Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the presidential peace adviser, answers reporters’ questions during the Regional FR Summit at the Army’s 1st Infantry Division headquarters in Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur, on Friday, Oct. 8, 2022. (Photo by LEAH AGONOY / Inquirer Mindanao)
PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga deL Sur, Philippines — The creation of the National Amnesty Commission (NAC) before the year ends is a priority of Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), its chief, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., said on Friday.
A shortlist of names are already under evaluation, Galvez told reporters during a regional summit of former communist guerrillas whom the Army calls as “Friends Rescued.”
The NAC, as specified on Executive Order No. 125, which was signed on Feb. 18, 2021 by then President Rodrigo Duterte, will be composed of a chair and six commissioners.
Of the six, four will be ex-officio members — namely, the justice secretary, the defense secretary, the interior secretary, and the presidential adviser on peace, reconciliation, and unity. The two others will be regular members.
The proposed budget of the NAC has already been submitted to Congress, according Galvez.
Galvez said he was hoping the NAC, once created, could start processing applications as soon as possible.
The military is expected to draw a list of former rebels with pending cases, to be evaluated by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, for the purpose of issuing a safe conduct pass as part of the security transition.
The pass will be issued by the OPAPRU.
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