BARMM governors want MILF decommissioning tackled in Cabinet discussions

Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. (Photo by the Philippine Information Agency)

MANILA, Philippines — Governors of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Tuesday urged the national government to tackle the peace and order situation in the area, as well as the full decommissioning of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in its Cabinet meetings.

BARMM governors said that this due to fears of potential unrest in the region, amid the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections — especially if the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) do not properly manage the decommissioning process.

“Tinatawag natin ang pansin sa pangunguna ni DND Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. at DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. na dalhin sa attention ng Cabinet, na mapag-usapan sa cabinet meeting maski kahit ilang minuto lang, makarating sa mahal na Presidente, ang problema sa peace and order na hindi epektibo ang decommissioning,” BARMM Governors’ Caucus (BGC) spokesperson and Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. said in a statement.

(We call attention to the leadership of DND Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. and DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. to elevate to the Cabinet, to be discussed in the cabinet meeting even if only for a few minutes, to reach the dear President, the problem of peace and order that decommissioning is not effective.)

“I-review sana at revisit ang decommissioning process para mabigyan ng solusyon ang problemang kinakaharap nito,” he added.

(The decommissioning process should be reviewed and revisited to provide a solution to the problem it is facing.)

According to Adiong, the decommissioning of MILF’s weapons and base command should already be completed before the elections, as it is not possible to have an election with armed groups on the ground.

“This means that the armed members of the MILF should become law-abiding citizens. Their firearms should be turned over to an independent decommissioning body so they won’t be used, and the MILF camps and base commands should be dismantled. That’s what will facilitate the decommissioning. The five governors also want to help with this decommissioning,” he added.

Under the decommissioning roadmap, 40,000 MILF combatants are required to undergo decommissioning.

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JPV