Manila, July 31 -- The government on Thursday expressed disappointment over the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) decision to again postpone the final phase of decommissioning its combatants and firearms, calling it a setback for the Bangsamoro peace process.

In a statement Thursday, Presidential Assistant David Diciano of the Office for Bangsamoro Transformation under the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), said the deferral of the decommissioning of 14,000 MILF combatants and 2,450 weapons "undermines a core commitment" under the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

"This batch of combatants would have constituted the fourth and final group scheduled for the decommissio...