145 Philippine Muslim rebels undergo decommissioning

Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Tuesday that the voluntary laying down of arms by 145 Muslim fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was a concrete proof of their sincerity in the peace process.

Aquino led the welcoming of former MILF combatants to the mainstream of society under the first phase of decommissioning process in Sultan Kudarat town in southern Philippine province of Maguindanao. Apart from the combatants, 75 high-powered weapons were also decommissioned.

"Today is truly historic. Years ago, an armed group that had long been fighting with government laying down its arms was a pipe dream. We are not speaking of just one, two, or a dozen weapons. These are some of the highest grade weapons, these are not outmoded units. They are modern firearms. These can cause and have truly already caused extreme suffering," he said in a keynote speech during the ceremonial turn over of weapons.

He said the MILF has started the decommissioning process even if the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is still pending in both houses of Congress.

With this, he urged the senators and congressmen to immediately pass the bill, which once becoming a law will serve as the organic act of the proposed Bangsamoro government that will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Endi