By Charles Dantes and Maricel V. Cruz
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Andres Centino favors the grant of amnesty to former rebels as part of the government’s peace program to bring the insurgents back into mainstream society.
In an interview on the “Balik-Loob sa Pagbabago” program, Centino said the country should pursue holistic approach to encourage the rebels to lay down arms.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) cited the Task Force Balik-Loob for reintegrating 37,413 former rebels and extremists back to civil society.
“I have advocated that other approaches of government in dealing with insurgency should be considered, such as yung pagbigay talaga ng amnesty,” Centino said.
He also revealed that some members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were hesitant to surrender because of pending court cases against them.
Centino noted that non-combat ways, such as the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) of the government and other modules allow the AFP to go after the insurgents without engaging in skirmishes.
The AFP chief called on the remaining NPA members to return to the fold of the law, saying the AFP has a “catalyst in harnessing the collective efforts of the government and other agencies that aimed to put an end to the insurgency movements in the country.”
“The strength of the communist terrorist group has been significantly reduced and their presence is only in a few remaining areas in the country, and that is where our focus is. We are confident that it will not take long before their force is reduced to a minimum,” Centino said.
He also enjoined the people to accept the former rebels, also called “friends rescued,” in their community and give them fair treatment and support, so they can easily adjust to their new way of life.
“By achieving the goal of really creating an environment of enduring peace, I think that will be the victory of the Filipino people,” Centino said.
“Then we will have progress and development that we, for so long, deserve. With peace, there is progress.” he added.
E-CLIP seeks to achieve social healing and national unity through a whole-of-nation approach towards the higher objective of having a just and lasting peace.
It guarantees social equity to former members of the NPA by providing assistance in their reintegration process into mainstream society.
The former lawless elements were given livelihood and reintegration benefits, as well as cash subsidy for the firearms they surrendered as provided for under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).
The government paid for 10,637 firearms that were turned in by the former rebels.
“The CHR commends these developments and supports the government’s efforts to handle armed conflict through peaceful means. E-CLIP, along with its sister program Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan or PAMANA, shows that insurgencies can be addressed without bloodshed and human rights abuses by instead targeting the causes of conflict, such as poverty, unequal treatment, and marginalization,” the CHR said in a statement.
Department of National Defense Undersecretary Angelito de Leon, chair of the TFBL, also reported that the DND acquired surrendered weapons worth approximately P151 million and provided P164.5 million worth of reintegration program benefits to the former rebels and extremists, plus P322.8 million worth of livelihood assistance extended by TFBL’s partner agencies.
“Delegating the task of ending insurgency to all sectors of society, programs like E-CLIP and PAMANA promote sustainable peace and development in the form of livelihood, housing, education, and improved access of communities to basic necessities and government services. TFBL—itself composed of multi-sectoral lead agencies covering defense, governance, housing, and peacebuilding—shows that multi-sectoral collaborations serve crucial roles in preventing further violence, conflict, and division,” the CHR said.
As the country’s national human rights institution, CHR said “the Commission has repeatedly called for peace and the protection of people’s right to life, security, and liberty amidst incidents of insurgency-related violence…”
“As such, CHR calls for an end of hostilities, inviting anti-government forces to stop their attacks in support of peace efforts, honor the rule of law, and participate in these whole-of-society programs. In the same vein, we continue to urge the Philippine government to amplify holistic and peaceful efforts with human rights at its core in addressing and preventing grievances and issues that fuel conflict,” it added.