“In the spirit of continued partnership, we invite our partners in the MILF leadership to reaffirm our shared vision: a BARMM that is free of armed groups and illegal firearms, and where the rule of law prevails and peace reigns. This is our joint commitment to fulfilling the letter and spirit of the CAB.”
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Guest author:
- PRESIDENTIAL ASSISTANT DAVID B. DICIANO, Bangsamoro Transformation Office, OPAPRU
PASIG CITY — The Office for Bangsamoro Transformation of Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU OBT) has expressed its regret concerning the decision of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Central Committee (CC) to postpone the decommissioning of 14,000 of its combatants and 2,450 of their weapons.
This batch of combatants would have constituted the fourth and final group scheduled for the decommissioning process, a major commitment made by the GPH (Government of the Philippines) and MILF under the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
We also express our disagreement with the MILF recent resolution, claiming that the government has not delivered substantially on its socioeconomic commitments.
In the spirit of fairness and accuracy, we believe it would be best for us to provide a breakdown of the national government’s deliverables under the CAB’s Normalization and Political Tracks, in order to give a clearer and more balanced perspective on the issues at hand.
Normalization Track, Socioeconomic Component
While the CAB was signed in 2014, the GPH and MILF Peace Implementing Panels (PIP) only approved the Socioeconomic Package Framework for the MILF decommissioned combatants in February 2024. Despite this, major socioeconomic interventions have been implemented since 2015.
The 26,145 MILF combatants decommissioned since 2015 and the six MILF camps acknowledged in CAB are recipients of ongoing socioeconomic programs not only from the OPAPRU but through a whole-of-nation approach provided by the Inter-Cabinet Cluster Mechanism on Normalization (ICCMN) agencies.
These programs include the Php100,000 transitional cash assistance provided to each combatant upon decommissioning.
The government has also invested an estimated Php4 billion since 2019 for other socioeconomic support for the decommissioned MILF combatants. To date, all decommissioned combatants have been enrolled in PhilHealth; more than 60% have been provided with civil registration; and over 30% have undergone skills training and received emergency employment.
Significantly, the CHED (Commission on Higher Education) also implements the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (USTFASTE), assisting qualified beneficiaries in the BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao). To complement this, specifically for MILF DCs, an Educational Assistance Program (EAP) was also launched by the OPAPRU in 2024, granting financial aid worth Php50,000 per school year to each decommissioned combatant or their next-of-kin who are enrolled in college. For this year, a total of 2,500 are benefiting from the program.
For 2026, the OPAPRU has allocated funds for an additional 3,500 MILF decommissioned combatant beneficiaries under the (EAP) and an additional 2,000 beneficiaries for skills training — making the entire educational assistance worth Php300 million.
Socioeconomic interventions are custom-fit
Aligned with the provision of the Annex on Normalization, socioeconomic interventions are based on the “needs assessment” process under the DSWD (Department of Social Work Development). This means that the services provided are tailored to the specific needs of each of the decommissioned combatants.
These combatants, currently enjoying the benefits promised under the signed peace agreement, have led many MILF combatants to express eagerness to be decommissioned. These include, among others, commanders of the MILF and the Bangsamoro Islamic Women Auxiliary Brigade (BIWAB), those who liaise with the decommissioned combatants, and most especially MILF members who are already senior citizens.
However, with the decision of the MILF Central Committee to repeatedly delay and eventually defer the final phase of the decommissioning process since 2022, these combatants continue to face uncertainty. This is despite the goodwill of the National Government, which has allocated substantial funds in the amount of Php488 million for the phase 4 decommissioning since 2023, only to be returned to the national treasury as required by government financial regulations in 2024.
This is on top of the 2024 budget of more than Php300 million cash assistance to the initial 2,700 MILF combatants that was supposed to be used for the final phase of the decommissioning process this year. The MILF’s deferment will likely, and once again, force the government to return the funds to the national treasury by the end of this year.
It is unfair and unjust for those who are willing to undergo the decommissioning process, depriving them of their opportunity and right to be transformed into productive, peaceful citizens as envisioned in the CAB. The decision of the few should not deny the aspirations of the many.
Transformation of MILF camps
On the transformation of the six MILF camps, a total of Php8.5 billion worth of projects have been implemented through various national government agencies and international partners since 2015. These include farm-to-market roads, bridges, potable water, rural health facilities, small irrigation systems, and solar lights, among others. This is despite the Camps Transformation Plan (CTP) and Camps Transformation Investment Plan (CTIP) have been approved by the joint Peace Implementing Panels only in November 2021.
Under the multi-donor Mindanao Trust Fund (MTP), which ended in 2020, a total of US$38.03 million worth of socioeconomic projects were implemented in the six MILF camps from 2005 to 2022.
In addition, another multi-donor program called the Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund (BNTF), which is being managed by World Bank, has at least three socioeconomic projects that are ongoing, and one has already been completed, amounting to US$12.5 million.
Residents in the former MILF Camp Abubakar Assidique will also benefit from the Ambal River Irrigation Project (ARIP) in Barira, Maguindanao del Norte, worth Php985 million, as well as, Maridagao irrigation project in Special Geographical Area (SGA), which targets to benefit 102 farmers in Camp Rajamuda, Pikit, North Cotabato.
Block Grant and Special Development Fund for Normalization
The national government has been providing the BARMM with an Annual Block Grant amounting to Php420.9 billion from 2020 to 2025.
On top of this, an annual Php5 billion Special Development Fund (SDF) has been provided annually since 2020 to the BARMM to cover, among others, the provision of socioeconomic services to conflict-affected communities and its residents, including MILF decommissioned combatants, “as part of the normalization process,” as stated in the BOL (2018 Bangsamoro Organic Law).
The SDF has allowed the BARMM to provide housing to widows of former MILF combatants, benefits for Bangsamoro veteran mujahideen and mujahidat and their families, amounting to Php84,000 per year, and employ former MILF and MNLF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the BARMM government, and among others.
Security Component
Under the security component, the GPH never ceased its efforts in ensuring peace and security in the BARMM. No major vertical armed conflicts have occurred since the signing of the CAB.
This is through the establishment of 24 Joint Peace and Security Teams (JPST), a peacekeeping force composed of contingents from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and MILF-Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), which were majority deployed in the BARMM. The continuous operationalization of the GPH-MILF ceasefire mechanisms, and other national government security agencies have also taken the lead in other security-related programs.
The National Task Force (NTF)!for the Disbandment of Private Armed Groups (PAGs) has disbanded 15 PAGs with 94 members and 86 firearms, and 37 potential PAGs with 187 members and 304 firearms.
Under the government’s effort to free the BARMM from loose firearms, more than 9,000 loose firearms across the BARMM region have been surrendered under the government’s previous campaign against unlicensed firearms, and current programs such as the Small Arms and Light Weapons Program (SALWP) implemented by local government units and the security sector through the Localization of Normalization Implementation Program (LNIP).
Integrating to PNP, Rido Resolution
Further, as provided under the BOL, 400 slots were allocated by the PNP for MILF and MNLF members, of which 396 have taken their oath as patrolmen and patrolwomen of the PNP by the end of 2024.
Since 2011, the GPH-MILF peace mechanisms have played a crucial role in resolving major “Rido” or clan feuds and facilitating peace-building dialogues. To date, over 500 Rido cases involving MILF members have been recorded and assisted toward resolution, mainly in BARMM, Lanao del Norte, and Zamboanga provinces, majority of which are motivated by land conflict, political differences, and personal grudge, among others. The efforts of the peace mechanisms have significantly contributed to restoring community harmony and sustaining the gains of the peace process.
Other Major Components
Moreover, to aid in the transition of the MILF to peaceful productive civilian life, they have been encouraged to apply for amnesty. To date, 582 MILF members have submitted their applications to the National Amnesty Commission (NAC) and Local Amnesty Boards (LAB).
It is also worth noting that the Transitional Justice and Reconciliation (TJR) Roadmap, a crucial aspect of the peace agreement to address grievances and historical injustices in the Bangsamoro, was also only approved by the GPH-MILF Peace Implementing Panels in January this year.
Political track
But the peace agreement with the MILF goes beyond socioeconomic programs. More importantly, it supports the aspiration of the Bangsamoro for political autonomy, which the MILF achieved with the establishment of the BARMM through the BOL.
The creation of BARMM placed the MILF as the government of the day and enjoys the authority to administer the bureaucracy, which carries with it the full access to the region’s annual Block Grant (BG) and Special Development Fund for Normalization (SDFN).
The MILF-led interim government term of office was even extended twice in 2022 and 2025. This provided the MILF with the stewardship to run the affairs in BARMM for more than the period as originally stated in the BOL.
For over six years, the MILF has been placed in charge – complete with legitimate authority, ample time, and substantial resources to deliver meaningful change for their combatants and ultimately, the Bangsamoro people. With all the elements for success in place, one would have hoped for more progress by now — especially for those who have waited the longest and deserved it the most.
As the BARMM gears up for its first parliamentary regional elections scheduled in October 2025, this will enable the Bangsamoro people to vote for the leaders they rightfully deserve. Further, this political exercise will mark the completion of the political track of the CAB. Political empowerment of the Bangsamoro people is the heart of the GPH-MILF peace agreement.
Transformation requires changing of mindset
Given the significant accomplishments in the Normalization and Political Tracks, it is my firm belief that the decommissioning of combatants should not be viewed solely through the lens of socio-economic aid. Instead, it must be seen as an integral part of the broader Bangsamoro peace process and whole transformation of Mindanao.
The transformation process necessitates a shift in mindset, as the possession of illegal firearms is anathema to a peaceful and civilized society. This constitutes the fundamental principle of the peace agreement, whereby armed revolutionary groups are to be transitioned into social and political movements. That is why the decommissioning process is vital and crucial
The government has and will always be sincere in its commitment to the CAB through the Political and the Normalization Tracks, which not only focuses on the individuals, but the wholeness of the process that encompasses the benefits to the MILF families and the greater communities in the Bangsamoro.
We must remember that the CAB, which is the embodiment of the GPH and MILF’s unwavering commitment to the Bangsamoro peace process, is a holistic, integrated, and inclusive peace agreement aimed at transforming the Bangsamoro that aims to uplift the lives of MILF members and the Bangsamoro people as a whole.
Therefore, all peace engagements must be treated as a unified effort. This partnership is defined by mutual responsibility, where a setback for one is a setback for both.
We respectfully remind the MILF, our partner in peace, to utilize the appropriate channels, such as the Peace Implementing Panels and the Intergovernmental Relations Body, to address issues concerning the implementation of the peace agreement.
In the spirit of continued partnership, we invite our partners in the MILF leadership to reaffirm our shared vision: a BARMM that is free of armed groups and illegal firearms, and where the rule of law prevails and peace reigns. This is our joint commitment to fulfilling the letter and spirit of the CAB.
We also invite the civil society groups and international partners to continue to shepherd the Bangsamoro peace process as part of the collective aspirations for a just and lasting peace in the Bangsamoro.
This is the mission of the Government Implementing Panel under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. – to walk side by side with our MILF brothers and sisters in their peace journey and help them build a better, more peaceful, and brighter future for their families and communities. (√)
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Editor’s Note: