Cotabato City– The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Thursday, November 9, signed a ceasefire agreement to put a stop to fighting between government troops and Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (BIAF-MILF) in Basilan.

According to reports, the two-day skirmishes in the town of Ungkaya Pukan that spilled over 3 other municipalities took the lives of 3 soldiers and 4 MILF combatants.

According to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) through David Diciano, head of the OPAPRU’s Bangsamoro Transformation Program said that the agreement was signed in Basilan by members of the government and MILF’s Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), and military officials.

“We are happy to announce that a ceasefire agreement has been signed by the GPH and MILF, which brings to an end the armed encounter between government troops and MILF forces,” Diciano said 

The hostilities started past noon on Tuesday when MILF members led by Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) 114th Base commander Huram Malangka returned to Ulitan, their village, fully armed.

The military said the return had been coordinated, but Malangka’s group was asked beforehand not to arm themselves.

Brigadier General Domingo Gobway, the commander of the 101st Brigade, said soldiers were fired upon when they went to the village to negotiate with Malangka’s group, and it was followed by more MILF offensives in the towns of Ungkaya Pukan, Sumisip, and Tipo-Tipo.

According to a report by Rappler, Friday, November 11, the parties agreed to inform the BIAF’s 114th Base Command and government troops to hold their fire because of the agreement, cause the withdrawal of MILF reinforcements, and allow the group of Malangka and his companions to stay in the village of Ulitan on condition that they would keep their weapons in their houses until their decommissioning.

They also agreed to make soldiers and the MILF set up a joint detachment to keep the village peaceful and orderly, the Rappler report said.

Signing the Basilan agreement on behalf of the government were Gobway, GPH-CCCH chairman Brigadier General Eduardo Gubat, Western Mindanao Command acting chief Brigadier General Antonio Rojas, GPH-AHJAG Team 3 leader Colonel Frederick Sales, and 18th Infantry Battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Cyril Santander.

The MILF signatories were MILF-CCCH chair Butch Malang, MILF-AHJAG chair Anwar Alamada, MILF-CCCH staff Hadji Ahaddin, and BIAF acting Chief Malik Caril. –