The chief peace negotiators of the Government and the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) announced Thursday that the MILF is scheduled
to undergo the first phase of the decommissioning of its weapons and
combatants.
“We are scheduled to begin the decommissioning process this
June 16,” Government of the Philippines (GPH) peace panel chair Miriam
Coronel-Ferrer confirmed in a joint press conference with MILF chief negotiator
Mohagher Iqbal at the Crowne Plaza in Ortigas
Center , Pasig City .
“Phase 1 of the process will begin with the ceremonial
turnover of 55 high-powered and 20 crew-serve weapons, and the decommissioning
of 145 members of the MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces,” Ferrer said.
Crew-serve weapons refer to weapon systems that require more
than one individual for it to function at optimum efficiency, usually needing
one person to load and another person to fire, such as medium and heavy machine
guns.
“The President himself will be the guest of honor during the
event and we are inviting our esteemed lawmakers from the House of
Representatives and the Senate to join us and witness the commitment of both
Parties to put an end to the armed conflict,” the GPH chief negotiator said.
“This is just the start of the decommissioning process,
which the MILF has committed to undertake as a show of its sincerity to peace
building,” she added, emphasizing that this "shows the continued
commitment of the Parties to bring peace" even as the Bangsamoro Basic Law
is still being deliberated in both chambers of Congress.
Earlier, Iqbal described the decommissioning process as
"very difficult" but noted that the MILF has committed to
"undertake the ultimate sacrifice."
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos
Deles has noted that the decommissioning process the MILF is set to undergo is
unprecedented, as it was not done during the earlier peace agreement with the
Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
"We've never had an armed organization that has been
fighting with government as an organization voluntarily — in partnership with
the government — turn over weapons," Deles said, explaining that the peace
accord with the MNLF only ushered in an integration of combatants with the
armed forces and the police.
Gradual decommissioning is part of the Annex on
Normalization signed by the MILF and the government last January 2014. Firearms
will be turned over to the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB), while
decommissioned combatants will undergo a registration, verification, and
validation process, after which they will be provided immediate cash assistance
amounting to PhP25,000 and PhilHealth Cards.
Medium- to long-term socioeconomic interventions for the
combatants will be handled by the Task Force on Decommissioned Combatants and
Communities.
The normalization process has three main components—
security, socioeconomic development, and transitional justice and
reconciliation — which are aimed at fostering peace in conflict-affected
communities in Mindanao , which will then allow
individuals to fully pursue productive and sustainable livelihoods without fear
of violence or crime.
According to the Annex on Normalization, the decommissioning
of MILF weapons and forces “shall be parallel and commensurate to the
implementation of all the agreements of the Parties.”
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=771619
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