THE House committees on justice and on national defense and security yesterday adopted their respective committee reports on resolutions concurring with President Duterte’s proclamations granting amnesty to members of different rebel groups for the commission of crimes in pursuit of their political beliefs.
The committee on justice chaired by Rep. Vicente Veloso (NUP, Leyte) voted three against two with one abstention to adopt its report on House Concurrent Resolution No. 15.
The online meeting was held jointly with the defense panel chaired by Rep. Raul Tupas (NP, Iloilo).
Those who voted “no” were Reps. Arlene Brosas (PL, Gabriela) and Carlos Zarate (PL, Bayan Muna), both members of the militant Makabayan bloc, while Rep. (PL, APEC) abstained from voting.
The Communist Party of the Philippines has been opposing the government’s “CTG (communist terrorist group)” tag on communist rebels.
The defense panel voted in favor of its committee report on House Concurrent Resolutions No. 13 and 15.
The resolutions concur with presidential proclamations No. 1090, 1091, 1092 & 1093, issued last February, “granting amnesty to members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPMP-RPA-ABB), and former rebels of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG), who have committed crimes punishable under Act No. 3815, otherwise known as the Revised Penal Code, and special penal laws in furtherance of their political beliefs.”
All the concurrent resolutions were authored by Speaker Lord Allan Jay Velasco, majority leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, and minority leader Joseph Stephen Paduano who is a former commander of the RPA-ABB.
Section 19, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution empowers the President to grant amnesty with the concurrence of a majority of all members of the Congress.
The amnesty offer, however, is done without prejudice to the grantee’s civil liability for injuries or damage caused to private persons whose right to be indemnified is fully recognized by the government.
The amnesty also will not cover crimes like kidnap for ransom, massacre, rape, terrorism and other crimes committed against chastity as defined in the Revised Penal Code as amended; crimes committed for personal ends and violations of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.
Also not covered are serious violations of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, and those identified by the United Nations as crimes not in the purview of amnesty declarations, such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture, enforced disappearances and gross violations of human rights.
