The Philippine government and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao continue to implement the Normalization Track of a bilateral peace process, particularly socio-economic programs designed to help improve the lives of decommissioned Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants.
On April 27, the OPAPP and the BARMM Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE) entered an agreement to implement PhP 146.8 million worth of education programs in the region.
A handful of livelihood packages are seen to transform the landscape of erstwhile areas of conflict, as these programs would benefit not only former MILF combatants but also members of their families and the communities.
Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said the COVID-19 pandemic “has not stopped” the national government and its Bangsamoro counterpart “from implementing all components under the Normalization track of the Bangsamoro peace process, particularly the socioeconomic interventions, aimed to uplift the lives of decommissioned MILF combatants, their families, and other members of their communities.”
“Amid the challenges we face during this pandemic, the national and Bangsamoro governments are working hand in hand in carrying out initiatives to improve the welfare of our MILF brothers and sisters using a whole-of-government approach,” Galvez said.
“The implementation of these measures pursuant to the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) is a joint responsibility of our governments. It is this ‘jointness’ which makes the relationship between our governments special. This is why we are focused on further strengthening this partnership, as we adapt to the ‘new normal,” he added.
The Normalization Track has four components, namely: security; socio-economic development; confidence-building measures, and transitional justice and reconciliation.
The MOA covers P56.5 million Bangsamoro Grants-In-Aid to fund MBHTE Higher Education Program (BGIAHEP) and P90.3 Million to fund Alternative Learning System (ALS) Program for decommissioned combatants (DCs), their dependents and selected residents from the six previously recognized MILF camps.
Under the MOA, OPAPP shall provide P146.8 million directly to the BARMM upon the signing of the agreement and the completion of pre-project implementation documentary requirements.
Ariel Hernandez, co-chair of the Joint Normalization Committee (JNC), said the provision of these funds to the Bangsamoro government “is a testament of the national government’s commitment to the full implementation of the normalization track.”
BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim and MBHTE Minister Mohagher Iqbal signed the MOA on April 19 on behalf of the BARMM, while Galvez and OPAPP Undersecretary David Diciano, also the Chair of the Government Implementing Panel, signed the agreement on behalf of the national government.
Under the MOA, MBHTE commits to assist higher education institutions (HEIs) and government agencies to ensure accessible quality education in the BARMM.
Diciano stressed the GPH Peace Implementing Panel, together with its peace partners, “must continue to work relentlessly to deliver all commitments under the CAB.”
“The implementation of the educational assistance through the BARMM MBHTE is just one of the many follow-through interventions that we have implemented for the decommissioned combatants after they received the transitional cash assistance amounting to P100,000 each,” he added.
OPAPP and the MBHTE will determine the program beneficiaries and target areas for the said education projects.
The BGIAHEP is among the key programs to be rolled out in support to peace-building efforts in the Bangsamoro. It is a comprehensive package of benefits which include a subsidy for tuition and other school fees for semester and summer classes, monthly stipend, book allowance, and learning support, among others.
The ALS is among the programs identified under the framework of socio-economic development for DCs and their communities, and for other members of the community of the six recognized MILF camps.
This intervention falls under the socio-economic component of the Normalization Track.