Ex-MILF combatants to benefit from GPH-BARMM educ programs

Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal of the Bangsamoro government signs Monday, April 19, 2021, the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for P146.8 million worth of educational projects to be implemented by the national and Bangsamoro government. 

COTABATO CITY – Former combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), who have returned to the fold of the law, are set to benefit from P146.8 million worth of educational projects to be implemented by the national and Bangsamoro government.

This came following the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) and the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE) on Tuesday, April 27.

The MOA covers P56.5 million Bangsamoro Grants-In-Aid Higher Education Program (BGIAHEP) and the P90.3 million Alternative Learning System (ALS) program for decommissioned combatants (DCs) and their dependents, including selected residents from the six previously recognized MILF camps.

The identification of recipients and target areas will be further determined by OPAPP and MBHTE.

The BGIAHEP is an educational program that will provide subsidies for tuition and other school fees for a semester and summer classes, monthly stipend, book allowance, and learning support to all grantees.

The ALS program, on the other hand, is classified under the umbrella of socio-economic development for DCs and their communities.

Under the MoA, MBHTE has resolved to give help to selected higher education institutions (HEIs) and government organizations to ensure accessible quality education in the Bangsamoro region.

Accordingly, the project initiative is part of all components enshrined in the normalization track of the Government of the Philippines (GPH) – MILF Peace Process which is to “uplift the lives of decommissioned MILF combatants, their families, and their community members.”

It is also part of the many follow-through interventions of the national government after each combatant obtained the transitional cash package worth P100,000.

Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod B. Ebrahim, together with MBHTE Minister Mohagher Iqbal, signed the MoA last April 19 on behalf of the BARMM government.

Iqbal vouched support for the provision of quality education to all beneficiaries towards achieving a peaceful and productive regional government.

“Rest assured that the MBHTE strives to cater and serve every Bangsamoro especially those who fought in this endeavor towards self-determination. It is our way to pay the legacy and service that they have contributed towards sustainable peace in the region.”

“In this new agenda of the Bangsamoro towards moral governance and development. We are steadfast to our goal that no one gets left behind in the progress of the region,” he added.

Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. and OPAPP Undersecretary David Diciano, who is also the chair of the government implementing panel, signed the agreement on behalf of the national government.

Galvez, in his message, highlighted the mutual role of the national and regional governments in providing quality of life to their constituents.

“The implementation of these measures under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) is a joint responsibility of our governments.”

“It is this ‘jointness’ that 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.

Diciano also resonated that the GPH peace implementing panel, together with its peace partners, “must continue to work relentlessly to deliver all commitments under the CAB.” (Bangsamoro Information Office)