A joint peace and security team (JPST) will be formed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to monitor all the security concerns involving the Moro group in Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan.
This was agreed upon after Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. met with officials of the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) and MILF in Basilan on Monday, Nov. 14, following a bloody encounter between the two forces last week.
Galvez held a meeting with WestMinCom acting commander Brig. Gen. Arturo Rojas at Camp Navarro in Calarian, Zamboanga City before they proceeded to the headquarters of the 101st Infantry Brigade (101st IB) in Isabela City, Basilan to talk to other military and MILF officials.
During the meeting, Galvez "addressed the prevailing issues between the MILF and military in Basilan" and "reiterated the essence of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB)," a peace agreement signed by the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and MILF in 2014, WestMinCom spokesperson Lt. Col. Abdurasad Sirajan said in a statement Tuesday, Nov. 15.
“In the latter part of the meeting, both parties agreed to exhaust all means to prevent similar unfortunate incident to happen again,” Sirajan said.
“The MILF officials expressed their support for the military’s campaign to eliminate the menaces of society, particularly the remnants of the Abu Sayyaf Group and other lawless elements. A joint peace and security team will be organized to monitor the security concerns in Ungkaya Pukan,” he added.
The meeting was attended by Brig. Gen. Domigo Gobway, commander of 101st IB and Joint Task Force Basilan; Brig. Gen. Eduardo Gubat, chairman of the GPH Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH); Butch Malalang, chairman of the MILF CCCH; Anwar Alamada, chairman of MILF Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG); and other members of the WestMinCom and MILF.
The CCCH and AHJAG are the cooperative mechanisms by the GPH and MILF that respond to issues on criminality and terrorism in areas with MILF presence.
It can be recalled that elements of the WestMincom’s 101st IB and MILF-Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) engaged in a firefight from Nov. 8 to 10 in Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan after one of the soldiers in the area was hit by an MILF sniper while they were coordinating with the Moro group over the presence of lawless elements in Barangay Ulitan. The incident resulted in the death of three soldiers, at least four MILF fighters, and a civilian according to reports.
Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman called for a House inquiry on the incident as he believes this exposed the flaws of the decommissioning process of the MILF fighters, which was an integral part of the peace agreement between the GPH and MILF.