Duterte: MILF decommissioning ‘a huge step’ towards peace

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SULTAN KUDARAT, Maguindanao, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte lauded on Saturday, Sept. 7, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for honoring a commitment to put its weapons out of use and disbanding its revolutionary army as stipulated in the peace deal the group signed with the government in 2014.

“This is a huge step of achieving lasting peace in Mindanao,” the President said in his 20-minute message to some 1,060 former fighters who were decommissioned along with a cache of 940 weapons owned by the MILF.

A total of 40,000 combatants are set for decommissioning.

The President witnessed the historic ceremony at the Old Capitol Compound in Barangay Simuay in this city.

The event signals the start of the transition to civilian life of the former Moro combatants and the beginning of the series of similar processes in various locations of Mindanao.

He described it as another milestone in the history of the Bangsamoro peace process.

He assured the decommissioned MILF fighters that the government would help them become productive members of society.

The government is spending at least P1 million for every decommissioned combatant, spread across three to five years, according to Secretary Carlito Galvez, the presidential peace adviser.

Each former combatant will receive a one-time cash assistance of P100,000.

The President lauded the demobilized fighters for becoming partners of the government.

“Do not be sad that you are handing over your arms to the government because you are now the government,” the President said in Filipino.

He was referring to the erstwhile rebel group now taking the reins of the interim Bangsamoro government with MILF chief Murad Ebrahim heading it as Chief Minister.

/atm