FILE PHOTO: This undated file photo shows members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in an undisclosed location. On Thursday, March 14, 2024, National Amnesty Commission (NAC) official Jamar Kulayan said former rebels who wish to apply for government amnesty may download the form online beginning this week. Jeoffrey Maitem/Inquirer Mindanao
MANILA, Philippines — Former rebels who wish to apply for government amnesty may download the form online beginning this week, National Amnesty Commission (NAC) official Jamar Kulayan said Thursday.
In a phone interview with INQUIREr.net, the NAC commissioner said they anticipate around 80,000 eligible ex-insurgents to apply for amnesty.
He added that even before the release of the Amnesty Program’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR), former members of the New People’s Army (NPA), Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas-Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPMP-RPA-ABB), Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) may already avail of the government’s reprieve offer.
Kulayan earlier said that the IRR of Presidential Proclamation No. 404 would be issued before the end of March. Presidential Proclamation No. 404 seeks to grant amnesty for members of the NPA, RPMP-RPA-ABB, MILF, and MNLF. The decree, however, excludes rebels already convicted or charged under Republic Act (RA) No. 9372, or the Human Security Act of 2007; and RA 11479, or the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.
“Actually, even before [the release of the IRR], they can already apply,” Kulayan said.
“We will be posting in due time, maybe within the day, we will be posting the application form [on] our Facebook page so those applicants can already download it and accomplish the same, and submit them to our local amnesty boards,” he also said.
Pressed further on the actual date NAC plans to publish the amnesty form, the official said: “Within the day (Thursday), or at the latest, maybe tomorrow (Friday).”
READ: Senate adopts reso on amnesty for former CPP-NPA-NDF members
On Wednesday, the Senate adopted the resolution that concurs with Presidential Proclamation No. 404, paving the way for the release of its IRR that would authorize the processing of applications.
Kulayan said around 39,000 to 40,000 former NPA members and most of the 40,000 decommissioned MILF combatants are eligible for amnesty.
More or less 2,000 former MNLF fighters and 1,700 former members of the RPMP-RPA-ABB could likewise avail of the government’s offer, he added.
READ: Galvez says gov’t to finish process of disarming MILF fighters before 2025
The MILF forged a peace agreement with the Philippine government which resulted in the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARRM).
The decommissioning of former MILF fighters is now ongoing, and the government targets to finish the process before BARRM’s first-ever elections in 2025.
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), whose armed wing is the NPA, previously rejected the government’s amnesty offer. However, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines – the CPP’s political arm – and the government also agreed in November 2023 to come up with a framework to restart the peace talks.