MILF bans firearms in public
The group also bans members from wearing military-style uniforms
Manila: The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has reportedly banned its armed wing members from displaying their firearms in public and wearing battle fatigues.
Gen Gilberto Roa, head of the government Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities, said that the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) had said in a statement that the MILF has prohibited members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) from wearing military-style uniforms and brandishing their weapons in public as an apparent peace gesture.
“We are glad that the chief of staff of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) has issued this protocol. This will definitely allay the fears of our people and communities,” Roa said.
Members of the BIAF, the MILF’s armed component, wear a green and dark green tiger-stripe camouflage pattern uniform.
According to the OPAAP, Sammy Almanzur, chief of staff of the MILF-BIAF, issued the order amid reports that certain members of the MILF were seen roaming in Maguindanao province’s capital, Shariff Aguak, and nearby Mamasapano town with firearms and in full military uniform complete with MILF patches and insignia.
Members of the BIAF are frequently seen in their battle uniform whenever they are inside their controlled territories such as the headquarters in Camp Darapanan, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.
According to Army chief Lt Gen Emmanual Bautista, the MILF order to dissuade its fighters from carrying firearms and using military fatigue uniforms in public places “will surely advance the cause and the spirit of the Bangsamoro Framework Agreement”.
Roa said the government intends to reciprocate the move of the MILF “by strengthening our ceasefire mechanisms in order to keep the peace and to protect our people from those taking advantage and using the peace process for personal gains”.
“There have been rumours of people recruiting for the police force for the Bangsamoro in exchange for money. We caution our communities not to be fooled by these unscrupulous people,” Roa said.
The government and the MILF are at the homestretch of sealing a final peace pact following the forging of a Framework Peace Agreement on the Bangsamoro in early October.
The government and the MILF are currently holding their 34th round of Formal Exploratory Talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Annexes on power-sharing, wealth-sharing and normalisation are the topics being taken up at this juncture
The final peace agreement is seen as putting a closure on nearly three decades of fighting and a wide-ranging settlement that will provide southern Philippines’ Muslims with their own autonomous political entity.
