Decommissioning of MILF forces an executive function, need not be part of BBL -- peace execs

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 12): Decommissioning of MILF forces an executive function, need not be part of BBL -- peace execs

The decommissioning of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) forces and weapons is a program that will be implemented jointly with the MILF, simultaneous with legislating the new law on the Bangsamoro and that it does not have to be put in the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), explained Government of the Philippines (GPH) peace panel chair Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer.

“The decommissioning of the MILF is part of the Annex on Normalization of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB),” Coronel-Ferrer underscored. "The MILF signed this document and so they are obligated to see this through with the help of the government and the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) that we will set up very soon."

The IDB will be made up of three foreign experts and four Filipinos. It will validate the inventory of weapons and combatants that the MILF will submit and institute the needed procedures for turning in the weapons. Norway, Turkey and Brunei have been invited by the government and MILF panels to nominate the foreign experts who would sit in the IDB.

"The process would be gradual and phased, and commensurate with the developments in the legislative process of passing the BBL," said the government negotiator. Full decommissioning of the weapons and combatants of the MILF will happen after the creation of the Bangsamoro and the creation of the police force in the region.

"High-powered and crew-served weapons will be turned in to the IDB. However, members of the MILF may legalize the small arms in their possession through a registration process that conforms with the national firearm law. There is no need for a special law for the decommissioning,” explained Coronel-Ferrer.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles issued a similar clarification. “The normalization process doesn’t have to be in the law, except for the setting up of the police force for the Bangsamoro. The normalization process is an executive action that doesn’t need new legislation” she said.

The normalization process—composed of three main components, namely security, socioeconomic development, and transitional justice and reconciliation—aims to return conflict-affected communities in Mindanao to a peaceful life wherein people could pursue sustainable livelihoods free from fear of violence and crime.

The security aspect of normalization includes policing, gradual decommissioning of MILF forces and weapons, redeployment of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from or within the conflict-affected areas, and the disbandment of private armed groups.

Coronel-Ferrer clarified that the creation of the police force for the future Bangsamoro region is what can be found in the draft BBL because that needs to be legislated.

According to the proposed BBL, the Bangsamoro police “shall be organized, maintained, supervised and utilized for the primary purpose of law enforcement and maintenance of peace and order in the Bangsamoro. It shall be part of the Philippine National Police.”

President Benigno S. Aquino III submitted the proposed BBL to leaders of Congress in a ceremony Wednesday, September 10, at Malacañan Palace.

Normalization, decommissioning mechanisms

To implement the Normalization Annex, the GPH and the MILF created committees assigned to undertake specific roles.

Aside from the IDB, there are three other bodies. The Joint Normalization Committee (JNC) will coordinate the different normalization processes and mechanisms. The Joint Peace and Security Committee (JPSC) will create and administer the joint peace and security teams that will be fielded in different communities to help keep the peace in the area. The Transitional Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) will undertake a study and recommend to the panels the appropriate mechanisms for transitional justice and reconciliation.

Coronel-Ferrer said the CAB is an agreement which provides “clear mechanisms and benchmarks that will allow the MILF to transform itself with dignity from being an armed group into an unarmed political, social and economic actor in their communities.”

The BBL is the legal translation of the CAB signed between the GPH and MILF on March 27, 2014, thereby successfully concluding 17 years of peace negotiations and bringing the parties towards implementation.

“The CAB and the BBL aim to establish genuine autonomy in the south that respects the diversity of the people in the area, the basic rights of all, and ensure collective security and prosperity,” Coronel-Ferrer said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=683548