DAVAO CITY — Life changed for the 100 former Moro guerillas from the Bangsamoro Region when no less than President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday welcomed them to the mainstream force of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the country in the graduation ceremony held at Camp Pendatun, Parang town, Maguindanao del Norte.
Marcos graced the graduation of Batch 2023-01 Classes Alpha-Bravo ‘BAKAS-LIPI’, composed of 92 male and eight female combatants of Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front, They completed a rigorous 24-week field training course to join the PNP with a primary focus on enforcing national laws and the specific regulations within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
In his message to the graduates, Marcos urged the new PNP members to write a new chapter of their lives in serving the Bangsamoro region and maintaining peace.
“What you have achieved is indeed a great honor, but with it comes a heavy burden of responsibility that requires great effort. Your mission is more than serving and caring for our countrymen,” Marcos emphasized as he congratulated the recruits for passing the grueling police training program.
“Kayo ang tutulong sa pagsusulat ng isang bagong yugto para sa Bangsamoro, tungo sa mas tahimik at matiwasay na kinabukasan (You will help write a new chapter for the Bangsamoro, towards a more peaceful and secure future),” he added.
Their recruitment to the police force was based on National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) Resolution 2023-0380, which approved the recommendation of the Philippines National Police (PNP) to allocate 400 slots in its recruitment to former members of the MILF and MNLF and is guided by Republic Act (RA) 11054 or the Bangsamoro Organic Law, which was enacted after the signing of a peace agreement between the government and the MILF.
The new graduates will be “temporarily appointed as patrolmen and patrolwomen”, under the decree of the NAPOLCOM.
They have up to 15 years from their date of entry into service to obtain a college degree, a requirement set by the Philippine National Police (PNP) to allow them to become permanent members of the police force.
