Program seen to end EV insurgency problem
TACLOBAN CITY – The Local Amnesty Board (LAB) in Catbalogan City has reported that 172 former members of the New People’s Army (NPA) have applied for the national government’s amnesty program.
The amnesty program offered by the national government under Pres. Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. is expected to encourage even those still fighting with the government.
Military officials in the region, in particular, has expressed their confidence that the insurgency problem in Eastern Visayas, especially on Samar Island, would be over before Pres. Marcos steps down from Malacanang in 2028.
Jazmine Odyssa Lutao, head of LAB-Catbalogan, said the applicants were former rebels who had operated in Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar before surrendering to various Army battalions.
Of the 172 applicants, 100 were from Northern Samar, 50 from Samar, and 22 from Eastern Samar. Their applications, facilitated by LAB-Catbalogan, have been forwarded to the National Amnesty Council (NAC) for approval.
“We don’t have a deadline for amnesty applications. These figures cover the period from December 10, 2024, to January 22, 2025,” Lutao said on Thursday, January 23.
While the government has not set a target number of participants, the final deadline for applications is March 13, 2026.
Under the program, applicants—including those with pending criminal charges—will have their cases dropped upon approval. They will also receive financial and livelihood assistance, health and medical support, and psychosocial services.
According to LAB-Catbalogan’s records, 28 of the 172 former rebels have pending cases, including murder and illegal possession of firearms. The rest have no known criminal charges.
Lutao also revealed that 10 applicants were minors when they joined the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
The amnesty program is based on Proclamations 403, 404, 405, and 406, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on November 22, 2024. These grant amnesty to individuals who committed crimes in pursuit of political beliefs under the Revised Penal Code and special penal laws.
Eligible groups include former members of the CPP-NPA-NDF, Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
JOEY A. GABIETA
