SENATOR Ronald Dela Rosa is optimistic about the government’s ability to reach its target beneficiaries for the national amnesty program.
The program targets guerrillas of the communist insurgency movement and the Muslim separatist groups in Mindanao.
These are the left-leaning Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas (RPMP), the Revolutionary Proletarian Army (RPA), the Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB), the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
Dela Rosa expressed confidence that the projected number of surrenderees will be met within the two-year life span of the National Amnesty Commission (NAC) which will end in March 2026.
In an update on the program, Dela Rosa said the commission has established nine local amnesty boards in various locations, namely the National Capital Region, Bacolod City, Iloilo City, Cagayan de Oro City, Cotabato City, Pagadian City, Davao City, Isabela City in Basilan, and Jolo in Sulu.
As of last Nov. 13, Dela Rosa reported that a total of 1,559 individuals from these groups have applied for amnesty.
With the proposed 2025 budget for the NAC, he noted that an additional ten local amnesty boards will be created across six regions to accommodate more applicants.
“The lifespan of this commission is only two years, and we are very optimistic that we will reach our target, especially if the ten additional local amnesty boards are established as soon as possible,” Dela Rosa emphasized.
Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada expressed full support for the NAC’s proposed budget.
As the chairperson of the Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification, and Reconciliation, Estrada sponsored and facilitated the passage of resolutions granting amnesty to the MILF, the MNLF, the RPMP, and former CPP members during the first quarter of the year.
