The country took a step close to establishing a stable, lasting peace in Mindanao with the government fast-tracking normalization efforts beginning with the decommissioning of 12,000 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) troops representing close to a third of the MILF combatants.
This was according to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, who on Monday co-chaired the first meeting of the Inter-Cabinet Cluster Mechanism on Normalization (ICCMN) together with Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Carlito Galvez, Jr..
Nograles revealed that the 12,000 combatants and their families would receive assistance in the form of housing, livelihood assistance, skills development training, scholarships, employment opportunities, PhilHealth coverage, conditional cash transfers, and documentation such as birth certificates and postal IDs.
“All the different government agencies involved in these efforts believe we can meet these timelines.”
“The government’s priority after establishing the peace is to ensure a smooth transition for all those who have committed to helping the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) bring peace, progress, and prosperity to the region,” said Nograles.
According to Nograles, the government is now in phase two of the decommissioning of MILF forces, with phase three to be completed by next year and the remaining MILF forces to be decommissioned before the signing of the Exit Agreement in 2022.
“We have targeted the decommissioning of 30% of combatants by 2019, 35% by next year, and the remainder by 2022. All the different government agencies involved in these efforts believe we can meet these timelines,” added the Palace official.
“The President has directed all of us to focus on and step up normalization programs because he knows the success of these efforts are the key to establishing lasting peace in Mindanao.”
Under Executive Order 79 s. 2019, the ICCMN’s functions are to: (1) coordinate and mobilize government agencies in the implementation of the Normalization Program; (2) provide policy advice, support, and assistance to the different modalities and mechanisms of normalization; (3) supervise and monitor all socio-economic interventions under the Normalization Program; (4) create a Working Group on Vulnerable Sectors which shall recommend a set of interventions; and (5) submit periodic reports to the President.