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House probe into delayed aid to ex-MILF fighters, decommissioning sought
A congressional inquiry into the delayed normalization process or the turnover of weapons of ex-separatist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to the government, as well as other delays in the implementation of the peace agreement between the government and the MILF, has been proposed in the House of Representatives.
Neophyte and Kamanggagawa Party-list Representative Eli San Fernando made the call under his House resolution saying that the conflicting statements of the government and the MILF on the normalization component of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsaomoro (CAB) inked between two parties in 2014 should be urgently addressed.
San Fernando cited that while MILF decommissioned a total of 26,145 combatants and turned over 4,625 of its weapons to the government since 2015, the MILF decided to suspend the decommissioning of its remaining 14,000 combatants and turnover of 2,450 weapons last July 19.
This is due to the government's alleged failure to provide socio-economic assistance for the ex-MILF combatants to start a new life as provided in the 2014 peace deal.
READ: MILF defers decommissioning last 14,000 combatants; PH gov't dismayed
'The abovementioned [MILF] resolution [suspending the decommissioning] asserts that while the MILF has diligently decommissioned a total of 26,145 of its combatants, not a single one of them successfully undergone transition to productive civilian life, as promised in the Annex of Normalization," the resolution read.
"[But] contrary to the content of MILF's resolution, Presidential Assistant for Bangsamoro Transition David Diciano detailed in an official statement dated July 31, 2025, that major socio-economic interventions have been implemented since 2015 despite the fact that the government and the MILF peace panels approved the Socioeconomic Package Framework for the MILF decommissioned combatants in February 2024,' it added.
'In the spirit of goodwill and good faith, the disparity in the pronouncements of the MILF and the government must be given due attention and constructively addressed in order to ensure the parallel and commensurate implementation of all elements of the Normalization Track and to substantially respond to the needs of decommissioned combatants,' the Resolution added.
In addition, San Fernando said reported discrepancies in the leadership of the Bangsamoro Transitional Authority (BTA) must also be investigated by Congress.
'Now therefore, be it resolved by the House of Representatives, that the appropriate House Committees should immediately conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the ongoing normalization process component of the CAB between the MILF and the government and on the discrepancies regarding the BTA to identify gaps that impede the progress of the peace process and determine effectual mechanisms towards sustainable peace and reconciliation,' the Resolution read.
'This investigation will harmonize the implementation of the terms both parties agreed upon in the Annex of Normalization, as well as other relevant components of the CAB, promoting remedies thereof, for the CAB to move forward,' the Resolution added.
The Annex of Normalization is integral to the CAB between the Philippine government and the MILF. It outlines the processes for ensuring human security and allowing communities in Bangsamoro to achieve their desired quality of life.
For its part, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity's (OPAPRU) Office for Bangsamoro Transformation expressed dismay over MILF's decision to suspend the decommissioning of its combatants, adding that socioeconomic interventions were put in place.
"While the CAB was signed in 2014, the GPH and MILF Peace Implementing Panels only approved the Socioeconomic Package Framework for the MILF decommissioned combatants in February 2024. Despite this, major socioeconomic interventions have been implemented since 2015," said Presidential Assistant David Diciano in a statement.
"Aligned with the provision of the Annex on Normalization, socioeconomic interventions are based on the 'needs assessment' process under the DSWD. This means that the services provided are tailored to the specific needs of each of the decommissioned combatants," he added, referring to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
OPAPRU also said that the MILF Central Committee decided to repeatedly delay and eventually defer the final phase of the decommissioning process since 2022.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s administration vowed in 2023 that it would fast-track the Normalization Program for former MILF combatants, their families, and communities.
The following year, Marcos reaffirmed his commitment to normalize communities in the Bangsamoro region through the amnesty application of former rebels. —KG, GMA Integrated News
