Nograles says Sultan Kudarat blast will not deter gov’t aim to bring peace to Mindanao

September 8, 2019

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles assured the government's commitment to bring peace and cease conflict in Mindanao despite blast in Sultan Kudarat.

Hours before President Rodrigo Duterte graced the ceremonial decommissioning of MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) combatants and weapons on Saturday, an improvised explosive device (IED) was set off in a public market in Isulan, Sultan Kudarat injuring eight civilians. 

"We expect to encounter challenges on the road to peace, but this morning's criminal act will not deter us from moving forward," said Nograles. 

"On the contrary, the blast this morning is a reminder of why we must exhaust all efforts to ensure that future generations are spared from the conflict and violence that has plagued Mindanao in the past," he added. 

Nograles said Duterte pushed through with the ceremony as part of the administration's aim to pursue the normalization in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. 

"As the first chief executive from Mindanao, President Duterte recognizes the necessity and urgency of forging a just and lasting peace with our Muslim brothers and sisters," the cabinet secretary said. 

Nograles, who co-chairs the Inter-Cabinet Cluster Mechanism (ICCM) on Normalization with Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez, explained the 12,000 MILF combatants who will go through normalization and decommissioning process will receive around half a million to one million pesos financial assistance. 

The MILF combatants and their families will also be an automatic beneficiary for housing and livelihood assistance, skills development training, scholarship programs, employment opportunities, Philhealth coverage, conditional cash transfers, and valid documentation such as birth certificates and postal IDs. Cristina Eloisa Baclig/DMS