The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) is hopeful that the remaining active members of the New People’s Army (NPA) will now surrender and avail of the amnesty offered by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
***Salvador Golosing Avenido alias “Admiral”, an alleged NPA member, is presented to the public on Oct. 9, 2020 after he surrendered to authorities on Sept. 28. (Photo by Calvin D. Cordova/MANILA BULLETIN)***
NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said the anti-communist task force welcomes the call of Marcos to Congress during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 24, to support the granting of amnesty to rebel returnees.
“The amnesty initiative will bolster the NTF-ELCAC's call for the remaining armed combatants to lay down their weapons and embrace the path to peace,” Torres said.
“This reflects our country's commitment to achieving unity, peace, and development amidst the challenges posed by communist terrorism that has long plagued our country and impacted our economy,” he added.
The government has been engaging the CPP-NPA-NDF through localized peace talks initiated by the NTF-ELCAC.
Torres said the planned amnesty for rebels will make other programs of the government related to the campaign against insurgency “more inclusive and more appealing” to the remnants of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), NPA, and the National Democratic Front (NDF) “for them to rebuild their lives and contribute to our nation's development.”
Such programs include the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) and Barangay Development Program (BDP).
Under the E-CLIP, a package of cash incentives are offered by the government to entice members of the CPP-NPA-NDF to surface, return under the clips of the law, and start a peaceful life anew together with their respective families.
Meanwhile, the BDP is the flagship program of the NTF-ELCAC. It aims to bring development to former conflict-ridden communities through the implementation of various socio-economic development projects for barangay beneficiaries.
Marcos, in his SONA, emphasized the need to address the ongoing insurgency problem that has plagued the country for more than 50 years already.
As of July 2023, there remains 1,800 active fighters of NPA based on the estimates of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
“I will issue a proclamation granting amnesty to rebel returnees, and I ask Congress to support me in this endeavor,” Marcos said.
This was not the first time that the government raised the possibility of granting amnesty to NPA rebels to urge them to surrender.
Retired general Andres Centino, former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, backed calls for such effort as he noted that some members of the NPA are quite apprehensive about surrendering because of their pending cases in court.
“I have advocated that other approaches of the government in dealing with insurgency should be considered such as the granting of the amnesty,” he said in an interview on April 27.
But the CPP-NPA-NDF had rejected previous calls for the granting of amnesty to communist rebels.
“The call for amnesty for members of the New People’s Army is a sugar-coated bullet,” CPP spokesperson Marco Valbuena said in a statement on April 28.
“It is a vain psywar attempt to draw public attention away from rampant cases of torture and extrajudicial killings, violation of women and child rights, hamletting of communities, aerial bombing and artillery shelling, perpetrated by soldiers in the drive to traumatize and terrorize the masses, and dispossess them of their lands and livelihood in favor of multinational corporations,” he added.
On the part of the NTF-ELCAC, Torres said they remain steadfast to their goal of ending local communist armed conflict as he urged all government agencies, local government units, and the public to support Marcos’ call for peace.
“Let us come together as one nation in our commitment to end local communist armed conflict and achieve unity, peace, and development that the Filipino people rightfully deserve,” Torres said.