MANILA, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Moro Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) forces will be decommissioned as part of the peace agreement to be signed by the group and the Government of the Philippines on Oct. 15, the draft framework agreement on the Bangsamoro showed.
Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III announced on Sunday that the GPH and the MILF have agreed to sign a framework agreement, which will end the decades-old conflict in Mindanao.
The draft framework accord, which was released to the public Sunday afternoon, includes "normalization."
"The Parties agree that normalization is vital to the peace process. It is through normalization that communities can return to conditions where they can achieve their desired quality of life, which includes the pursuit of sustainable livelihoods and political participation within a peaceful deliberative society," the draft agreement said.
It said that normalization aims to ensure human security in Bangsamoro, the new political entity which will replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
"The MILF shall undertake a graduated program for decommissioning of its forces so that they are put beyond use. In a phased and gradual manner, all law enforcement functions shall be transferred from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to the police force for the Bangsamoro," the draft accord said.
It added that an independent commission shall be organized by the GPH and the MILF to recommend appropriate policing within the area.
The Joint Coordinating Committees on Cessation of Hostilities ( JCCCH) as well as the Ad hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) with the participation of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) shall continue to monitor the ceasefire agreement until the full decommissioning of the MILF forces, it said.
These existing coordinating mechanisms shall be the basis for the creation of a Joint Normalization Committee (JNC) to ensure the coordination between the government and remaining MILF forces, and through which MILF shall assist in maintaining peace and order in the area of the Bangsamoro until decommissioning shall have been fully completed, the draft added.
The MILF, the largest Muslim rebel in the country, is believed to have 12,000 armed men, called as the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF).
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