KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews / 8 October) – Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. stressed the need to intensify the campaign against loose firearms in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), noting that “internal security is as much a priority as external defense.”
Teodoro made the pronouncement during the launching of the Assistance for Security, Peace, Integration and Recovery for Advancing Human Security (ASPIRE) in the BARMM in Isabela City, Basilan on October 5.
He described the Japanese-funded project as “a proactive and innovative way of reducing the proliferation of illegal weapons in society.”
“Kaalinsabay ng ASPIRE project, kailangan ang police and military visibility to deter any form of aggression, para sa mga magsu-surrender, mararamdaman nila na safe sila (Together with the ASPIRE project, there is a need for police and military visibility to deter any form of aggression, and for those who will surrender to feel they are safe,” he said in a statement.
ASPIRE aims to reduce small arms and light weapons (SALW) in the Bangsamoro region and to provide livelihood support to former Moro combatants and members of private armed groups, as well as raise awareness on the negative effects of possessing SALW.
Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Unity and Reconciliation (OPAPRU) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the initiative is part of the normalization process under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
The Philippine government (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed the CAB in 2014 after 17 years of peace negotiations. At the core of the CAB is the establishment of a Bangsamoro region, which was realized in January 2019 following the ratification of Republic Act 11054 or the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
“We in OPAPRU believe that in the near future, guns and other weapons will be kept by residents because it will be shameful to bring them around. Moreover, there will no longer be a need for them, especially in communities where peace, security and development reign,” Galvez said.
To complement the SALW efforts of the GPH-MILF Joint Normalization Committee, the government of Japan funded and the United Nations Development Programme implemented the ASPIRE program. This initiative encourages the registration and stenciling of loose firearms in the identified areas.
The ASPIRE project started in September 2022 with the Japanese government extending a grant of $5 million (PhP285 million).
Teodoro said that programs such as ASPIRE intend “to harden the country’s integrity in order to face external challenges.”
He urged the residents of Basilan and the rest of the BARMM to protect their “hard-earned peace” as there are many groups who are trying to wreak havoc, apparently referring to the Abu Sayyaf Group and private armed groups in the region.
Teodoro said the national and Bangsamoro governments must work together so that the threats to national security are eliminated in the area. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
