CONTENTIOUS ISSUE. The MILF will only start laying down its arms once the Bangsamoro government is in place, says MILF chairman Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim. Photo by Adrian Portugal

MANILA, Philippines - The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) wants the Bangsamoro regional government to be in place before it starts decommissioning its forces.

In an interview with Malaysian news agency Bername that was published in The Star of Malaysia on Wednesday, December 26, MILF chairman Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim said the rebels will only start dropping their guns once the appropriate political conditions for it are established.

Murad, who was interviewed while attending the recently-concluded 8th World Islamic Economic Forum in Malaysia, said the MILF also expects the government to do its part in the decommissioning process, noting that government militias should also be asked to give up their arms.

The issue of decommissioning is one of the most contentious in the peace process between the MILF and the government.

An MILF company commander, Abdul Sharif, earlier admitted that members are divided over the idea of laying down firearms.

The government and the MILF are in the crucial second phase of the peace talks. Both parties are still threshing out the details of the annexes that will complete the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. They have yet to finalize the timetable of the decommissioning process under the Normalization annex, which also includes agreements on policing.

There is no specific deadline to complete the annexes yet, government peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said in a recent dinner with reporters, but she said a peace agreement by the 1st quarter of the year is "doable."

'Decommissioning will be gradual'

The decommissioning process will be "gradual and phased," Ferrer said in a separate interview published by the Philippine News Agency.

Although full decommissioning "will not happen at once," Ferrer said both sides are expected to "take steps that will aid in securing the peace and stability on the ground and to continue to build confidence in each other’s sincerity to deliver what has been agreed upon."

“As agreed, the decommissioning process will be gradual and phased. The panels through their technical working groups are still working on an indicative timetable that will match every political milestone with corresponding socio-economic and security measures,” she said.

Under the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro signed on October 15, the MILF and the government agreed to undertake the following steps in relation to the issue of decommissioning towards normalization:

• The MILF shall undertake a graduated program for decommissioning of its forces so that they are put beyond use.
• The Joint Coordinating Committees on Cessation of Hostilities (JCCCH) as well as the Ad hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) with the participation of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) shall continue to monitor the ceasefire agreement until the full decommissioning of the MILF forces. These existing coordinating mechanisms shall be the basis for the creation of a Joint Normalization Committee (JNC) to ensure the coordination between the Government and remaining MILF forces, and through which MILF shall assist in maintaining peace and order in the area of the Bangsamoro until decommissioning shall have been fully completed.
• Both parties commit to work in partnership for the reduction and control of firearms in the area and the disbandment of private armies and other armed groups.

Murad said the MILF also expects the government to reduce the number of soldiers in Mindanao and evenly distribute forces across the country.

What are the next steps?

Despite the "technical impasse" in the negotiations over the issue on whether or not the MILF should lead the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, Ferrer stressed that there is "no deal breaker."

On December 17, President Benigno Aquino III signed Executive Order No. 120 creating the 15-member Transition Commission that will craft the Basic Law that will serve as the basis for the Bangsamoro government.

The Basic Law will be submitted to Congress and must pass through its scrutiny. Once the Basic Law is ratified, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority will be established. It will be replaced in 2016 upon the election of the members that will comprise the Bangsamoro government. - Rappler.com