Mindanao’s peace shepherds hailed

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) has achieved major milestones in fulfilling its mandate to push for the completion of the Bangsamoro peace process.

In an interview, Peace Adviser Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has given them marching orders to continue ensuring that local peace resolutions will take effect in the Southern Philippines, particularly in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“Over the past two years, major milestones have been achieved in the comprehensive peace process over the different administrations, particularly also in the Marcos administration,” Galvez said in a news forum.

Galvez said President Marcos has always been committed “not to waver” in fulfilling the national government’s commitments under all signed peace agreements, particularly the Bangsamoro.

“President Marcos has also given his assurance that the first BARMM regional elections in 2025 will be peaceful, orderly and credible,” he said.

The peace adviser mentioned several visits to the BARMM made by the President to ensure that Bangsamoro provinces will reap the government’s accomplishments in pushing for a comprehensive peace process.

“And then let us also remember that all of us have a responsibility to protect and sustain the gains of peace,” said Galvez.

Securing communities

Under the Marcos administration’s peace agenda, Galvez reported that at least 26,145 former combatants from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), along with 4,625 of their weapons, had been decommissioned as of July this year.

Some 350 of these former MILF combatants are now serving in the 24 peace security teams deployed to several communities within the BARMM.

These MILF members had applied and were absorbed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, going through stringent processing and sufficient training as required for those applying for regular forces.

“It’s only in the Philippines that we have such an arrangement of having joint peace and security teams from the AFP and PNP and they were deployed to critical areas, mostly those experiencing vertical conflicts,” Galvez said.

Transitioning to normal lives

Further, Galvez said that former combatants were able to reap economic gains from the government’s transformation program for them.

More than P3.5 billion worth of transitional cash assistance and other socio-economic packages comprising social protection, livelihood employment assistance, and community-based infrastructure have been provided to at least 26,145 decommissioned MILF combatants.

Some 36 barangays from six former MILF camps received P602 million worth of economic projects.

Next year, Galvez said the MILF is slated to receive P1 billion worth of projects to revamp its former camps into productive civilian communities.

Meanwhile, Galvez said at least 1,802 former combatants from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have completed the verification and socioeconomic profiling process of the government.

The MNLF is set to receive P500 million it can use to transition its former camps into productive civilian communities.

Some 6,231 decommissioned MNLF combatants and their next of kin have graduated from the technical-vocational education training programs.

“And then this year, we will provide another educational support to combatants’ families and also students,” said Galvez.