Decommissioned members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) are set to start a new chapter in their lives after graduating from
their respective intensive skills training courses.
The graduating batch was awarded their certificates of
training completion in a simple ceremony held at the Old Provincial Capitol
last April 25.
The trainings were provided by the Technical Education and
Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and included courses on bread and pastry
production, driving, carpentry, cookery, motorcycle/small engine repair,
dressmaking/tailoring, automotive servicing, electrical installation and
maintenance, welding, and entrepreneurship.
During the ceremony, Government Peace Panel Chair Professor
Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said that the decommissioned combatants played very
important roles in the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the
Bangsamoro (CAB).
“[T]his is one way of showing your co-Filipinos that the
MILF is sincere in its signed agreements with the government,” Ferrer said, as
she addressed the graduates.
The Panel Chair also noted that even with the non-passage of
the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), the government and the MILF “are still here to
continue what has been started,” highlighting the commitment of both parties to
uphold the different components of the Bangsamoro peace process.
Meanwhile, MILF-Task Force for the Decommissioned Combatants
and their Communities (TFDCC) Deputy Chief of Staff Hussein Munoz reminded the
former combatants to be guided by the principles of “mujahideen” or “those on a
personal struggle in devotion to Islam especially involving spiritual
discipline.”
He called on them to “continue the peace process until the
next administration” and to use their newly acquired skills to benefit their
children, families, and communities.
Said training activities are components of the
socio-economic programs under the Normalization Annex of the CAB--the peace
agreement signed by the government and the MILF after more than 17 years of
negotiations.
As part of their skills training, the former combatants also
had reflection sessions conducted by the Health Organization of Mindanao. They
went on field visits to different establishments to further their knowledge.
They visited the Maguindanao Electric Cooperative, Inc. to learn more about
electrical installation and maintenance; the Al-Nor Construction for carpentry;
Aling Precy’s Restaurant for cookery; Shields for dressmaking; and Auto
Servitek for small engine repair.
For their part, the graduates expressed their appreciation
of their freshly acquired skills and their impact on their new life as unarmed
civilians.
“Mahalaga ang okasyong ito dahil naganap ito sa gitna ng
isinagawa nating malawakan at malalim na pagbabago sa sistema ng pamumuhay sa
bansa at sana
MILF to provide continuous education and monitoring
In a media forum following the ceremony, an MILF official
announced that they would monitor and provide further education to the
graduates.
“[O]n the side of the MILF panel, we will give continuous
education to these people. The process doesn’t end with the provision of the
toolkits but they will be continuously educated with the proper technology and
guidance on how to improve their projects,” said Melanio Ulama, MILF
representative and Commissioner of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission.
Following the completion of the trainings, the
decommissioned MILF combatants will start to implement their business proposals
under the Sustainable Livelihood Program from Department of Social Welfare ang
Development (DSWD). Their proposals vary from setting up buy-and-sell
businesses, putting up sari-sari stores, and requesting supplemental capital in
support of their starter toolkits, among others.
To fully ensure a smooth implementation of their proposals,
assistant development workers from DSWD will continue to provide technical
assistance. On-the-job training placements in different business establishments
in Maguindanao or Cotabato
City
Furthermore, farming/fishery assistance from the Department
of Agrarian Reform and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources will be
awarded towards the third quarter of the year.
Such undertakings, according to Ferrer, prove that “the
government, through its different participating line agencies, remains
committed in delivering what have been agreed upon under the Comprehensive
Agreement on the Bangsamoro.”
The decommissioning process of the MILF is part of the
signed CAB. Its first phase was completed last June 2015 where 145 combatants
were registered and 75 high-powered and crew-serve weapons were turned over to
the government. This milestone was immensely acclaimed by the international
community and is one of the reasons why the Philippines
Once a Bangsamoro Basic Law is passed in Congress, several
thousands of MILF combatants and weapons will be processed for decommissioning.
All decommissioned combatants will receive the same socio-economic packages and
training opportunities that would enable them to transition to productive,
civilian lives.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=880515
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