RAPPLER.com-March 7
Many former rebels in Mindanao are planning to run for seats in the BARMM next year, but they are facing threats of arrest due to cases filed against them when they were still fighting for their causes. At least 3,600 former rebels, mostly in Mindanao, are poised to be granted amnesty as the Senate gave its nod to separate resolutions from the House of Representatives, backing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s amnesty initiative. The biggest beneficiary is the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), a group founded by former governor Nur Misuari of the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The group accounts for 55% of the potential amnesty recipients. The Office of the Presidential Peace Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity said the initiative would benefit around 2,000 former rebels from the MNLF, 1,200 from the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPMP-RPA-ABB), and 400 others from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). On Monday, March 4, the Senate adopted three House Concurrent Resolutions, 19, 21, and 22, concurring with Presidential Proclamations 403, 405, and 406, respectively, in favor of Marcos’ grant of amnesty to former rebels from various groups. Read more at: https://www.rappler.com/nation/mindanao/former-rebels-mostly-mindanao-amnesty-senate-backs-marcos-initiative/
