AN ADDITIONAL P14 billion is needed to improve the decommissioning and normalization process for decommissioned combatants in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the presidential peace adviser said on Tuesday.
At a budget hearing, Senate President Sherwin T. Gatchalian said the government cannot renege on its agreement with groups like the Moro Islamic Liberation Front-Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (MILF-BIAF) but noted that P14 billion is a large amount.
Mel Senen S. Sarmiento, the presidential adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, said the amount will be used to improve socioeconomic packages for 14,000 former MILF-BIAF combatants.
Each decommissioned MILF-BIAF combatant is supposed to receive P1 million in their socioeconomic packages, which consists of immediate cash assistance, study grants, skills training, and social protection.
Mr. Sarmiento said the current package does not align with the needs of MILF-BIAF combatants above 50 years old. He added that it only provides general assistance, which older people may not benefit from, like the Technical Education and Skills Development program.
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) of the Philippines already met with the MILF-BIAF to propose a more responsive package, Mr. Sarmiento said.
Mr. Sarmiento already presented a proposal to the committee in an executive meeting, which Mr. Gatchalian said will be sent as a position paper. — Francessca S. Abalos