PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has granted amnesty to nine former rebels, the first batch out of the more than 4,000 applicants, National Amnesty Commission (NAC) chairwoman Leah Tanoda-Armamento said yesterday.
In a briefing in Malacañang, Tanoda-Armamento said the grantees include eight former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines- New People’s Army- National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) and one former member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
NAC records also showed that those who were granted amnesty include five females and four males.
“We’re happy to announce that the President recently, actually we just received it yesterday (Tuesday), approved nine recommendations… This is the first batch. We recommended nine and all of them were approved by the President. So they are now waiting for us to issue a certificate of amnesty,” Tanoda-Armamento said.
She said the other applications are still pending in various stages of review and awaiting approvals from different government agencies, such as the departments of justice (DOJ), national defense (DND), and interior and local government (DILG); and the Office of Presidential Adviser for Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) before they are submitted to the Office the President.
NAC data as of September 29 showed that it has received 4,448 amnesty applications, of which 187 have been “resolved” and set to be submitted to the OP.
Of the applications, 3,418 came from former CPP-NPA-NDF, 586 from former MILF members, 355 from former Moro national Liberation Front (MNLF) members, and 89 from former Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPMP-RPA-ABB) members.
The President, on November 22, 2023, issued Proclamation Nos. 403, 404, 405, and 406 granting amnesty to members of the RPMP-RPA-ABB, CPP-NPA-NDF, MILF, and MNLF, respectively.
The House of Representatives on December 15, 2023 concurred with the four proclamations, while the Senate adopted the issuances on March 4 and 13, 2024.
With the concurrence of Congress, the NAC started processing the applications. It has until March 13, 2026 to accept applications for amnesty.
Tanoda-Armamento said the NAC is seeking an extension to receive amnesty applications for another two years, or until March 13, 2028 to give more rebels a chance to submit their applications and complete the requirements for amnesty.
She said that while they initially anticipated around 10,000 applicants to avail of the amnesty, records of the Task Force Balikloob showed that there are potential 50,000 applicants from the CPP-NPA-NDF, while data from the OPAPRU showed that after the decommissioning of former Moro rebels, there are 40,000 MILF and MNLF former combatants who may possibly avail of the amnesty.
“We have the remaining six months to receive the application. So, we fear that there may be potential qualified applicants that may not be covered if the application will end in March 2026,” she said.
OPAPRU Secretary and peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. welcomed the President’s approval of amnesty, saying this is a “historic milestone” in the country’s journey towards 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. Once again, President Marcos Jr. has shown his unwavering dedication to healing the wounds of the past and unifying our nation. We urge all eligible individuals to take advantage of this opportunity before the application period ends in March 2026,” Galvez said.
