In declaring a war on private armed groups, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla took the most appropriate first step in his new role. Remulla said the goal is to dismantle all private armies to ensure the secure holding of the 2025 midterm elections.
With every political clan believed to maintain some form of an armed force for protection or intimidation, Remulla may find his task easier said than done. His resolve will be tested against the largest private army in the country: the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which now controls the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The MILF has resisted disarmament, even as the government has conceded to its demands for autonomy, including a parliamentary government that conflicts with the constitutional provision for a presidential system in the country.
Recently, Mohaqer Iqbal, former chief negotiator of the MILF and now the BARMM Basic, Higher and Technical Education minister, said the MILF would not comply with the disarmament deadline agreed upon with the government. Iqbal claimed that members of the MILF are not willing to surrender their weapons because some commitments in the peace agreement remain unfulfilled.
However, MILF members are running for elective positions when the BARMM holds its first elections, along with the rest of the country, in May next year. With its armed members, the MILF will have a coercive advantage over other candidates who are unarmed or lack similar firepower.
The MILF argued it cannot proceed with the decommissioning of 14,000 fighters “until all conditions of the 2014 peace accord are fulfilled.” It also claimed that 26,000 of its members have already completed the decommissioning process.
Iqbal said the government has yet to meet the socio-economic aid requirements, including housing and cash, in exchange for the rebels’ surrender of their firearms. He added that “very little has been delivered” by the government regarding the promises under the Bangsamoro deal.
Iqbal’s complaints are difficult to understand, given that the autonomous region operates under MILF control, a situation more favorable than what other rebel factions, including the rival Moro National Liberation Front, have achieved.
Iqbal promised, “We will not use the weapons to terrorize voters” during the election — a pledge that is difficult to accept at face value. The mere presence of armed MILF members roaming the region during the campaign period introduces an element of fear for rival candidates and voters.
It is impossible to ignore the possibility of sudden violence when groups other than legitimate security forces are present. Another of Iqbal’s justifications for maintaining MILF’s weapons is to counter the “private armies of politicians,” an assumption that seems illogical.
The region often experiences feuds between local clans, many of which maintain their own private armies.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in July that the implementation of the peace agreement is in its “concluding phase” and that the region is “primed and ready” to hold an election, following a previous postponement in 2022.
Iqbal said the MILF will respect the election outcome but is hopeful, “we’ll still be holding the reins of [the autonomous government].” Of course, he knows that his hope is bolstered by the backing of armed units that should have already been disbanded.
Remulla should focus on the complexities of dealing with the MILF, which insists on maintaining its arms in defiance of the Constitution and established laws.