Once dreaded MILF leader seeks amnesty

LEADERS’ MEET Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim (right), receives a memento of “kris,” a sword that symbolizes authority, and a “tasbih,” a chain of prayer beads, from Member of Parliament Abdullah Macapaar during his visit in Camp Bilal on Aug. 17. —Richel V. Umel

ILIGAN CITY, LANAO DEL NORTE, Philippines — Abdullah Macapaar, popularly known as “Commander Bravo,” has sought amnesty from the government for political crimes he committed while fighting for the Bangsamoro homeland.

Macapaar is the face of the Moro rebellion in Lanao del Norte, leading Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas in major military campaigns to dramatize their demand for the establishment of a self-governing political entity for the Moro people.

According to Commissioner Jamar Kulayan of the National Amnesty Commission (NAC), Macapaar already applied for amnesty more than three years ago, under Presidential Proclamation No. 1090 issued by then-President Rodrigo Duterte on Feb. 5, 2021.

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But he had to refile the application under Presidential Proclamation No. 405 issued by President Marcos in November last year, Kulayan told the Inquirer.

“We have promised to help him in any way we can with his amnesty application,” said Kulayan, adding that the NAC would extend the same assistance to other former rebels who wanted to move on with their lives as peaceful and productive citizens.

“All they have to do is to prove their identity and their affiliation to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front or any other rebel group,” Kulayan said.

In Mindanao, the NAC had set up local amnesty boards in Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, and Pagadian cities to accept applications.

Criminal cases

Kulayan said that Macapaar’s amnesty application would be forwarded to the National Bureau of Investigation to determine the completeness of specific cases he was being charged with, which are to be declared in the application.

Apart from rebellion, Macapaar is facing more than 40 criminal cases, such as murder, frustrated murder, and arson, among others, in connection with his rebel activities in the past.

Macapaar led the occupation of the Kauswagan town hall in Lanao del Norte in March 2000, triggering the four-month all-out war campaign waged by then President Joseph Estrada against the MILF that concluded in the capture of Camp Abubakar Assidique, its main base straddling the towns of Buldon and Barira in what is now Maguindanao del Norte.

With the landmark Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro inked in 2014, Macapaar, who was by then commander of the MILF’s Northwestern Mindanao Front covering Lanao del Norte and some parts of Lanao del Sur, mustered his forces to support the peace deal. Then on, they helped government troops neutralize the activities of local terrorists allied with the Islamic State.

In 2019, with the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Macapaar was appointed by Duterte as one of 80 members of the interim parliament. Marcos reappointed him in 2022.

“I have not committed a personal crime against the Filipino nation (as) we were fighting for a cause,” Macapaar told the Inquirer in Filipino.

As he fully transitions to civilian life, Macapaar said he also wanted his men to tread the same path, mainly through the decommissioning process for some 40,000 former MILF combatants.

He said 200 of his men had long waited to undergo decommissioning so they could fully move on with their lives.

“We have more than 200 firearms waiting to be decommissioned, all stored in our armory. They could have been gathering rust already,” said Macapaar.

Based on the protocol of the Independent Decommissioning Body, the MILF has to submit to it the list of over 13,000 combatants covered by the final decommissioning phase so it can undergo verification.