MILF on next phase of decommissioning fighters: Resolve issues first

Bangsamoro Transition Authority member Mohagher Iqbal

MANILA, Philippines — The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will not agree with the next phase of the decommissioning process of its fighters until the commitment from the government gets fulfilled substantially.

Mohagher Iqbal, a member of the MILF and the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, made this known during their consultative meeting with the Senate committee on cultural communities and Muslim affairs on Tuesday.

The decommissioning of MILF fighters is part of the peace deal that the MILF signed with the government in March 2014. The peace agreement paved the way for the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM).

The decommissioning process has been at Phase 3 since 2022.

READ: Disarming of MILF starts

“We are not going to allow the fourth phase of decommissioning because it is not commensurate and the commitments of the government have not yet been substantially delivered,” Iqbal told Senator Robin Padilla who presided over the consultation.

At least 26,145 MILF fighters have been disbanded, leaving about 14,000 active fighters.

The former MILF fighters are entitled to P950,000 compensation, including P650,000 for housing, P100,000 for cash assistance, and the rest for other socioeconomic assistance like Philhealth benefits and scholarships, according to Iqbal.

So far, all of the 26,145 decommissioned fighters only received the P100,000 cash reward, Iqbal said.

“There are 14,000 MILF fighters who have not been decommissioned yet. If we add that while the socio-economic package…You know, good senator, the combatants are frustrated on the ground. Because they ask us why the commitment of the government has not yet been delivered?” he told Padilla.

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

READ: Senate told: Bangsamoro Parliament members still waiting for amnesty

Previously, Carlito Galvez Jr., 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 BARRM in 2025.