Philippines peace office seeks bigger budget for MILF decommissioning support in BARMM

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MILF decommissioning support budget

Highlights

Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace requests an additional P14 billion for MILF-BIAF decommissioning and socioeconomic support in BARMM.
Existing P1 million per decommissioned combatant package is deemed inadequate for older recipients, prompting proposals for more responsive support measures.
Senate President Sherwin T. Gatchalian acknowledges government’s peace agreement obligations but flags budgetary pressure from the P14 billion funding request.

Budget request and package revisions

As reported by BusinessWorld Online, Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity chief Mel Senen S. Sarmiento tells a budget hearing on Tuesday that an additional P14 billion is needed to strengthen the decommissioning and normalization process in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The funding is intended to improve socioeconomic packages for former MILF-BIAF combatants. Under the current arrangement, each decommissioned combatant is supposed to receive P1 million through a package that includes immediate cash assistance, study grants, skills training and social protection.

Sarmiento says the existing package does not fully match the needs of combatants aged above 50. He says the current structure provides general assistance, including Technical Education and Skills Development programs, that older beneficiaries may not be able to use effectively.

The peace office has already met with the MILF-BIAF to propose a more responsive support package, he says. Sarmiento also presents a proposal to the Senate committee in an executive meeting, and Senate President Sherwin T. Gatchalian says it will be sent as a position paper.

Peace process commitments and regional impact

At the hearing, Gatchalian says the government cannot renege on its agreement with groups such as the MILF-BIAF, while also noting that P14 billion is a large amount. His remarks underscore the budget pressure tied to implementing long-standing peace commitments in the southern Philippines.

The requested increase highlights how the normalization phase is shifting from basic demobilization support toward more tailored reintegration measures. For BARMM, a more targeted package could affect how quickly former combatants transition into civilian livelihoods and how sustainably the region advances its peace and development agenda.

In our earlier article, we covered how sustained fiscal expansion and persistent geopolitical shocks are raising sovereign borrowing risks as global funding costs remain high. We noted that emerging and frontier markets are especially exposed because interest-service burdens can outpace narrower revenue bases, while inflationary pressure from energy and food prices further strains public finances.

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