In the open forum facilitated by Major Carlos Sol Jr. of GPH-CCCH it was suggested that members of the local committee members of MILF shall be invited during the Municipal Peace Order Council (MPOC) meeting of the LGU.
Mayor Piang bought the idea and announced that in the next meeting of the MPOC he will invite members of the MILF political committee in the municipality and ask them to be the LGU partners in maintaining peace and order.
Cattle rustlings in villages are one of the serious problems mentioned by the LGU’s that shall be put on the table during the executive session.
Another issue raised during the open forum is the alleged recruitment of prospective members of Police Force for the Bangsamoro which Nassif denied. He said that the GPH-MILF Peace Panels are still waiting for the recommendations of the National Police Commission tasked to study the structure and guidelines of the proposed police force for Bangsamoro.
After the meeting, an executive session was held with the two mayors, and the security sectors: IMT, AHJAG (MILF-GPH), CCCH (GPH-MILF), PNP, Philippine Marines to discussed the implementation of all issues relative to peace and order affecting the adjacent municipalities.
http://www.luwaran.com/index.php/welcome/item/924-lgu’s-north-upi-and-south-upi-hold-joint-meeting-for-peace-in-bangsamoro
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