MANILA, Philippines — The government’s offer of amnesty could extend up to the high-ranking officials of the communist New People’s Army (NPA), according to National Security Adviser Eduardo Año.
“There are a lot of rebels in the mountains who worry or have misgivings because of their cases,” Año said during a chance interview after the post-State of the Nation Address forum held in Pasay City.
“With amnesty, they will be given a clean slate, so that when they return to the mainstream, they will be given a new start,” he added.
Año, however, said that senior NPA officials who had been convicted of a crime could not avail of the amnesty.
“We will treat each case differently,” Año said of the convicted NPA officials, pointing out that they could instead avail of a pardon and parole.
The NPA, which had 25,000 members at its height around 1987, is now down to around 1,800 fighters, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Medel Aguilar has said.
Aguilar said that of the 1,800 members, around 400 have pending cases before Philippine courts.
In his second Sona, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said he would issue a proclamation declaring amnesty for the said rebels.
The offer was rejected by the Communist Party of the Philippines, saying the remaining NPA members were committed to their cause.
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