More than half of MILF fighters already decommissioned

Mohagher Iqbal (file photo)

MANILA, Philippines — Most of the fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have already been decommissioned, according to Mohagher Iqbal, also a member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority.

Iqbal on Tuesday said that 26,145 have already been disbanded, leaving about 14,000 active fighters.

The former MILF fighters, Iqbal said, are entitled to P950,000 worth of compensation, including P650,000 for housing, P100,000 cash assistance, and the rest for other assistance like PhilHealth and scholarships.

Iqbal said that so far, all 26,145 decommissioned fighters only received the P100,000 cash aid.

Iqbal, meanwhile, also said only about 2,000 firearms have yet to be decommissioned.

Previously, Carlito Galvez Jr., the Secretary of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, said they are targeting to decommission all MILF fighters before the first-ever Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM) in 2025.

The decommissioning process is part of the peace deal that the MILF signed with the government in March 2014.

The MILF forged a peace agreement with the Philippine government, which paved the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM). 

The former MILF fighters are also eligible for amnesty, but no amnesty petition has been granted so far.