MILF told: Let gov’t troops in to secure BARMM polls

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — The military on Wednesday said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) could not unilaterally bar government security forces from its communities during the Sept. 14 Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections.

Maj. Gen. Jose Vladimir Cagara, acting commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom), said the military would continue to respect the Bangsamoro peace process and its coordination mechanisms but stressed that the AFP and Philippine National Police must fulfill their legal mandates in securing the elections.

WestMinCom cited the Guidelines for Mutual Understanding, which provide for the unimpeded movement of Commission on Elections (Comelec) personnel, election equipment, voters, and AFP and PNP personnel designated for election security to and from polling centers inside MILF communities.

READ: Ballot boxes, other preparations all set for Sept. 14 BARMM polls

The clarification followed MILF leader Abdullah “Commander Bravo” Macapaar’s declaration that MILF communities in Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte were “off-limits” to government forces after a large MILF convoy was stopped by soldiers and police in Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte, on Sept. 2.

The convoy, reportedly bound for Camp Bilal in Munai, was escorted back to Picong, Lanao del Sur, after authorities said its movement lacked proper coordination.

Macapaar said he had informed the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (Opapru), as well as military and police authorities in the two provinces, of his “restriction.”

He maintained that the convoy’s movement had been coordinated with security authorities and that the peace agreement allowed MILF members to carry weapons while traveling to their camps.

The incident caused traffic congestion and alarm among residents, but no untoward incident was reported after the MILF members complied with the government’s order to return.

Coordination

Cagara stressed that proper coordination remained essential to prevent unnecessary alarm and protect the gains of the peace process.

Meanwhile, church and civil society leaders urged Bangsamoro voters to participate in the historic elections and reject vote-buying, intimidation and violence.

Cotabato Archbishop Charlie Inzon, in a pastoral letter, called on voters to cast their ballots with “conscience, wisdom, and courage” and reject material favors, political pressure and misinformation.

Marawi-based Moro Consensus Group chair Drieza Lininding likewise urged political parties and candidates to refrain from vote-buying, coercion and political violence, while calling on the AFP, PNP and other law enforcement agencies to remain politically neutral.

Lininding said the election of the 80-member Bangsamoro Parliament was a defining milestone in the region’s pursuit of self-determination and autonomous governance.

He also urged candidates to respect the outcome of the vote and called on Muslim, indigenous, Christian, women, and youth voters to participate without fear.

The BARMM parliamentary elections will be the first since the autonomous region was created in 2019 under Republic Act No. 11054, or the Bangsamoro Organic Law. —With reports from Edwin O. Fernandez and Cong B. Corrales /atm