Ex-MNLF rebels undergo government profiling

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Hundreds of former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels in the southern province of Basilan are currently undergoing government verification and profiling process as part of the so-called MNLF Transformation Program, the military’s Western Mindanao Command said Tuesday.

 

Photos released by the Western Mindanao Command on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 show former MNLF rebels being interviewed during a government profiling and verification process in the southern Philippine province of Basilan.

The MNLF Transformation Program is anchored on the provisions of the 1996 peace accord between the MNLF under Nur Misuari and the national government which aims to facilitate the transition of former rebels, especially those who were not integrated into the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, as well as their families into peaceful and productive civilians.

The Western Mindanao Command said a total of 60 former MNLF combatants were subjected to the verification and profiling process during the September 30 opening ceremony in Basilan while 499 others will undergo the same process until October 5.

The former rebels were also given financial aid. The funds for the project are sourced under the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan which was launched in 2011 as a priority program of the national government in support of the peace process.

It said some 559 MNLF weapons had been verified. It said the Joint Body on the Management of Arms and Forces spearheaded the verification process in Basilan which was attended by Muslimin Sema, chairman of the MNLF Central Committee, a faction of the MNLF; among other officials from the national and provincial governments, the military and representatives from various government agencies.

 

“This collaboration among the different government agencies and stakeholders promises increased peace, security, and stability in the Mindanao region as the program will focus on transforming the MNLF members and their families into productive citizens of society,” said Maj. Gen. Steve Crespillo, chief of the Western Mindanao Command.

 

He said the transformation of former MNLF fighters in Basilan is just the first of the series of programs to be implemented in the 25 priority communities of the MNLF in Mindanao. Aside from Basilan, the profiling will also be conducted in the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, North Cotabato, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, and Cotabato City.

 

Surprisingly, for a still unknown reason, none of Misuari’s leaders were present in the activities in Basilan, although the province is a major stronghold of Misuari’s group. Sema's group broke away from Misuari following a coup by the so-called "Committee of Fifteen," which is the central leadership of the MNLF. 

The Committee of Fifteen cited Misuari's incompetent performance as governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, among other accusations against him. Aside from Sema and Misuari's factions, there is still another MLF faction under Albakir Jikiri, whose father Yusop, now deceased, was a member of the Committee of Fifteen. (Mindanao Examiner)