Education aid for decommissioned MILF combatants, kin resumes

COTABATO CITY — The release of educational financial assistance to decommissioned combatants (DCs) of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and their next of kin has resumed, as part of the implementation of the Normalization Track of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

According to the GPH-MILF Task Force for Decommissioned Combatants and their Communities (TFDCC), DCs and their dependents enrolled in the government's Educational Assistance Program (EAP) have been receiving their allowances since October 1.

Of the 1,028 approved grantees in the program's first batch, 303 have received their full P50,000 grant, which covers tuition, books, allowances and other academic expenses for one academic year, or two semesters.

The TFDCC said the release was only temporarily delayed, not permanently stopped, due to administrative and banking issues.

Initial fund transfers were reverted to Mindanao State University–Marawi for reprocessing after the beneficiaries' Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) PISO accounts exceeded the allowable monthly credit limit of P50,000, the task force explained.

In a statement on October 4, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) said the remaining 725 grantees will receive their full grant in two equal tranches of P25,000.

MSU-Marawi is reprocessing the first tranche for crediting to the beneficiaries' accounts. The second tranche will follow once the first has been cleared.

Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento, Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity and concurrent chairperson of the GPH Peace Implementing Panel, said his office and the TFDCC are reviewing beneficiary account mechanisms to prevent similar banking bottlenecks in future distribution cycles.

Sarmiento assured the remaining grantees that they will receive the assistance due them.

"The national government remains unwavering in its commitment to support the education of our decommissioned MILF combatants and their next of kin. We believe that this will be the key to building a better and brighter future for them and their families," he said.

Launched in 2024, the EAP provides financial aid for the formal education of decommissioned MILF combatants and their dependents under the socioeconomic component of the Normalization Track.

Under the Normalization Track, decommissioned MILF combatants and their families receive socioeconomic assistance programs to support their transition to peaceful and productive civilian life.