27 May 2025 (Munai, Lanao del Norte) – The first leg of the Information, Education & Communication (IEC) Campaign for former combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Lanao del Norte officially kicked off on May 27, 2025 in the Municipality of Munai. This campaign is part of the planned engagements in different MILF base commands in preparation for the One-Stop Amnesty Caravan which will be held in Camp Bilal bin Rabah, Sitio Kora-Kora, Tamparan, Lanao del Norte.

The Munai leg was attended by MILF combatants from the 127th and 130th Base Commands, as well as members of the Bangsamoro Women’s Auxilliary Brigade (BIWAB).

During the said campaign, the Local Amnesty Board of Cagayan de Oro (LAB CDO), together with the identified enablers from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP), ran the attendees through the application process, the documentary requirements and the basic elements of the Amnesty Program. The LAB Secretariat answered long-standing concerns on the security and confidentiality of data submitted, accuracy of submitted documents and the identification of cases. The MILF likewise expressed their support and cooperation to the program and stressed their loyalty and adherence to the guidance of their organization.

The event and the succeeding campaigns that will follow is spearheaded by the Department of the Interior & Local Government (DILG), the Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP), Local Government of Lanao del Norte, The Provincial Localized Normalization Committee (PLNIC) together with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation & Unity (OPAPRU) and the academe through the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU -IIT).

Present during the campaign are DILG 10 Regional Director Bruce Augusto Colao; DILG Lanao del Norte Provincial Director Edward Bhagwani; Munai Municipal Mayor Hon. Racma D. Andamama, PNP Lanao del Norte Provincial Director PCOL Roy Magsalay, OPAPRU Technical Adviser Musa Sanguila, NP Field Director Xarifa Lao-Sanguila and representatives from the 2nd Mechanized Brigade PA and the OPAPRU.

Director Colao expressed his hopes for the MILF combatants to heed the call for amnesty given the very limited time left for the application period, which will end on March 2026. Mayor Andamama also expressed her gratefulness for the campaign that was brought to her municipality and likewise encouraged those present to take this very significant opportunity for peace and reconciliation.

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