Marcos eyes longer amnesty program
President Marcos has approved in principle the extension by two years of the amnesty that the government is offering to communist rebels and other insurgent groups as the government attempts to end the longest communist insurgency in the world.
The proposal was endorsed by the National Amnesty Commission (NAC) to Marcos during a meeting of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) executive committee, headed by the President, at Malacañang on April 22.
The meeting was presided by Marcos and marked the first attendance of its new members: National Security Adviser Eduardo Oban Jr., and Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Secretary Mel Sarmiento.
“The proposal of the NAC is for the program to be extended for two years (until 2028), subject to the concurrence of Congress,” NTF-Elcac executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said in a statement over the weekend.
According to Torres, while the amnesty program, which started in late 2023, technically ended on March 13, the NAC proposed to extend it to accommodate the growing number of applicants.
He explained that the program has only gained momentum as the first two years were “largely spent on organizing the commission and establishing local boards” and the authorities expect thousands more to be processed in coming months.
NAC Chair Leah Armamento urged military and police authorities to continue accepting applications for amnesty while waiting for the official extension order to ensure that no qualified former rebel is left behind.
Marcos has not yet issued a new executive order extending the mandate of the NAC.
16,003 surrenderers
As of March 14, a total of 16,003 former rebels and ex-combatants have availed of the national government’s amnesty program, which is seen as another major milestone under the comprehensive Philippine peace process.
Data from the NAC show that 85 percent of the applicants at 13,633 were former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New People’s Army (NPA)-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and their front organizations.
Their applications were received before the March 13 deadline set for the group.
There were also 1,240 applicants from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), while the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) had 646.
Another 484 applications were submitted by members of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPMP-RPA-ABB), who now call themselves the Kapatiran.
The deadline for MILF, MNLF and RPMP-RPA-ABB applicants was earlier set on March 4.
The Philippine National Police, which had previously been apprehensive of peace talks with insurgents, extended its support to the extension of the amnesty program.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. noted that while law enforcement operations remain essential, the police are shifting their long-term focus toward community engagement and countering insurgent narratives.
“Law enforcement is always an option, but community engagement and information drive to counter their propaganda will be the top priority in our long-term campaign,” he said.
On Nov. 22, 2023, Marcos issued Proclamations Nos. 403, 404, 405 and 406, granting amnesty, respectively, to members of the RPMP-RPA-ABB, a breakaway coalition of the communist movement; the CPP-NPA-NDFP; the MILF; and the MNLF.
The grant of amnesty does not cover such crimes as terrorism, kidnap-for-ransom, massacre, rape, crimes committed against chastity, drug-related charges, torture, grave violations of the Geneva Convention of 1949, genocide and war crimes.
The revival of the peace talks with the CPP came after the national government and the NDFP signed a Joint Statement in Oslo, Norway, on Nov. 23, 2023, agreeing to a principled and peaceful resolution to the armed conflict.
On Nov. 24, 2023, Marcos issued Executive Order No. 47, amending President Rodrigo Duterte’s EO 125, which created the NAC in 2021.
