THE government has yet to grant amnesty to members of the Bangsamoro Parliament for the “political crimes” they committed, according to Mary Ann Arnado, a member of the Parliament.
Arnado disclosed this in yesterday’s consultative meeting of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs chaired by Sen. Robin Padilla, who asked for updates on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Arnado said several Bangsamoro Parliament members were former field commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front who have standing warrants of arrest, adding they committed these violations of the law in pursuit of their political beliefs.
She said these members of Parliament can roam freely since they have been issued safe conduct passes by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity, but are always at the risk of being harassed, intimidated, or threatened with arrest.
She said the National Amnesty Commission has received around 200 amnesty applications but has yet to act on them.
“They are members of parliament, but they are always at the mercy of the government and local authorities because their amnesty has not yet been granted,” Arnado said.
Mohagher Iqbal, a former MILF official who is now a member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority Parliament, said the government has not yet delivered on its promise to extend assistance to former Moro National Liberation Front and MILF combatants who have availed of amnesty.
During the meeting, it was learned that only 26,145 decommissioned combatants have received assistance from the government since 2014. Around 14,000 more have yet to be decommissioned.
Of the 26,145 who have received any form of assistance, not all have been given the full socio-economic package.
“Our combatants are frustrated. Why is the aid promised then not yet delivered? Maybe the government should act fast,” Iqbal said.
Padilla said the government should speed up the fulfillment of its promises to extend assistance to former MNLF and MILF fighters who availed of the amnesty program.
“There are many things that we discussed that were not known before. What we must do is talk about how the government can deliver on its promises,” Padilla said.
Padilla said he would discuss the concerns with his fellow senators, especially those coming from Mindanao, including Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and Ronald dela Rosa.
In January 2022, the Senate adopted House Concurrent Resolution No. 12, which is in concurrence with Presidential Proclamation No. 1090 series of 2021, granting amnesty to the MILF members.
BARMM spokesperson Naguib Sinarimbo said the amnesty is a “milestone” especially for MILF members as “everyone knows that majority of the MILF members who fought against the government have incidentally committed violations of the law in pursuit of their political beliefs.”
Section 4 of Proclamation No. 1090 states that “amnesty shall extinguish any criminal liability for acts committed in pursuit of political beliefs, without prejudice to the grantee’s civil liability for injuries or damages caused to private persons whose right to be indemnified is fully recognized therein.”
The grant of amnesty shall also affect the restoration of civil and political rights suspended or lost by criminal conviction, but will not cover the personal offenses of individuals that have nothing to do with their political pursuit as recognized by law.
Amnesty will only cover those legitimate offenses such as possession of firearms “which is a natural consequence.”
