By Jim Lloyd Dongiapon
Four provincial governors from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) sent a letter of “urgent appeal” to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., to expedite the decommissioning of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The letter, dated February 20, 2023, and delivered to the Palace on Thursday, February 23, was signed by Maguindanao del Sur Governor Bai Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu, Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan, Tawi-Tawi Governor Yshmael Sali, and Basilan Governor Hadjiman-Salliman Hataman.
They referred to the current “climate of lawlessness” in the area, which describes that killings occur on a daily basis in the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur, as well as Cotabato City and the 63 North Cotabato barangays forming part of the region’s Special Geographic Area or SGA.
This also included the recent ambush of Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal “Bombit” Alonto Adiong, Jr., in the province’s town of Maguing.
“In these areas, LGUs (local government units), PNP (Philippine National Police) and the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) are severely restrained from enforcing law and order by the ‘peace process mechanisms’ that bar entry of law enforcement agencies in the so-called ‘MILF territories’,” the appeal said.
They also emphasized the incident that occurred on February 7 when the MILF detained 39 members of the Special Forces for the night in Maguing “on the pretext that their movement and operations were not coordinated with the MILF.”
Aside from hastening the decommissioning of all MILF combatants, the four BARMM governors have also requested that the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on October 30, 2023, be postponed until the decommissioning is completed.
The Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), specifically the Annex on Normalization, requires all MILF combatants to be decommissioned.
The process is divided into four phases and is completed by percentage: ceremonial in Phase 1, 30% in Phase 2, 35% in Phase 3, and the remainder in Phase 4.
“We are seriously concerned that law enforcement in the BARMM will continue to be handicapped leading to the barangay elections on October 30, 2023, unless effective decommissioning of MILF combatants and firearms is completed,” stated the governors.
“The CAB provides for the completion of the decommissioning process by the May 2022 elections. Yet, to date, 15,300 MILF combatants are still to be decommissioned. Of the total 40,000 MILF combatants for decommissioning, only 4,625 firearms are decommissioned. The decommissioning process, which began in 2015, has failed to dismantle even a single MILF base command and camp,” they added.
As of this writing, Malacañang Palace has yet to issue an official response regarding the appeal made by the aforementioned provincial governors.