Zamboanga City: The Three (3) Districts of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Political Committees conducted joint meeting in Baliwasan, Zamboanga City on December 17 upon learning of the recent resolution of the Regional Peace and Order Council-Region IX (RPOC IX) declaring that there are no MILF, and MNLF communities in Region IX.
Present in the joint meeting the International Monitoring Team (IMT Mobile Team No, 3, the Three (3) Districts of MILF Political Committee, and other agencies of the MILF in the city.
IMT is tasked “to monitor the implementation of peace agreement between the government of the Philippines (GPH), and the MILF of 22 June 2001, and its Implementing Guidelines on the Security Aspect of 7 August 2001 and Implementing Guidelines on the Humanitarian, Rehabilitation and Development Aspects of 7 May 2002 (Tripoli Agreement), and Agreement on the Civilian Protection Component (CPC) of the IMT of 27 October 2009”.
The Zamboanga City PolCom Chairman along with the officers of the 3 Districts of MILF PolComs unanimously belied the RPOC-IX declaration, and urged the leadership of the MILF, and the MILF Peace Implementing Panel to let its counterpart in the government recognize the presence of the MILF communities in Zamboanga Peninsula.
The resolution was issued, and adopted by the RPOC IX on June 7, 2017.
Director Pedro G. Cuevas Jr., Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG IX), and Mayor Maria Isabelle G. Climaco of Zamboanga City are members of the RPOCIX secretariat who signed, and adopted the said resolution.
As MILF Officer told Luwaran that in the 2007 population census of Zamboanga City, out of ninety-eight (98) barangays in the city thirty-eight (38) of them are Muslim dominated villages.
The MILF Officer also told Luwaran that there as well MILF military camp, and 113 Based Commands of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) spread out all over the Zamboanga Peninsula.
Though he cannot speak on behalf of the MNLF but they are as well obviously present in the region, the MILF Officer added.