A total of 2,424 amnesty applications from former rebels have already been received and processed by the National Amnesty Commission (NAC), a year after the government started accepting requests for the abolition of their criminal liabilities for past political offenses.
As of March 7, the NAC has accepted 1,546 applications from former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF); 518 from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF); 297 from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF); and 63 from the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPMP-RPA-ABB).
The highest intake in a single day was recorded by the NAC when it received 127 applications from the MILF and MNLF during the Inter-Cabinet Cluster Mechanism on Normalization, organized by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), last Feb. 26.
In a statement Saturday, March 8, the NAC said the development was a “testament of the strong response the government’s amnesty program received from individuals seeking to benefit from it.”
The NAC started accepting amnesty applications on March 4, 2024 after the Congress concurred with President Marcos Jr.’s Proclamation Nos. 403, 405 and 406 which grant amnesty to members of RPMP-RPA-ABB, MILF, and MNLF respectively. Meanwhile, Proclamation No. 404 which grants amnesty to members of CPP-NPA-NDF was concurred on March 13, 2024.
Applicants have two years to file their applications with the Local Amnesty Board (LAB) near their area.
Members of the RPMP-RPA-ABB, MILF, and MNLF may file their application until March 4, 2026, while former members of the CPP-NPA-NDF or their front organizations may file their application until March 13, 2026.