Timeline and Period of Integration
- Integration must be completed during Phase 1 of the Agreement.
- Phase 1 ends before the establishment of a new Regional Autonomous Government per the Philippine Constitution.
Rules and Regulations for Integration
- The Secretary of National Defense will prescribe integration rules and regulations consistent with existing AFP laws and policies.
- Waivers for age, height, educational attainment, AFP Aptitude Battery Test, and civil status may be granted on a case-by-case basis to facilitate integration.
Three-Phase Integration Process
1. Processing Phase
- MNLF conducts initial pre-selection according to AFP guidelines.
- Submission of a list of 5,500 principal and 2,500 alternate candidates for AFP processing.
- Submission of a full roster of MNLF personnel by unit and location.
- Processing starts November 1, 1996.
- AFP provides billets and mess at processing centers.
- Candidates must bring their firearms; absence leads to disqualification.
2. Individual Training Phase
- Candidate soldiers undergo a six-month Candidate Soldier Course; officer candidates a 48-week Officer Candidate Course starting no later than February 1, 1997.
- Training occurs in batches: one for officers, three for soldiers.
- Candidates not in formal training are assigned to AFP brigades/battalions near their residence for control and orientation.
3. On-the-Job Training (OJT) and Deployment Phase
- Trained candidates form separate units (rifle or engineer companies) for OJT.
- Deployment preferably within the four Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) provinces and Basilan.
- These units remain distinct from regular AFP units during transition.
Final Integration into Regular AFP Units
- Begins immediately after the OJT/Deployment phase.
- Separate units are dissolved, and personnel are reassigned individually to regular AFP units within SOUTHCOM’s area of responsibility.
- Officers and enlisted personnel may later be reassigned according to service needs.
Ranks, Grades, and Promotions
- Ranks and grades conform to existing AFP laws, policies, rules, and regulations.
- Rank precedence, seniority, and promotion governed by existing AFP rules.
Command and Support Structure
- SOUTHCOM exercises command, administrative, and operational control of separate units.
- A Deputy Commander for Separate Units (DCSU), appointed by the President from MNLF nominees, assists in command and administration.
- The DCSU has a separate office and staff from SOUTHCOM.
- The DCSU office dissolves at the end of the transition; personnel reassigned accordingly.
- Separate units attached administratively and for logistics to nearest AFP brigades/battalions, which also exercise operational control.
Firearms Disposition
- Applicants who voluntarily surrender firearms receive compensation under AFP Balik-Baril Project.
- Surrendered firearms become government property and may be re-issued during training and deployment to separate units.
- Firearms in possession of non-integrated MNLF members are subject to existing firearms laws and regulations.
Funding and Budgeting
- AFP to submit supplementary budget proposals to the President, through the Secretary of National Defense and Secretary of Budget and Management.
- Funding covers the remainder of 1996 and 1997 for implementation of this Order.
Miscellaneous Provisions
- AFP, with MNLF coordination, will conduct a Personnel and Equipment Survey before the processing phase.
- Integrated personnel to have access to further professional and military training, including foreign schooling.
- The AFP Chief of Staff must report regularly to the President through the Secretary of National Defense on integration progress.