‘This is not surrender,’ says MILF chief on arms decommissioning

SULTAN KUDARAT, Maguindanao – Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chair Murad Ebrahim on Tuesday said the decommissioning of 75 firearms and 145 combatants of his group was not surrender.

“This is not about statistics, this is personal to us,” Murad said during the decommissioning of the weapons held at the gymnasium of the old provincial capitol here Tuesday morning.

“Decommissioning has not been an easy one. This is expected because the struggle is an integral part of our Moro identity,” said of the decommissioning, which is part of the peace agreement between the MILF and the administration of President Benigno Aquino III.

“We cannot thank President Aquino enough for his unwavering commitment in our partnership,” Murad added.

According to him, the MILF has officially started its transformation.

“Today we begin the long walk to transformation, not surrender. (This is) the start of transformation of MILF from an armed organization to a political organization ready to serve the Bangsamoro people,” he said.

He said the decommissioning also signaled the start of the MILF’s shift to self-governance.

“This symbolic decommissioning signals the start of an old arrangement and control toward partnership of autonomy,” he said.

“We proclaim our commitment to peace not by words but by action,” Murad stressed.

Murad said it was not a sign of weakness on the part of the MILF, as claimed by groups opposing its agreement with the administration, to decommission its firearms while the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) had yet to be approved by Congress.

“It is not surrender,” he said in his message to his people. “This is to show the MILF is sincere in attaining peace for the Bangsamoro people.”

He also said the MILF position on the BBL was clear: “We will accept the BBL which is in compliance with the FAB (Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro) and CAB (Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro).

“This is the official position of the MILF central committee,” Murad said.

He then thanked President Aquino and all those who contributed in the success of the Mindanao peace process.

“We thank the President for his continued support for the Mindanao peace process, the third party facilitator, the international communitiy and all who contributed to (its) success,” he said.