• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A total of 411 former members of the defunct Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB) have applied for government amnesty as the deadline for application ended March 4.
The RPA-ABB, a splintered faction of the New People’s Army (NPA), entered into a peace agreement with the government in year 2000.
Majority of its members are based in Negros Island.
Records of the National Amnesty Commission (NAC) also showed that 9,511 members of the NPA and its front organizations applied for amnesty since the filing of application ended on March 13.
Also seeking amnesty were 1,258 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and 638 members of the Moro National Liberation Front.
The government’s amnesty program is intended for former rebels who have legal cases related to acts committed in pursuit of their political beliefs.
Qualified applicants may be granted amnesty, allowing them to reintegrate into mainstream society without prosecution for their past offenses.
According to the NAC, local outreach initiatives helped increase the number of applicants as the deadline approached, with Local Amnesty Boards conducting information drives and application intake activities across the country.
In a statement, NAC Chairperson Leah Tanodra-Armamento said the response to the program shows that many former rebels are choosing to reintegrate into society.
“The strong response to the amnesty program shows that many of our fellow Filipinos are ready to move forward and pursue a future defined by peace and opportunity,” she added. | GB
