Key Philippine Military and Insurgency-Related Events: MILF: MILF receives agricultural equipment, support to transform camps into peaceful communities

Friday, January 8, 2016

MILF: MILF receives agricultural equipment, support to transform camps into peaceful communities

Posted to the MILF Website (Jan 7): MILF receives agricultural equipment, support to transform camps into peaceful communities

The Department of Agriculture (DA) turned-over to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) agricultural equipment, inputs and has also pledged capability-building training for farmer-beneficiaries aimed to transform six acknowledged MILF camps into peaceful communities.

Representatives from MILF camps formally received the equipment and farm inputs from Department of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala with Philippine government (GPH) peace panel member Senen Bacani at the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute in Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao on January 6.

The development intervention for the MILF communities is an initial confidence-building measure under the Bangsamoro peace process as stipulated in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signed between the MILF and the Philippine government.

Camps Abubakar as-Siddique, Badre, and Omar ibn al-Khattab in Maguindanao; Camp Rajamuda in North Cotabato and Maguindanao; Camp Bilal in Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur; and Camp Busrah Somiorang in Lanao del Sur are the target areas for the project implementation which is under the DA’s Farmer Assistance Program.

The beneficiaries, led by Camps Coordinator Mohamad Saleh, of MILF Task Force Camp Transformation, expressed gratitude to the assistance extended to their communities.

They received six (6) units of heavy-duty 90HP farm tractor with complete accessories; six (6) units of cassava grater; three (3) units of hand tractor; 1200 bags of palay seeds and fertilizer; and 1200 bags of OPV corn seeds and fertilizer.

Part of the support were 300 pieces of assorted rambutan, lanzones, jackfruit seedlings; and 300 pieces coffee, achuete, and guyabano seedlings and 18 carabaos.

Moreover, DA also gave certificates of commitment for the provision and delivery of 16 units of non-motorized bancas; 160 units of fish traps or "baliyat"; 12 modules of goats (one module is composed of 4 female goats and one male goat); 18 heads of cattle; 6 units of corn sheller; 6 units of corn mill.

Secretary Alcala said he would be happy to see bountiful harvest four months after and hoped that the program will be a key to lasting peace in the communities.

MILF peace panel member Melanio Ulama said the agricultural supports are the “evidences of long desired real peace and development for Mindanao.” MILF officials present during the program were Toks Ibrahim, MILF Administrative Chief and Mohamad Nasif, MILF General Staff for Operation, hoped and prayed that the initiative will be the start of more dividends of peace that people will enjoy.

Naoyuki Ochiai of Japan InternationaI Cooperation Agency, Inger Lia Staalesen from the Independent Decommissioning Body, and Mohamad Yacob, Bangsamoro Development Agency Executive Director also graced the event.