Bangsamoro leaders ask Marcos to speed up amnesty grant, extend application period

Rappler (Jul 20, 2023): Bangsamoro leaders ask Marcos to speed up amnesty grant, extend application period (By FERDINANDH CABRERA, ROMMEL REBOLLIDO)

(1st UPDATE) BARMM Chief Minister Ahod 'Al Haj Murad' Ebrahim urges the President to tackle issues regarding the amnesty when he delivers his State of the Nation Address

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim and regional legislators appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to expedite the granting of general amnesty to former Moro secessionist rebels with pending criminal cases and extend the application period.

The region’s officials have also urged Marcos Jr. to address issues concerning the amnesty when he delivers his July 24 State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Former president Rodrigo Duterte greenlit the granting of amnesty to former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) combatants through Proclamation Nos. 1090 and 1091, but the former rebels must apply for it. The Duterte proclamations cover only crimes committed concerning their political beliefs.

BARMM deputy speaker Lanang Ali Jr. said the amnesty application period for the MILF and MNLF members ended on January 24, before the National Amnesty Commission was constituted by Marcos Jr.

The commission is headed by lawyer Leah Tanodra-Armamento, with lawyers Nasser Marohomsalic and Jamar Kulayan as members.

Based on the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and its enabling law, the grant of amnesty must be completed within the transition period.

During a news conference in Cotabato City on Tuesday, July 18, BARMM parliament members, among them the sons of the founders of the MILF and MNLF, stressed the importance of taking the grant of amnesty to former rebels seriously as a confidence-building mechanism, describing it as a vital piece of the peace agreement between the government and the MILF.

More than 490 former combatants and field commanders from the MILF alone, who have submitted their application papers, have been waiting for the amnesty to be granted. An extension would allow more to apply for amnesty.

“We really hope these issues are among the things that the President will discuss in his report to the people,” Ebrahim said.

The group of BARMM legislators included Abdullah Hashim and Ustadz Abdulkarim Misuari, sons of the late MILF founder Hashim Salamat and MNLF founder Nur Misuari.

Hashim said the amnesty is an important part of the 2014 peace agreement that ended the decades-old secessionist rebellion in Mindanao, to prevent situations like the recent killings of MILF members in Datu Paglas town in Maguindanao del Sur.

BARMM parliament member Baileng Mantawil said the amnesty would transform lives, instill hope, and create an environment where peace can truly flourish.

“Without amnesty, our combatants remain vulnerable to the haunting specter of potential criminal charges. Fear and uncertainty loom large in their lives where they constantly live under the shadow of being apprehended at any moment,” Mantawil said.

The Muslim-majority region’s lawmakers cited a recent case in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao del Sur, where seven MILF members were killed in a supposed encounter with authorities. The police claimed those killed had warrants of arrest for frustrated murder.

BARMM officials also pointed out the serving of a warrant of arrest against an MNLF official in Sulu that left one policeman killed and four others wounded.

Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) member Mary Ann Arnado said they hoped the amnesty would be granted before the first BARMM regional elections in 2025 because a number of MILF members want to participate and run for elective positions.

Several former rebels with political ambitions also expressed concern that the absence of amnesty could be used against them during the 2025 regional elections.

“We are preparing for the democratic elections, so if MILF members and leaders who wish to join the election but have pending cases in furtherance of their legitimate struggle, then that is a problem… We need to address this issue of amnesty, but we are running against time,” Arnado said.

She said the grant of amnesty to former combatants is part of the government’s deliverables in the implementation of the CAB and Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).

“By granting them blanket amnesty, you remove the sword hanging over their heads. They can be arrested at any time. Amnesty is about forgiveness,” Arnado said.

Arnado said the peace agreement cannot be fulfilled if some issues, like the grant of amnesty, remain incomplete during the transition period.

Another BARMM legislator, Akmad Abas, said he was worried that his failure to secure an amnesty may hinder his participation in the 2025 elections in the BARMM.

Abas, who has applied for amnesty, served as the leader of the MILF’s Eastern Mindanao Command during the MILF’s struggle for self-determination.

“We can only roam around and join the government in its peace-building activities and other functions with only our safe conduct passes at the moment,” he said. 

https://www.rappler.com/nation/mindanao/barmm-leaders-ask-marcos-jr-speed-up-amnesty-grant-extend-application-period/