TACLOBAN CITY (PIA) — At least 433 former rebels in Eastern Visayas, reportedly the highest in the country, are ready to clean their slate and rid themselves of the stain of crimes related to insurgency as they apply for amnesty with the two newly established Local Amnesty Boards in the region.
During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas on Tuesday, March 18, National Amnesty Commission Chairperson Leah Tanodra Armamento said that with the creation of the Local Amnesty Board in Samar and Tacloban City, applications are now on a roll to determine whether the former rebel applicant can be granted presidential amnesty.
“The government is giving former rebels an opportunity to make their lives better, granting them amnesty for the crimes they have committed in the pursuit of their political beliefs and affording them back all the benefits and services of the government,” Armamento said.
She added that hopefully, with cleaning their slate and providing them interventions will weigh more on the former rebels and make them stay within the folds of society.
The amnesty board established in Samar is chaired by Governor Sharee Ann Tan, while the Tacloban counterpart is chaired by Mayor Alfred Romualdez. Both will serve as the local inter-agency and multi-sectoral body that will facilitate and pre-screen the applications of those intending to be cleared of their committed political crimes they have earlier been convicted of.
Members of the Local Amnesty Boards of Eastern Visayas took their oath before President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during his visit to Tacloban City, Leyte on March 14, 2025 where the President emphasized that the gains of the peace process depend on the work the boards will do.
President Marcos Jr. stressed the unity of formerly conflicting parties and establishing an Amnesty Board are key to reintegrating former rebels into society.
An amnesty is an official pardon for people who have been convicted of political offenses or crimes committed in pursuit of their political beliefs. Under Proclamation No. 404, President Marcos Jr. grants amnesty to former members of the CPP-NPA-NDF who have committed crimes punishable under the Revised Penal Code and Special Penal laws in furtherance of their political beliefs, among other offenses. (ACR/PIA Leyte)
