CPLA firearms inventoried as trust building with gov’t

By Geraldine G. Dumallig

TABUK CITY, Kalinga-- The Office of Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process recently conducted an inventory of the Cordillera People’s Liberation Army firearms and ammunition  in the province gain trust of said armed group.

Johnlei Lenard Ramos of the OPAPP said the inventory hopes to build trust between the government and the armed group under the leadership of ArsenioHumiding as CPLA chairman.

The firearms after the inventory would be returned to the CPLA members “but the facts that they have it received for inventory gives OPAPP the assurance that they would eventually turn them over to the government or have these registered.”

“OPAPP does not want to impose, but as a trust building measure, we have to believe they would comply with the processes of the agreement and eventually transform themselves from an armed group to a people’s organization,” he said.

Anna Laylo of OPAPP said this is in pursuance to provisions of the Closure Agreement between the government and the Cordillera Bodong Administration-CPLA which stipulated final disposition of arms and forces and its transformation into a socio-economic unarmed force.

According to Laylo, the activity was participated by CPLAs led by Humiding and CBA president MarcelinaBahatan being the signatories of the closure agreement signed in 2011. 

As provided by Article 1, Section 2 pertaining to the final disposition of arms and forces, “the parties have agreed to a gradual process of disposition of arms and forces to be completed within eight month from the signing of the agreement.”

It stated “all firearms shall be properly registered under the guidelines of the Philippine government firearms registration rules or turned in, in return for the economic reintegration.”

Firearms that cannot be registered under the law should be surrendered and compensated based on the recommendation of the Valuation Committee on serviceability and fair value.

Laylo said that after the inventory, the CPLA members would still bring home their firearms but are required to have it registered or recalled depending on the recommendations of the Valuation Committee.

“We could not just take their arms for we are not dealing with ordinary citizens since the CPLA is a political group and they have certain considerations such as their security issues,” Laylo said.

Laylo said the OPAPP is appreciative of the CPLA members for bringing their firearms for the inventory saying that “this is a symbol of their wanting to eventually turn-in their arms and push through with their plans to become a people’s organization.”

The activity, she said, also intends to reduce the number of loose firearms in the region.

The Philippine Armed Forces based in Kalinga and the Kalinga Provincial Police Office assisted in documentation during the inventory.

Guests included regional police director Benjamin Magalong and 501st Brigade commander Col. Roger Salvador.