Amnesty grant will lead to mass surrender of communist rebels —Año

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s plan to issue a Presidential Proclamation granting amnesty to rebel returnees will prompt massive surrender, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said Wednesday.

“We thank the President for his announcement that he will be issuing a proclamation granting amnesty to all rebel returnees as this highlights the government's commitment to achieving peace," Año said.

"The issuance of this presidential proclamation will be an important step to finally end communists in the country because this will pave the way for the mass surrender of the NPA  (New People’s Army) remnants in the remaining guerilla fronts of the CPP-NPA-NDF,” he added.

CPP is the Communist Party of the Philippines, while NDF is the National Democratic Front, the umbrella group of communist groups in the country.

Likewise, Año said the President’s call for amnesty reinforces the position of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) for the remaining armed combatants to lay down their weapons, and embrace the path to peace.

“This [amnesty grant] will help them rebuild their lives and contribute to our nation's development,” Año added.

In addition, Año welcomed the President’s support for the NTF-ELCAC’s flagship programs, namely: the Barangay Development Program (BDP) which brings much-needed development projects to barangays recently cleared of communists and the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) which supports the reintegration of rebel returnees to mainstream society.

“His personal commitment to these programs means that the President is truly determined to address the root causes of armed conflict in the countryside,” Año added.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Jr. also backed the President’s call for amnesty in an earlier interview post-SONA, saying that this will enable the Defense department to realign resources to external defense.

“This is for those who want to return to the fold of the law, [also] for the bonafide members of the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front),” Teodoro said.

“The President will draft the proclamation for those qualified so we can focus on external defense,” Teodoro added.

Marcos said such amnesty, which needs Congress’ concurrence, is necessary to sustain the gains in the fight against insurgency.

“To guarantee full decommissioning of combatants, we have provided community development, livelihood assistance in our reintegration process. To complement this, I will issue a proclamation granting amnesty to rebel returnees, and I ask Congress to support me in this endeavor,” The President said during his State of the Nation Address on Monday. —VAL, GMA Integrated News