Old Provincial Capitol, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao
16 June 2015
President Benigno S. Aquino III witnessed the ceremonial turnover of 75 ammunitions from 145 combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to the International Decommissioning Body (IDB) at the Old Provincial Capitol in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.
In his message, President Aquino recognized MILF’s show of sincerity and commitment to the Bangsamoro Agreement to attain lasting and meaningful peace in Mindanao by turning in several of its high-powered ammunitions despite the delay in the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in Congress.
“Mga Boss, kailangan ko pong bigyang-diin: Ang mga kapatid nating Moro ay nangako, at heto ang pruweba ng kanilang katapatan sa ating harapan. Kusang-loob pong inilatag ng ating mga kapatid ang kanilang armas. Alam nilang nariyan pa rin ang banta ng karahasan mula sa mga private armed groups, pero sa ginawa nilang ito, sinasabi nila sa atin: Kapatid, itong pantanggol namin sa sarili namin, di na namin kailangan. Buong pagtitiwala naming ipinapaubaya sa inyo ang aming kaligtasan. Kapatid, itong armas, pwede na naming ibaba dahil naniniwala kaming kasama namin kayo sa kagustuhan naming baguhin ang lipunan at buhay namin,” the President said.
Composed of 55 high-powered firearms (AK47, M14 and M16) and 20 units of crew-serve weapons (medium and heavy machine guns) decommissioned from the 145 Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) combatants, this marks the first of the four phases of the gradual decommissioning process the MILF will undergo as part of the signed agreement under the Annex on Normalization of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). This will also serve as template for future decommissioning phases it will carry out, with its second phase to begin once the BBL is ratified.
Also part of the Annex on Normalization, the 145 decommissioned BIAF combatants, which were pre-selected by the MILF commanders, will receive P25,000 financial assistance and PhilHealth cards. Other government services will also be provided to tailor-fit their needs as these combatants assume civilian life. Meanwhile, the decommissioned weapons will be transported to Camp Iranun (Abubakar) in Sitio Bombaran, Barangay Tugaig in Barira, Maguindanao.
The foreign-led IDB, headed by Turkey’s former ambassador to NATO, Haydar Berk, ensured that the decommissioned weapons turned in by the BIAF were still in its optimum condition. Its other members are Jan Erik Wilhemsen from Norway, Major Muhammad Aiman Syazwi Bin Haji from Brunei, and joined by local experts composed of retired Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Lieutenant General Rey Ardor, Dr. Mario Aguja, Von Al-Haq and Janati Mimbantes.
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