NAC: Nearly 600 apply for amnesty via local boards

MANILA: The National Amnesty Commission (NAC) on Monday announced that its existing Local Amnesty Boards (LABs) have received a total of 578 amnesty applications as of July 12. In a news release, the agency said 497 of the applicants are former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA- NDF). Two of the applicants are from the "Rebolusyonaryong Partidong Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade" (RPMP-RPA-ABB), 33 are from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and 46 are from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. granted amnesty to former members of the RPMP-RPA- ABB, CPP-NPA-NDF, MILF, and MNLF under Proclamation Nos. 403, 404, 405, and 406, respectively. Under these proclamations issued on Nov. 23, 2023, members of these rebel groups have two years to apply for amnesty. The LABs would accept the applications and would also handle their initial processing. Currentl y, the NAC has established nine LABs and is in the process of setting up another 10. The NAC said it expects more rebels to return to the fold of the law and restart a peaceful life through the creation of more LABs in accessible cities or provinces, along with the issuance of provisional safe conduct passes for amnesty applicants. The NAC and its LABs are currently verifying the information provided by the applicants to determine the merit of their applications. After the verification process, the NAC will recommend to the President the grant of amnesty to successful applicants. Source: Philippines News agency