Bangsamoro government continues to decommission thousands of MILF combatants

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Over 28,000 more Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants will be decommissioned by the government, according to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

In an online interview with PTV, BARMM chief minister Ahod Ibrahim disclosed they decommissioned 13,500 of the 40,000 MILF fighters they are targeting for the said process.    

“For now, we already submitted [the list] of 14,000 to be decommissioned next,” Ibrahim said. 

He noted they are still trying to improve the decommissioning process especially since the government has yet to deliver the social packages meant for the first batch of the decommissioned MILF members. 

The decommissioning was part of the salient provisions of the government’s peace agreement with MILF together with the creation of the BARMM.

BARMM celebrated its second founding anniversary on Monday by announcing it will finally start the implementation of most their programs for their constituents this year. 

“For 2020, our task were mostly to restructure the government at the same time to craft laws. So that is where we focused. Most of our programs are in 2021,” Ibrahim said. 

Due to the extent of their need preparations for the creation of BARMM government, Ibrahim reiterated their call to Congress to extend the three-year transition for the said process 

Base from their initial talks with members of the House of Representatives (HOR) and the Senate, he said Congress is open to their request. 

“All of them are supportive. They said we really need extension because our task in the BTA (Bangsamoro Transition Authority) is too big to be completed in three years. So there is a need for a extension [for the transition period],” Ibrahim said.