Almost 300, including Duterte execs, freed due to Aquino amnesty

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is just one of nearly 300 individuals who were granted amnesty through Proclamation No. 75, issued by former President Benigno Aquino III in November 2010.

At least 287 individuals applied for amnesty from January 4, 2011 up to the deadline on March 31, 2011 before the Department of National Defense's Ad Hoc Amnesty Committee in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

These applicants took part in at least one of three incidents that sought the ouster of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo or protested the alleged corruption in her administration.

These include the Oakwood mutiny in July 2003, when soldiers took over the serviced apartments in Makati; the Marines standoff in February 2006, when servicemen protested the relief of their commandant at the headquarters in Fort Bonifacio; and the Manila Peninsula siege in 2007, when they occupied the hotel in Makati.

Charges were filed against the soldiers—criminal complaints of coup d'etat for the Oakwood mutiny and rebellion for the Manila Pen siege were filed before the Makati City Regional Trial Court on top of cases before military courts for violations of the Articles of War.

Soldiers who participated in the Marines standoff faced trial before a special general court martial for a charge of mutiny.

As per Proclamation No. 75, those who committed crimes punishable under the Revised Penal Code, the Articles of War, and other laws owing to their participation in any of the said incidents were qualified for amnesty.

GMA News Research compiled a list of these applicants based on available official public records including 64 DND amnesty committee updates issued between January 4 and May 13, 2011, as well as 16 DND amnesty committee resolutions dated between January 20 and April 25, 2011.

Of the 287 applications, 283 were granted while two applications were denied. Two other applications which came from abroad reached the amnesty committee past the deadline.

Trillanes was one of 39 individuals who applied for amnesty on the second day of the application period on January 5, 2011.

The list of these 39 applicants was submitted by the secretariat head to the chairman of the amnesty committee in a correspondence on the same date.

The amnesty committee recommended the approval of the amnesty applications of Trillanes and the 38 others in its Resolution No. 2 dated January 21, 2011.

Applications denied

The amnesty committee denied the application of former SPO1 Demetrio Zaragosa Jr., who admitted to participating in the Oakwood mutiny, but failed to submit corroborating court records as proof.

Cristina Antonio, a civilian, also applied for amnesty for taking part in the Marines standoff. While the ad hoc committee said there was proof of her participation, they denied her amnesty application because she did not follow the proper procedure—she did not personally file her application.

Two individuals filed their applications within the 90-day period, but the amnesty committee received their applications days after the DND administered the Oath of Allegiance to the "last batch of amnesty grantees".

The status of their applications is unknown.

These are former Captains Neil Bioco and Rodolfo Orteras Jr., whose amnesty applications were subscribed and sworn to before the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, California, USA, on March 17, 2011 and March 21, 2011, respectively.

However, the amnesty committee received their applications only on May 12, 2011.

A total of 10 individuals filed applications that were subscribed and sworn to before Philippine diplomatic posts abroad—Bahrain, UK, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Japan, and Australia.

Upon evaluation, the amnesty committee found that 21 of those who sought amnesty had already been discharged or separated from the service for reasons other than those covered by Proclamation No. 75. This disqualified them from automatic reinstatement in the service despite the amnesty grant.

Amnesties granted

Of the 283 individuals whose applications were granted, 276 were members of the military.

Eighty-four of the grantees were officers while 192 were enlisted personnel.

One hundred seventeen were with the Philippine Army while 80 were from the Marine Corps, the naval infantry force under the command of the Navy.

Sixty-six were from the Navy while 11 were from the Air Force.

One of the grantees was an official of the Philippine National Police—retired Chief Supt. Marcelino Franco Jr.

Six were civilians.

Two hundred thirty-seven were involved in the Oakwood mutiny, 49 participated in the Marines standoff and 22 took part in the Manila Pen siege.

Two hundred fifty-eight took part in one out of three incidents.

Twenty-five were involved in two out of three incidents including Trillanes, who was present at the Oakwood mutiny and Manila Pen siege.

At least 15 of the amnesty grantees currently hold government posts. At least two are appointees of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Retired Army Brigadier General Danilo Lim, who participated in the Marines standoff and the Manila Pen siege, was appointed chair of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

Former Marine Captain Nicanor Faeldon, who was involved in the Oakwood mutiny and Manila Pen siege, is now Office of Civil Defense deputy administrator. Duterte previously appointed him as Customs commissioner but he resigned from the post.

Two are incumbent congressmen—former Marine Captain Gary Alejano is Magdalo party-list representative while former Magdalo lawyer Jose Christopher Belmonte is Quezon City Sixth District representative. Former Air Force First Lieutenant Francisco Ashley Acedillo, another Aquino amnesty grantee was former Magdalo party-list representative.

Former Army Captain Alvin Ebreo is the head of the Bureau of Customs Collection Service Department while former Navy Lieutenant Senior Grade James Layug is a director of the DND Office of the Assistant Secretary for Installations and Self-reliant Defense Posture. At the San Juan City local government, former Army First Lieutenant Nathaniel Rabonza is chief of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.

Besides Lim, among the high-ranking officials who were granted amnesty by Aquino was retired Marine commandant Major General Renato Miranda, whose relief on February 26, 2006 led to the Marines standoff.

Retired Marine Colonel Ariel Querubin was also present during the Marines standoff and was among the grantees.  He and Lim both ran for senator in the 2010 elections but lost.

Retired Army Colonels Rafael Galvez and Marcelino “Jake” Malajacan, both involved in the Marines standoff, were also amnesty grantees.

Another Aquino amnesty grantee was retired Navy Captain Felix Turingan, who was involved in both the Oakwood mutiny and Marines standoff.

Lim, Querubin, Galvez, Malajacan, and Turingan were also involved in failed coup attempts against the administration of President Corazon Aquino.

Some of the coup plotters, including Lim and Querubin, were granted amnesty by President Fidel Ramos.

Retired police Chief Superintendent Marcelino Franco Jr. was former head of the elite PNP Special Action Force.

Seventeen former members of the Magdalo group were sworn in as new PDEA agents in 2008.

Information from the PDEA website show that at least eight of them are now PDEA directors.

—NB, GMA News