Former MILF combatants, relatives finish livelihood training

MANILA – Decommissioned combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have completed a skills development training through the government’s whole-of-nation livelihood interventions.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), in a social media post on Saturday, said the 331 beneficiaries included the combatants’ wives, children, and grandchildren.

At Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, beneficiary graduates were awarded training certificates on Dressmaking NC II, Bread and Pastry Production NC II and Bread Making, Organic Concoctions, and Extracts Production, after completion of livelihood courses offered by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), through its Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) program.

The livelihood training was jointly facilitated by the Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education under its Technical Education and Skills Development arm, in partnership with accredited training institutions such as the Ebrahim Institute of Technology, Inc., Foureych Institute of Technology and Learning Center, Inc., Sajahatra Services Cooperative, and Farasan Institute of Technology, Inc.

OPAPRU said the livelihood courses are part of the socio-economic development program under the Annex on Normalization of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, the peace agreement forged between the government and MILF in 2014.

Lawyer Laisa Alamia, chair of the Government of the Philippines Task Force for Decommissioned Combatants and their Communities (TFDCC), said the TVET training program will provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to the former combatants as they shift to become productive civilians.

“Para magkaroon sila ng mas maraming oportunidad tulad ng pagkakaroon ng maliit na negosyo o di kaya ng mas magandang trabaho (For them to have more opportunities to start up a small business or to have a better job),” Alamia said in a statement.

Sanabila Sabil, a representative of the TFDCC Secretariat, said the livelihood trainings will be the stepping stones in their journey away from the armed struggle.

OPAPRU said more decommissioned MILF combatants from other areas in Maguindanao, as well as from the provinces of Lanao, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, have also started their training. (PNA)