Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman, co-chairperson of the Intergovernmental Relations Body (IGRB) that handles agreements between the national government (NG) and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) commended the Philippine National Police (PNP) on recruiting almost 300 former members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). 

"This is a big step towards lasting peace in Mindanao," Secretary Pangandaman said in a statement. 

“Ang dating magkalaban, magkakampi na ngayon,”  the budget secretary underscored.

Pangandaman congratulated as well her counterpart for BARMM, Minister Mohagher Iqbal, as well as Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr. of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) on this milestone.

“This motivates us to work harder together and really apply a whole of government approach to find our shared dreams for BARMM,” she added. 

BARMM Deputy Senior Minister Abdullah Cusain, who represented Interim Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim in the ceremony held at the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) headquarters in Parang, Maguindanao on December 28, Thursday, said in his remarks that the recruitment of former MILF and MNLF members into the PNP is one of the byproducts of the Bangsamoro peace process and is indicative that the peace process is "working and forging a new path for progress and development in the Bangsamoro and the entire county." 

"There are 294 recruits and 39 of them are women. This shows inclusivity in terms of gender," the budget chief, who is the only female Muslim in the Cabinet, also highlighted. 

The 294 former MILF and MNLF recruits compose the second batch of PNP new members who passed the NAPOLCOM Special Qualifying Eligibility (NSQE), as well as the rigorous screening process that included a body mass index test, physical agility test, as well as psychological, physical, and dental examinations. The NSQE examinations held last May 29, 2022, saw 11,062 registrants. A total of 7,145 applicants, composed of 2,183 MNLF and 4,962 MILF members, passed the exam. (DBM/PIA-Caraga)