File photo of the New People’s Army. INQUIRER / ERWIN MASCARIÑAS
MANILA, Philippines — Almost 500 former communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels applied for amnesty, according to the National Amnesty Commission (NAC).
The NAC has reported a total of 497 applications, as stated by Ernesto Torres Jr., undersecretary and executive director of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac).
However, this is only a tiny fraction of about 39,000 to 40,000 former NPA members eligible for amnesty, according to NAC Commissioner Jamar Kulayan.
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Nevertheless, Torres said the former NPA rebels still have plenty of time to avail of the program, which will last until March 6, 2026.
“Return to the fold of the law and live in peace with your families,” Torres said in a statement on Thursday.
Citing NAC, the NTF-Elcac said there are now nine Local Amnesty Boards (LABs) in “strategic areas” across the country, namely: Metro Manila, the cities of Bacolod and Iloilo in Visayas; and the cities of Cotabato, Pagadian, Davao, Isabela, Jolo, Sulu, and Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao.
The LABs serve as centers where NPA rebels can avail of amnesty, but only for political crimes or crimes committed in pursuit of political beliefs.
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.
Established on March 29, 1969, the NPA wages the world’s longest Maoist insurgency.—Moss Laygo, trainee