Last week, the public was treated to an animated, heated verbal scuffle in a Senate hearing. The protagonists were Senator Raffy Tulfo and Secretary Carlitos Galvez Jr., of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity. The bone of contention was the funding for the decommissioning of MILF rebels which the senator claimed was tainted with corruption.

Senator Tulfo’s basis for his accusation was the OPAPRU report which showed a glaring discrepancy between the number of combatant-surrenderers (26,132), who were given P100,000 each for a total of P2.6 billion, and the number of firearms surrendered (4,625). The senator observed correctly that the number of surrenderers did not match the number of firearms decommissioned.

The senator’s observation made sense. He raised a valid point. Secretary Galvesz was clearly rattled by the mathematical equation and did not see it coming. All he could do was deny any corruption in the process. We grant that the OPAPRU can explain this conundrum at the next hearing. Meantime, it stirred up a hornet’s nest and went viral on social media.

The meat of the observation is that somebody made a huge sum in the process. It also means that while the government gave P100K each to the combatants many did not surrender their firearms, therefore there are still unlicensed firearms with the rebels.

The verbal exchange pivoted to the definition of who are combatants. Secretary Galvez off-hand defined it as the one who holds the gun. The personal firearms of the rebel surrenderers were not covered by the decommissioning but only those owned by the MILF as an organization.

Many asked: With the rebels still brandishing their “personal” firearms, what good is the decommissioning?

This is scary and a hurdle to the peace campaign. This could also contribute to warlordism leading to more instability in the region.

From a distance, our impression of Galvez is one of an officer and a gentleman of the old school. He made quite an impression on us when he commanded the troops in the 2017 Marawi siege. As the Covid-19 czar in the last administration, he was not involved in high-profile controversies like the Pharmally anomaly. That he served in two administrations speaks of his integrity. The Moros have not raised an issue against him as he led the OPAPRU under two administrations. He is credited for the détente and unity of the different rebel factions with his tact.

Tulfo has not outlived his radio-TV training. He has developed a style of Socratic questioning to ferret out the truth with provocative and sometimes judgmental questions, which is effective and lauded by the gallery.

The P26 billion was probably not for the payment of surrendered firearms alone. There could have been other components of the grant like livelihood and other subsidies to transform rebels into productive members of the community. These are parts of the terms of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro that OPAPRU is implementing. There could be other legitimate expenses that were included in the controversial P26 billion expenditure. Hold your horses’ readers, Secretary Galvez promised to explain it in the next hearing.

To us who are in the know, not all rebels have firearms. In Morolandia, when there is a military operation against members of the MNLF, the latter borrows firearms from the other rebel group, MILF, and vice versa. They share firearms when needed. This could explain the fact that not all surrenderers had firearms, hence, the discrepancy in the figures of surrenderers and firearms.

The OPAPRU plays a vital role in the peace campaign. It is on the right track. It is disheartening to hear of corruption in the process. The controversy might adversely affect its target date of completion. It sets off a hiccup in the momentum towards peace.

The road to peace is strewn with spikes. Any unnecessary distraction could unintentionally derail the plan.

amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com