“We valued the coordination of international facilitators like the IDB in speeding up the implementation of the decommissioning process and agreements,” Minister Aida Silongan, Chairman – Designate of the Task Force for Decommissioned Combatants and their Communities (TFDCC), said to International Decommissioning Body (IDB) personnel which the latter coordinated a meeting with her in the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) Regional Office, Bangsamoro Government Center, Cotabato City.

On March 22, 2023, ` Vice Chair William Hovland, Vice Chair and other IDB personnel aimed to update Minister Silongan about their activities, such as the phases of decommissioning process of MILF, the presence of TFDCC in the decommissioning stages, and other coordination matters.

Minister Silongan said that they need to cope with the lags in the decommissioning process. She esteemed and thanked the presence of IDB in this endeavor and agreement.

“We thanked your presence in this significant decommissioning processes. We are confident that the Government of the Philippines (GPH) will be true on their signed agreements,” Minister Silongan emphasized.

The IDB personnel highlighted that they are continually doing the phases of decommissioning process and hopeful of prosperity for combatants who would not go back to guerilla forces any longer.

“We are looking forward for the implementing panel to speed up the process so that our combatants will have prosper lives,”

The International Decommissioning Body is a third-party body designated by the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to oversee the decommissioning of the latter. It is a vital component of the normalization structure under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. It comprises international experts from Norway, Turkey, Brunei Darussalam, Japan, and other local experts from GPH.

The decommissioning process is the first step in enabling the MILF combatants to transition from conflict to peaceful living. They will receive transitional cash assistance from DSWD as part of their transformation to civilian and productive lives.

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