BARMM welcomes amnesty for former MILF fighters

Some of the 217 New Peoples Army surrenderees take a long queue as they walk towards the AFP’s buses after a briefing program at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Officer’s Club in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. EDWIN BACASMAS

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Misamis Oriental, Philippines — The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) welcomes President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s amnesty proclamation to members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the erstwhile rebel group now tasked with the administration of that region.

In a statement, the BARMM called Proclamation No. 405 “a significant milestone in the achievement of meaningful and enduring peace in the Bangsamoro, as this will form part of former combatants’ full transformation towards being productive and peace-loving Filipino citizens.”

The region’s chief minister, MILF chief Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, also issued a statement saying that the proclamation “sends a strong signal of commitment on the part of the government to sustain the gains of the peace process with the MILF.”

Ebrahim said the proclamation would give former combatants of the MILF “a new lease on life and open the doors for healing and reconciliation.”

Coverage

Marcos issued a series of amnesty proclamations on Nov. 22, including Proclamation Nos. 403, 404 and 406, respectively granting amnesty to members of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas-Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade; the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New People’s Army (NPA)-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP); and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

The amnesty covers crimes committed in pursuit of political beliefs, such as rebellion, sedition, direct assault, public disturbance, illegal assembly, illegal association, unlawful use of publications, and illegal possession of firearms.

But the MNLF and the MILF had already entered into peace agreements with the government in 1996 and 2014, respectively.

Marcos’ predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, also issued amnesty proclamations in 2021 for both groups, as well as Executive Order (EO) No. 125 creating the National Amnesty Commission (NAC).

During his administration, the late President Fidel V. Ramos issued Proclamation No. 347, creating the NAC and mandating that body to issue amnesty proclamations.

Besides his amnesty proclamations, Marcos issued EO 47, which updates the functions of the NAC in processing applications for amnesty.

Ebrahim nevertheless welcomed these new orders, saying that these have “been a long time coming.”

“We hope that the required congressional concurrence will soon follow suit so we can fast-track the amnesty process with the facilitation of the National Amnesty Commission,” he said.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity earlier estimated that some 50,000 former combatants of the MILF and MNLF would submit their applications for amnesty.

Last year, Bangsamoro Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal, who headed the MILF’s peace panel, said the group had an initial 700 applications.

‘Peace dividends’

Bangsamoro Interior Minister Naguib Sinarimbo said, “Once amnesties are granted, this will finally free our former combatants and MILF and MNLF command leaders from the shackles of the past that prevent them from genuinely and fully reaping the benefits of the peace dividends.”

The NAC, in a statement, said it was “committed to expeditiously process the applications” for amnesty and would give priority to those in detention and the elderly “so they may enjoy the luxury of freedom and become a partner of the government in bringing the needed change and reforms in their community.”

Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. said the amnesty proclamations were “a significant step toward the full transformation” of former rebels “into productive and peaceful citizens of our country.”

No ceasefire

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said there would be “no ceasefire” with communist rebels.

In a forum on Saturday, AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said that while recourse to amnesty would allow former rebels of the CPP-NPA-NDFP to “return to the fold of the law, we will [still] continue to exert pressure” on the communist insurgency.

In a separate interview with dzBB on Sunday, Aguilar said a ceasefire with the rebels was unlikely this year, “mainly because they have no clear leadership… [There] is no one to give a clear order [for them] to observe a ceasefire.”

The CPP observes its 55th anniversary on Dec. 26. Its founder Jose Maria Sison died on Dec. 16 last year.

Aguilar said this was a “good opportunity for rebels to return to their families and forever leave the armed struggle.”

—WITH REPORTS FROM KRIXIA SUBINGSUBING AND JEROME ANING