MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Wednesday adopted a resolution seeking to grant amnesty to former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).
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House Concurrent Resolution No. 20 was adopted during the Senate’s Wednesday plenary session with 23 affirmatives, zero negative votes, and zero abstentions.
The measure concurs with Presidential Proclamation No. 404.
Senator Jinggoy Estrada, chairperson of the upper chamber’s panel on national defense, said there is a need to ensure that the amnesty program will be fully implemented.
“Let’s all make sure that this amnesty program, together with the amnesty programs for the MILF, MNLF, and RPMP-RPA-ABB which were earlier approved by Congress, will be implemented fully and faithfully towards its objective of transforming lives and communities, encouraging former rebels and combatants to return to the folds of the law and to participate in nation-building within the framework of peaceful and deliberative society,” he said.
According to Estrada, the amnesty shall extinguish the criminal liability of former rebels for acts committed in pursuit of political beliefs and restore their civil and political rights suspended or lost by criminal conviction.
He, however, emphasized that it should not apply to former rebels who have already been charged under the Human Security Act of 2007 and the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.
READ: Measures granting amnesty to ex-rebels reach Senate plenary
“It shall likewise not cover those who committed crimes such as kidnap for ransom, massacre, rape, terrorism, crimes committed against chastity, crimes committed for personal ends, violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, grave violations of the Geneva Convention of 1949, as well as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture, enforced disappearances, and other gross violations of human rights,” Estrada added.
According to the senator, around 3,000 former rebels are expected to avail of the amnesty granted by the Palace.