President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the government to continue giving its full support for the completion of the Bangsamoro peace process.
Presidential Adviser on Peace Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., also said the President is fully committed to the completion of the peace process.”
Galvez also said, “We are seeing that all LGUs are now allocated resources, particularly in the Bangsamoro.”
During a media forum, the OPAPRU chief presented the status of the peace process and accomplishments under the administration’s peace agenda.
For the Philippine government-Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace process, Galvez said 26,145 combatants and 4,625 weapons were decommissioned.
He added that P3.5 billion worth of transitional cash assistance and other socio-economic packages were provided to 26,145 decommissioned MILF combatants.
Galvez said P602 million worth of projects were also completed in 33 core barangays in six MILF camps.
The official said 1,802 combatants have completed the verification and socioeconomic profiling process and have received P90 million worth of transitional cash assistance.
The government has also identified 79 projects worth P125 million in 25 priority MNLF communities.
“The President’s guidance is really to [complete] the peace process. He said… there should be a complete change on the lives of many Filipino, particularly, we should create more jobs, we have to irrigate more lands and then we have to improve ‘yung human dignities of everybody, so that everybody, particularly those in affected areas, would be able to uplift their livelihoods,” Galvez, quoted by reports, said.
The OPAPRU chief added that the National Amnesty Commission (NAC) has received a total of 578 amnesty applications, through its existing nine Local Amnesty Boards (LABs), as of July 12, 2024, months after Marcos issued amnesty proclamations aimed at helping former insurgents reintegrate into the mainstream society.
Galvez said the majority or 497 of the applicants were former Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) members.
Meanwhile, 33 former MILF members and 46 ex-members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) submitted applications for amnesty, the government said.
The remaining two amnesty applicants were former members of the Rebolusyonaryong Partidong Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPMP-RPA-ABB).
In November last year, President Marcos issued Proclamation Numbers 403, 404, 405, and 406, series of 2023, which grant amnesty to members of RPMP-RPA-ABB, CPP-NPA-NDF and their front organizations, MILF, and members of the MNLF, respectively.
The implementing rules and regulations for the amnesty proclamations, on the other hand, were issued in May this year after the presidential issuances were ratified by both chambers of Congress in March.
