P146-M BARMM education programs to benefit ex-MILF members

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 30. 2021): P146-M BARMM education programs to benefit ex-MILF members (By Edwin Fernandez)

EDUCATION FOR ALL BANGSAMORO. BARMM Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal (seated) and his staff show the MOA between OPPAP and BARMM that will uplift the lives of former combatants in terms of learning. Under the education package, ex-MILF combatants and their dependents stand to benefit from PHP146-million worth of educational assistance from the government. (Photo courtesy of MBHTE-BARMM)

As part of the normalization process, former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members stand to benefit from PHP146.8-million worth of educational projects to be implemented by the government.

Mohagher Iqbal, minister of education in the Bangsamoro Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), said Friday the region’s leadership is determined to prioritize education as it is key to Bangsamoro development.

This came after the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE) on Thursday.

The agreement covers the PHP56.5-million Bangsamoro Grants-In-Aid Higher Education Program (BGIAHEP), and the PHP90.3-million Alternative Learning System (ALS) Program for decommissioned combatants (DCs) and their dependents, including selected residents from the six previously recognized MILF camps.

“OPAPP and MBHTE are in the process of identifying and determining the recipients and target areas,” said Iqbal, concurrent GPH-MILF peace panel co-chairperson.

Beneficiaries will receive subsidies for tuition and other school fees for semester and summer classes, monthly stipend, book allowance, and learning support, among others, he added.

On the other hand, ALS is classified under the umbrella of socio-economic development for DCs and their communities, and other members of the community of the MILF camps.

Under the MOA, the MBHTE will help higher education institutions and government organizations to ensure accessible quality education in the BARMM.

Under the normalization track of the GPH–MILF peace process, the program basically aims to uplift the lives of decommissioned MILF combatants, their families, and their community members.

It is also part of the many follow-through interventions of the national government after each combatant obtained the transitional cash package worth PHP100,000.

Asked for comments, BARMM parliament member Akmad Abas, former commander of the MILF Eastern Mindanao Front, said he was elated over the development, saying the peace process "is really working. We welcome this good news. I will help spread it to MILF communities in Central Mindanao."

Iqbal gave the assurance that the MBHTE will strive to further cater and serve every Bangsamoro especially those who fought in this endeavor toward self-determination.

“It is our way to pay the legacy and service that they have contributed towards sustainable peace in the region,” he said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1138574