CONSULTATION | Mohagher Iqbal, former peace panel chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that signed a peace deal with the government, addresses young MILF fighters in Al Barka, Basilan, as part of the consultations in preparation for their integration into the government police and Armed Forces, in this photo taken on Jan. 15, 2019. (File photo by JULIE ALIPALA / Inquirer Mindanao)
COTABATO CITY, Maguindanao, Philippines — Three years into the transition period, the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are preparing to mainstream former Moro rebels into the Philippine National Police to fulfill part of the promise of the Mindanao peace process, officials said on Monday.
Bangsamoro Interim Chief Ahod Ebrahim said the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) had entered into an agreement with the National Police Commission (Napolcom) for the conduct of the Special Qualifying Eligibility Examination (NSQEE) for the members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) planning to enter the police force.
Those who would pass the exams would be granted an eligibility for temporary appointment as patrolman or patrolwoman of the PNP.
“We are happy that we are finally taking the first step into making this provision a reality,” Ebrahim said in a statement on Monday.
Exceptions
Ebrahim, the MILF chair, said he signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Napolcom Vice Chair and Executive Officer Alberto Bernardo on Thursday as the first step toward normalization.
The NSQEE has been set in the cities of Cotabato and Zamboanga on May 29.
Under the MOA, 5,060 successful examinees will be granted an eligibility for temporary appointment as patrolman or patrolwoman of the PNP.
Mohagher Iqbal, MILF co-chair of the Intergovernmental Relations Body technical working group, said the body had earlier agreed on the 5,060 as the initial number of former MILF and MNLF combatants to enter the police force.
More former MILF and MNLF fighters were expected to apply for entry into the PNP as the number of Moro rebels who laid down their arms as part of the peace process in the Bangsamoro during the first phase of the decommissioning already involved some 12,000 combatants.
For the better
“Whoever will pass the qualifying examinations will be approved for the training. It’s just like the regular training for hiring in the police force, except that this one is special because it will waive the height, age and education requirement,” Iqbal said.
“Once they complete the training, they will automatically be regular members of the police force,” he said, referring to the former combatants.
Ebrahim said he created an ad hoc office headed by BARMM Senior Minister Abdulraof Macacua to provide administrative support for former combatants to comply with the application process set by the Napolcom.
Macacua said the MILF and MNLF would be working together to come up with the qualified members who could avail of the mainstreaming program.
“At a personal level, the lives of the 5,060 individuals and their families can change for the better as they benefit from a stable career in the police service,” Bernardo said in the statement.
“They will undergo rigorous training to broaden their minds, sharpen their skills and deepen their value to become professionals. Ultimately, Filipinos win every time former combatants are mainstreamed into our society. The Filipino nation wins every time the conflict is resolved and transformed into just and lasting peace,” he added.
—WITH A REPORT FROM JULIE ALIPALA
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