COTABATO CITY – “Decommissioning is not tantamount to surrender.”
This was the declaration of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chairman Al-Hajj Murad Ebrahim as 1,060 of the front’s combatants formally laid down their arms in a decommissioning ceremony held at the Old Capitol in Barangay Timuay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.
Ebrahim said the decommissioning was just to demonstrate their sincere response and full commitment and responsibility in the peace agreement signed by the MILF and the government.
“I would to emphasized the decommissioning does not mean we have given up what we used to fight for,” Ebrahim said.
He said the MILF was just working with the government to achieve peace, development and progress in the Bangsamoro region.
On Saturday, President Duterte witnessed the former MILF combatants lay down 920 firearms, which will be turned over to the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB).
Ebrahim said the latest batch of former MILF fighters was just part of the 12,000-strong MILF force that is set to be decommissioned until the early months of next year.
For Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the decommissioning was an another milestone in the Bangsamoro Peace Process.
Galvez said under the normalization track of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the decommissioning process will enable the MILF combatants to return to mainstream society and become productive and peaceful citizens as they put down their weapons beyond use.
“To support the transition of these ex-fighters to civilian life, the national government shall be providing them with socio-economic packages to the help them start anew, and develop their capacity to earn a decent living for their families, “ he said.
Galvez said the decommissioning was a clear testament of the MILF’S desire to sustain the gains of the peace process, President Duterte’s political will, and the unwavering commitment to fulfill all signed peace agreements.
“All of these achievements are a testament of President Duterte’s desire to give what is due to the Bangsamoro People and to transform the region into a showcase of peace and development,” Galvez emphasized. (Armando Fenequito Jr.)
