Philippine rebels surrender 75 weapons to restart Aquino's push to grant Muslims self-rule

The Philippines’ largest rebel group retired nearly 150 guerrillas and handed over 75 firearms for decommissioning today to encourage the legislature to pass a proposed law giving minority Muslims self-rule. President Benigno Aquino III attempted to revive a stalled negotiations, calling on lawmakers to grant autonomy for the predominantly Christian nation’s restive southern region, known as the Bangsamoro, before time runs out. Aquino visited the headquarters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to witness the weapons handover, the first concrete action by the organisation to abandon a decades-old rebellion that has claimed more than 100,000 lives. In exchange, the government is granting about 25,000 pesos (HK$4,290) each to 145 former combatants to begin a new life as farmers or other civilian roles. Aquino and senior MILF leaders both said the largely symbolic activity was intended to spur the House of Congress to pass a delayed proposed law giving Muslims self-rule under the terms of a last year peace treaty. Aquino, who ends his six-year term in a year’s time, wants the Muslim self-rule bill to be passed soon, fearing that his successor may not pursue the peace initiative. “Let us show them that we are worthy of their trust,” Aquino said in his speech. "Our Moro brothers and sisters made a commitment, and before us is the concrete proof of their sincerity," Aquino said. “This is one of the most difficult decisions we have made so far in more than 40 years of struggle,” chief MILF peace negotiator Mohaqher Iqbal said in a speech. “We want to show the world that the MILF will always comply with its obligations set forth in the signed agreement,” Iqbal added. The MILF agreed in March last year to disband its guerrilla force and surrender 15,000 weapons in exchange for control of their economy, culture and politics. The 75 MILF firearms, including 24 weapons such as mortars and machine guns, were handed over to an independent decommissioning body headed by Turkey and also comprising members from Norway and Brunei. The cache – believed by Filipino police to comprise just a tiny fraction of the MILF’s arsenal – will be stored in a mutually designated depot in the south. The Philippine legislature failed to pass the bill – the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) – before it went into recess last week amid a public outcry over the killing of 44 police commandos by MILF rebels and other armed groups on the southern island of Mindanao in January. The January 25 killing of the commandos who hunted and killed a top Southeast Asian terror suspect wanted by the US became Aquino’s greatest political crisis, with calls for him to resign. The rebels fear that the Philippine Congress will try to dilute Aquino’s proposed law and it is unclear if they would accept a watered-down version. The autonomy deal, signed by the government and the rebels last year after years-long talks brokered by Malaysia, was expected to be one of the major legacies of Aquino. The 45-year conflict has killed 120,000 people, displaced 2 million and stunted growth in the resource-rich southern region. Under the peace deal, 30 per cent of MILF combatants and weapons will be decommissioned once parliament passes the Muslim self-rule law. Another 35 per cent will follow after the law is ratified in a regional plebiscite, while the remainder will be handed over once the regional government is established and its leaders elected in May next year. Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, the leader of the 11,000-strong MILF, said at the “decommissioning” ceremony today: “We begin the long walk towards transformation, not surrender.” Murad said that while the event was about statistics for some people, “this is something deeply personal to us”. “As I look at the faces of each of our 145 brothers here this morning, I see 145 stories of struggle, of pain, of hopelessness and even of death, yet I also see 145 stories of hope and faith that indeed peace is near and that all the sacrifices have been worth it,” he said. Work on the Muslim self-rule bill is expected to continue when Congress resumes on July 27, but congressional leaders have said it is unlikely to be passed before October. One political analyst saw the ceremony as nothing more than propaganda in an attempt to convince lawmakers and Filipinos to support it. A recent survey showed only 23 per cent of the population support the BBL. “Aquino wants to rally support for the BBL, but he is already a lame duck,” said Earl Parreno of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms. “Lawmakers would not be willing to risk their re-election to give him his legacy.” The United States and several Asian and European countries have backed the peace deal as a way to prevent impoverished rebel strongholds from turning into breeding grounds of Islamic extremists. At least four smaller and more hardline armed groups, including the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf, are not involved in the peace talks and have continued sporadic attacks, including kidnappings in the south and neighbouring Malaysia. With additional reporting by Associated Press