COTABATO CITY – Granting amnesty to Moro fighters would be a “defining moment” of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., a Bangsamoro parliamentarian has said.
“By granting amnesty, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has the opportunity to leave a legacy of peace, reconciliation, and unity that will resonate throughout generations to come,” said Baileng S. Mantawil, a member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, the interim Parliament of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
She said this would be “a defining moment in our history, a moment where we can break free from the chains of distrust and forge a path towards lasting peace”.
“The promise of amnesty is a beacon of hope, a testament to the potential of our nation to overcome past grievances and embrace a future of peace and prosperity,” she said.
Mantawil made the appeal to the President to grant amnesty to the combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) as part of his critical priority agenda.
She also issued this appeal earlier to Malacanang that this may be included in the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).
“As a proud daughter of Bangsamoro mujahid and a Member of the Bangsamoro Parliament, I stand with unwavering determination and heartfelt conviction to call upon President Marcos to include granting amnesty as part of his critical priority agenda and to do this simultaneously with the redeployment of troops and disbandment of armed groups and individuals for an effective implementation of normalization processes”.
“In our pursuit of lasting peace, confidence-building measures are essential components of the Normalization Process. Amnesty for the combatants must be at the forefront of these measures,” she said.
Only through the assurance of amnesty, she added, “can they find the trust and confidence needed to fully embrace all segments of the process, including decommissioning and others”.
Mantawlil said that “in the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation, amnesty serves as a powerful symbol of national unity, a testament to the government’s commitment to healing the wounds of the past and building a future based on inclusivity and solidarity”.
She said the issue of amnesty was very important to the Moro combatants who she said “remain vulnerable to the haunting specter of potential criminal charges”.
“Fear and uncertainty loom large over their lives, and they constantly live under the shadow of being raided or apprehended at any moment. This is not the path to lasting peace but rather a continuation of the mistrust that has plagued our people for far too long,” she said.
“Coming from a history of oppression and revolution, it is only natural for our combatants to seek to protect themselves. Their experiences have bred deep-rooted mistrust over decades, and this mistrust must be met with compassion and understanding,” she said.