760 MILF, MNLF members apply for PNP posts
A total of 760 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have applied to join the Philippine National Police as part of the government’s efforts to fulfill its commitments under the Bangsamoro peace process, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (Opapru) said on Friday.
Presidential Peace Adviser Mel Senen Sarmiento, who also chairs the government’s peace implementing panel, met with the applicants during a visit on Thursday to the Police Regional Office of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (Probar) at Camp BGen Salipada K. Pendatun in Parang, Maguindanao del Norte.
The recruitment process allowing qualified MILF and MNLF members to apply to the PNP began in 2022 under Article 11 of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
“This is a testament that the government delivers on its commitments to ensure the continued transformation of the members of the MILF and MNLF under the Bangsamoro peace process,” Sarmiento said.
He added: “From former combatants to peacekeepers and public servants, isang konkretong peace dividend para sa Bangsamoro.”
The national government and the Bangsamoro government adopted National Police Commission Resolution No. 2025-0461 last year, allowing qualified MILF and MNLF members to apply to the PNP until June 8, 2027.
Eligibility
The BOL provides former MILF and MNLF members with the appropriate eligibility for temporary appointment to the rank of patrolman or patrolwoman in the PNP.
Also present during Sarmiento’s visit were Police Brig. Gen. Christopher Abecia, Probar regional director, and Police Brig. Gen. Jemuel Siason, deputy regional director for administration and chairperson of the Recruitment Selection Committee.
Sarmiento was accompanied by Undersecretary Noel Alvarez Baraceros of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Bangsamoro Transformation under Opapru.
