7,145 MILF, MNLF members pass exam to enter PNP

MANILA, Philippines — Up to 7,145 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) passed the qualifying examination to enter the police force, the Office of the Presidential Peace Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity reported yesterday.

Presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. said 11,033 MILF and MNLF members took the National Police Commission’s Special Qualifying Eligibility Examination (NSQEE) on May 29.

Under Napolcom Resolution 2022-008, passing the NSQEE is among the steps in the application process for MILF and MNLF members to join the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“The entry of qualified MILF and MNLF members into the PNP will help realize the meaningful transformation process for these former combatants, and is a testament of our collective aspiration to bring just and lasting peace to the region and to the whole country,” Galvez said in a statement.

The Napolcom had earlier signed a memorandum of agreement with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in which successful examinees will be granted eligibility to get schooling and training in the police academy.

Passing the NSQEE does not guarantee recruitment to the PNP, the Napolcom stressed. Passers need to undergo schooling and subsequently earn a baccalaureate degree within 15 years upon entry to the PNP, it said.

Passers are also expected to undergo training and be subjected to the PNP’s recruitment process, which includes physical, neurological and other medical exams as well as drug tests, background checks and final board interviews.

“To our dear MILF and MILF aspirants, may Allah grant you the wisdom, strength and fortitude to successfully complete and pass the selection process so that you will have the opportunity to serve and protect your people and become instruments of peace, reconciliation and unity across the country,” Galvez said.