By FRANCIS T. WAKEFIELD
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Carlito Galvez Jr. visited the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s Camp Darapanan in a historic gesture since the Muslim armed group’s establishment in the 1970s.
The visit on Saturday, October 6, also marks the heightened trust and confidence between the government and the MILF in the effort to bring enduring peace to the Bangsamoro Homeland.
“Today, I came back to one of the most revered place, a place I can call home because here lives those galant men I considered my brethren, those whom I had been working with for a peaceful Mindanao,” Galvez said.
Galvez met with MILF Chairman Al Hajj Murad Ebrahim and was joined by top military commanders from General Headquarters of the AFP and the Western Mindanao Command.
“Today I can now declare that the war between the Armed Forces and the MILF is finally over. To my Commanders, let us embrace our brothers and sisters and give them respect and lasting peace that the Moro people deserve,” Galvez added.
During the ceremony, the MILF leadership also awarded Gen Galvez with the “Soldier of Peace Award”, the first to be given by the MILF organization to any military officer.
“I am pleased to receive the delegation of the Chief of Staff here in Camp Darapanan,” said Chairman Ebrahim, who was also joined by the Vice Chairman of the MILF Alim Solaiman, the BIAF Chief of Staff Almansour ‘Sammy’ Gambar and the different Front and Base Commanders in welcoming the visitors.
“General Galvez is well known among our commanders, the friendship between the MILFand him is already strongly established due to the numerous incidents and challenges in the past that we have jointly faced and solved,” Ebrahim said.
The Chief of Staff expressed the sincerity of the AFP in helping the peace process to propel following the guidance of President Rodrigo Duterte.
“The President is always very supportive and serious in his guidance to the AFP in sealing the peace process here in Muslim Mindanao,” Galvez said.
It was also the first time that about 6,000 MILF members coming from the different islands in Mindanao, going as far as Sulu and Basilan, lined up on both sides of the 5-kilometer road from Cotabato City to Simuay, Sultan Kudarat Municipality, Maguindanao where the MILFseat of government is located to welcome a visiting military commander.
“We have deployed BIAF members as early as seven ‘oclock in the morning to make sure that nothing could go wrong,” said Eduardo Guerra one of the members of the MILFCentral Committee. “It is also to show how we treasure the visit of the AFP Chief of Staff in our home.”
The Chief of Staff and party left Darapan at 2 p.m. in the afternoon with the cordon honors still in place.
In admiration, Galvez said, “This is really an amazing gesture of love which I will always treasure and cherish for my lifetime
When the Chief of Staff was asked what is the difference between the CPP and the MILF peace process during the Press Conference, Galvez said, “the CPP is deceptive, manipulative and insincere. They burned road project equipment, they executed thousands even their own comrades. They extort and always wanted to take advantage.”
“They do not have the sense of honor or ‘Maratabat’ of the MIL,” the AFP Chief said.
