Philippine Muslim rebel group to begin decommissioning of forces

At least 145 Muslim rebels belonging to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are set to give up their arms and return to the mainstream of society as part of the peace agreement with the Philippine government, officials said Thursday.

The initial gesture of the MILF, called the decommissioning process, will take place on June 16 in southern province of Maguindanao where the rebels' camp is located.

"Phase 1 of the process will begin with the ceremonial turnover of 55 high-powered and 20 crew-serve weapons, and the decommissioning of 145 members of the MILF's Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces," said government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel- Ferrer.

She said that President Benigno Aquino III will be the guest of honor during the event.

Mohagher Iqbal, MILF peace panel head, admitted that the decommissioning process is "very difficult" but the MILF is committed to make sacrifice.

Gradual decommissioning is part of the Annex on Normalization signed by the MILF and the government on January last year, about two months before the forging of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro of the two parties.

Firearms will be turned over to Turkey-led Independent Decommissioning Body, while decommissioned combatants will undergo a process of registration, verification and validation process, after which they will be given assistance.

Both the government and the MILF refused to divulge yet the total number of MILF forces and weapons to be decommissioned. Endi