Completion of Phase 3 Decommissioning of the MILF

The Government of the Philippines - Moro Islamic Liberation Front (GPH-MILF) Peace Implementing Panels and the Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) kickstart the final leg of Phase Three Decommissioning process at the Old Capitol Site in Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao on August 3, 2023.
A total of 1,301 combatants from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front - Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (MILF-BIAF) undergo the completion of the resumption of Phase Three Decommissioning process. This brings the total number of decommissioned combatants to 26,000 since the process began on November 8, 2021.
In a post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) discussion on ‘Good Governance, Peace and Security,’ Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. disclosed the possible decommissioning of 14,000 or 35% of the remaining combatants next year, adding that the IDB is expected to complete the decommissioning process before the first election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in 2025.
The decommissioning process is among the key provisions of the Annex on Normalization of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the peace agreement forged between the Government and the MILF in 2014 that aims to help former MILF combatants make the successful transition to civilian life.
A press conference ensues with OPAPRU Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., GPH Peace Implementing Panel Chair for the GPH-MILF Peace Accord Cesar Yano, MILF Peace Implementing Chair Mohagher Iqbal and IDB Chair Mehmet Suat Akgὕn as resource persons.