The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) denounced Sunday, March 2, the “disinformation” being sowed by an alleged Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) officer involving the recruitment of former rebels into the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

OPAPRU Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said that a certain Sharief Edjal S. Alimuddin, who claims to be the governor general of MNLF, organized a press conference last Feb. 27 in Brgy. Cabatangan, Zamboanga City and “raised disinformation on recruiting former MNLF [members], particularly into the Armed Forces of the Philippines.”

“The OPAPRU vehemently denies the spread of false information, which causes anxiety and fear among the people of Zamboanga City, and most of all, is detrimental to the 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA), the historic peace deal signed by the GPH [Philippine government] and MNLF,” Galvez said.

On social media, there were video clips showing Alimuddin organizing a press conference and expressing his dissatisfaction with the current progress of the Mindanao peace process. He was accompanied by around 100 supporters.

“I am requesting President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos to help me reintegrate my members into the AFP. It seems that our leaders in the MNLF abandoned us when they joined the parliamentary,” Alimuddin said in one video.

However, Galvez clarified that there was no ongoing “special recruitment process” nor reintegration for MNLF members who wish to join the AFP and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“If they want to join the PNP or AFP, they all have to undergo the regular recruitment process based on well-established criteria and qualifications,” Galvez said.

According to the OPAPRU chief, he already reached out to the MNLF under the leadership of Chairman Nur Misuari to clarify the incident.

Per Galvez, Misuari and the MNLF have distanced themselves from Alimuddin and his group, noting that he has not authorized the latter to organize such a gathering. He also dissociated himself from individuals who “do things outside the chain of command.”

Meanwhile, Galvez said certain mechanisms are in place to engage the MNLF peacefully and constructively. 

“Any activities that are being carried out outside the ambit of these mechanisms are considered unauthorized,” he said.

The OPAPRU has also coordinated with the authorities to investigate the alleged recruitment of individuals for the supposed MNLF reintegration program.

“We urge everyone to be vigilant and not to be swayed by the promises or propaganda coming from such individuals or groups who misrepresent the interests of the MNLF, particularly those who solicit money in return for government services or positions. Let us work together to protect the GPH-MNLF process at all costs,” Galvez said.

The MNLF was created by Misuari in 1969 to resist heightening discrimination and marginalization against the indigenous Muslim population, and wage an armed resistance to establish a self-determining Moro identity in the Bangsamoro.

In 1996, the GPH and MNLF signed a final peace agreement to end the Moro armed struggle in Mindanao.