Marcos grants amnesty to 9 former rebels
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—President Marcos had approved the amnesty application of nine former rebels, in a first batch of grantees more than a year after he set off such a process.
In a document for the National Amnesty Commission (NAC) dated Sept. 24, the Office of the President listed eight former communist rebels and one former Moro rebel as amnesty grantees.
According to the NAC, five of them are women and four are men. Two of the women are ages 20 and 21 years old.
The NAC is the agency mandated to oversee the amnesty process, receiving and evaluating applications through its Local Amnesty Boards (LABs) established throughout the country.
The commission had aimed to help facilitate the reintegration of former rebels into mainstream society, and for those still applying, grant them safe conduct pass so they can go through the legal processes without fear of being arrested on account of their pending criminal charges.
Confidence building
When he issued four proclamations in November 2023 to set off the amnesty grant for four rebel groups, the President said he did so in the spirit of achieving peace and reconciliation, and build confidence as part of a broader national strategy to address the root causes of insurgency and conflict.
The lone Moro rebel granted amnesty is Basit Sarip Abbas, a top commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Lanao del Sur who is now a Member of Parliament (MP) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
“We are happy that MP Abbas has finally achieved his dream of receiving amnesty from the government. It is our hope that he will serve as an inspiration to his other comrades to apply for amnesty and complete their transformation as peaceful, productive and law-abiding members of society,” Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr., himself a former rebel-soldier who joined the 1989 coup attempt, said in a statement on Friday.
Historic milestone
Galvez described the amnesty grants as a “historic milestone” in the country’s journey toward complete healing and reconciliation.
“We are very happy with this positive development and we thank President Marcos Jr. for granting amnesty to these individuals. We hope that more names will be released soon,” Galvez added.
He hoped more eligible individuals will avail of the amnesty grant before such opportunity ends in March 2026.
On Nov. 22, 2023, President Marcos issued Proclamation Nos. 403, 404, 405, and 406 granting amnesty to members of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade, Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front, MILF and Moro National Liberation Front, respectively.
The House of Representatives concurred with the proclamations on Dec. 15, 2023, while the Senate did so on March 4, 2024 and March 13, 2024.
