Easier said than done FORMER MILF SPOKESMAN DOUBTS REBELS WILL GIVE UP FIREARMS

By Jeofrey Maitem

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – The former spokesperson of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Wednesday aired doubts the rebel group could fully comply with the decommissioning of firearms in its peace agreement with the government.

Eid Kabalu said by phone Wednesday that many ground fighters and commanders already rejected the idea of turning over their firearms under the decommissioning process, which has become part of the normalization annex of the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro.

“It’s a serious issue. For them, they are not complete anymore without their guns. I don’t think MILF fighters will go for it,” Kabalu said.

On January 29, the government and the MILF signed a 10-page implementing guidelines for the decommissioning of weapons and combatants of the rebel group during their meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

“Standing by their commitment to achieve the objectives of the normalization process, the Parties finalized and signed the Protocol on the Implementation of the Terms of Reference of the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB),” the panels said in a statement following the signing of the decommissioning protocol.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process said that the IDB would conduct the “inventory, verification and validation of the members, arms and weapons of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF); develop and implement the schedule of decommissioning of BIAF members; plan, design, and implement techniques and technologies for weapons collection or retrieval, transport, and storage and putting weapons beyond use in accordance with the agreements of the Parties.”

“The IDB is also tasked to ensure that the Parties comply with all the necessary steps and processes for decommissioning,” the OPAPP said.

Government peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer has explained in a statement the decommissioning will be done in a gradual and phased process wherein “four batches of MILF combatants and weapons will be processed and registered in six to twelve selected Assembly and Processing Areas (APAs).”

Ferrer added that the weapons collected from the MILF would be placed in secured containers in guarded storage areas and later put permanently beyond use.

Under the guidelines, the decommissioning will be done in four phases wherein Phase 1 will be the ceremonial turning in of 75 high-powered weapons.

“By the time of the ratification of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, 30 percent of MILF weapons and combatants would have been decommissioned. Another 35 percent will follow under Phase 3 and the balance, under Phase 4,” the OPAPP said.

Kabalu said because of feedback he got from the frontlines, he didn’t know how the MILF leadership would be able to convince its entire force to yield their weapons.

“As to how they will implement it on the ground is another story,” he added.

(Photo credit: Inquirer file photo)