BARMM approves cash rewards for aging, ailing MILF, MNLF fighters

COTABATO, Philippines – Aging and ailing members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who bravely fought for their causes will soon receive substantial support from the Bangsamoro regional government.

In an unprecedented move, the regional parliament approved a measure on Monday, February 26, authorizing Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Chief Minister Ahod Balawang “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim to set aside an initial fund of P500 million for a still undetermined number of former Moro combatants. 

As part of this support, senior citizens and persons with disabilities, who once fought for the Moro causes, will each receive a lump sum benefit of P84,000 along with a monthly allowance of P7,000 from the regional government.

Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Bill No. 44, which received a majority of 41 affirmative votes, established the Office of the Bangsamoro Mujahideen Under Special Circumstance (OBMUSC) to effectively oversee the implementation of the program. Notably, there were no objections or abstentions during the voting process.

The affirmative votes constituted 51% of the 80-member BARMM parliament.

Jamaleah Benito, BTA information officer, said the regional parliament did not specify the number of would-be beneficiaries.

“‘Pag pasok ka sa criteria, qualified ka to get financial assistance,” Benito told Rappler on Tuesday, February 27.

(When you meet the criteria, you are qualified to receive financial assistance.)

Baileng Mantawil, a BARMM parliament member, said the regional government has yet to determine exactly how many would qualify for the program. He said many of the former MILF and MNLF fighters have already died.

Eligibility criteria outlined in the measure require the region’s mujahideen who participated in the struggle for the Bangsamoro people’s right to self-determination between 1969 and 2014 for a minimum of 20 years. Those eligible, based on the regional law, must also belong to the underprivileged sector.

BTA Member Aida Silongan, chairperson of the parliament’s committee on social services and development, said the measure was meant to reciprocate the region’s mujahideen and acknowledge their sacrifices.

“A lot of mujahideen sacrificed their time, and many lives were lost for the sake of Bangsamoro welfare,” Silongan said.

Silongan said the benefits to be granted are lifetime and non-transferable, aligning with the BARMM’s priority agenda.

Mantawil said the measure was a “tangible expression of our gratitude, a gesture of solidarity with the families who bore the brunt of our collective struggle.”

The newly established OBMUSC was given powers and functions, including extending assistance to qualified beneficiaries, maintaining an updated list of beneficiaries, and conducting periodic reviews of the fund’s sufficiency.

Officials who pushed for the approval of the measure said a technical working group will be formed to coordinate with the MILF and MNLF central committees on the list of qualified recipients.

They also said public consultations were held before the bill’s approval, gathering inputs from various stakeholders, including veterans, internally displaced persons, local leaders, and civil society organizations. – Rappler.com