Payapa at panatag na buhay sa bawat Pilipino. This noble objective is enshrined in our Constitution and lies at the heart of every policy decision of the national government, including the Senate. This is the aim of our long-term development plans that shapes our priority legislative agenda. Also, the silencing of guns, an end to warfare, and the cessation of hostilities serve as the bedrock of prosperity and economic growth.
With that, Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, as your Chairperson of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, I have the distinct honor to sponsor four (4) Committee Reports numbered 200, 201, 202, and 203 which are in line with the collective aspiration of the Filipino people for a peaceful and united nation. Our Committee Reports respectfully recommend the adoption of House Concurrent Resolutions 19, 20, 21, and 22 concurring with Presidential Proclamations 403, 404, 405, and 406, respectively.
The said proclamations grant amnesty to:
1. The members of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPMP-RPA-ABB);
2. The former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF);
3. The members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF); and
4. The members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
Through the years, Philippine presidents have exercised their power to grant executive clemency to certain qualified individuals towards the advancement of reconciliation and in pursuit of social cohesion.
Under the 1987 Constitution, this presidential power is tempered by the requirement to seek the approval of the legislature by requiring the concurrence of a majority of all the Members of the Congress to take full effect. Hence, this representation humbly seeks the support of this august chamber to allow the members of rebel groups and those who have been entangled in armed conflicts to be reintegrated into mainstream society and welcome them back into the folds of the law.
As in other jurisdictions around the world, amnesty has also been judiciously wielded as an instrument of healing and to express sincerity and commitment of the national government towards the completion of the implementation of peace agreements.
And the Amnesty Program is an integral component of the Philippine government’s normalization program and comprehensive peace efforts. In particular:
– the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro which concluded 17 years of negotiations between the Philippine Government and the MILF;
– the 1996 Final Peace Agreement with the MNLF which serves as part of the full implementation of the 1976 Tripoli Agreement;
– the Peace Agreement with the RPMP-RPA-ABB which was signed in December 2000 during the administration of my father, former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada, and its 2019 Clarificatory Implementing Document; and
– Executive Order No. 70 series of 2018, the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) and Amnesty Program for the CPP-NPA-NDF.
Mr. President, the amnesty is granted to rebels who have committed crimes in pursuit of their political beliefs, including but not limited to the following: rebellion or insurrection; sedition; illegal assembly; direct and indirect assault; resistance and disobedience to a person in authority; illegal possession of firearms, ammunition or explosives, provided that these crimes or offense were committed in furtherance of, incident to, or in connection with the crimes of rebellion or insurrection, among others.
As provided under Section 4 of each Presidential Proclamation, the amnesty shall extinguish any criminal liability of former rebels for acts committed in pursuit of political beliefs. It shall also restore civil and political rights suspended or lost by virtue of criminal conviction.
But more than that, to quote Sec. Carlito Galvez, Jr., Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, who himself was a beneficiary of amnesty during the Ramos administration as a former rebel, “[Amnesty] creates a path toward their full transformation and enables them to return to mainstream society. Amnesty will be the key to building a better and brighter future for themselves, their families, and their communities.”
To be clear, the proclamations provide that amnesty shall not be granted to those who have already been proscribed or those charged under the Human Security Act of 2007 and the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.
Moreover, amnesty granted shall not cover kidnap for ransom, massacre, rape, terrorism, crimes committed against chastity, crimes committed for personal ends, violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, grave violations of the Geneva Convention of 1949, as well as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture, enforced disappearances, and other gross violations of human rights.
Ngunit hindi po basta ipinagkakaloob ang amnestiya. Ginoong Pangulo, sasailalim po sa proseso ng aplikasyon ang mga nagnanais makatanggap nito. Pangungunahan ng National Amnesty Commission at mga local amnesty boards ang masusing vetting process katuwang ang iba’t ibang ahensya ng pamahalaan, kabilang ang Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) upang masiguro na kwalipikado sila na gawaran ng amnestiya.
Sa isinagawang pagdinig ng inyong Committee, inaasahang dalawang libong (2,000) kasapi ng MNLF at isang libo at dalawang daang (1,200) miyembro ng RPMP-RPA-ABB ang mag-aapply sa programang ito. Samantala, ayon sa OPAPRU, apat na raang (400) MILF combatants na may mga kinakaharap na kaso ang nag-apply na, at tinatayang darami pa ito. Gayundin, mula sa tatlumpu’t siyam na libong (39,000) surrenderees at nag-withdraw ng suporta sa CPP-NPA-NDF, kasalukuyang mayroong dalawang daan at pitumpung (270) indibidwal ang may pending cases at inaasahang mag-a-avail ng amnesty.
For its part, the defense establishment throws its full support to the Congressional concurrence to these amnesty proclamations as these are testaments “to the commitment of the current administration to sustaining the gains in our internal security and stability.” The same offers an invaluable opportunity for our “brothers and sisters to transform their lives,” gain access to government’s socio-economic services, and rebuild their lives.
Ginoong Pangulo, mga kasamahang mambabatas, bagong buhay at bagong pag-asa para sa mga dating rebolusyonaryo at itinuturing na kalaban ng pamahalaan ang hatid ng pag-apruba ng Mataas na Kapulungan sa isinusulong nating amnesty program. Isang mahalagang hakbang din ito upang wakasan ang karahasan at maraming taon ng labanan sa pagitan ng kapwa natin Pilipino. Panghuli, isang positibong pagkilos ito tungo sa pagpapanatili ng kapayapaan at pagpapatibay ng pagkakabuklod-buklod sa ating minamahal na bansa. Dahil sa mga magagandang maidudulot nito, masasabi nating “Amnesty is the best policy.”
Maraming salamat po.