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Cordillera officials demand urgent amnesty law for rebs

BANGUED, Abra – The national government must have a realistic amnesty law to encourage prospective rebel returnees to embrace the fold of the law so that it would be able to attract rebels to leave the communist movement for the attainment of lasting peace.

The Regional peace and order Council bared this here when it passed a resolution requesting both chambers of Congress to immediately concur the amnesty Proclamation crafted by the office of the President for the realization of the government’s goal of curbing the country’s insurgency problem in the next two years.

Chief Sup. Eugene G. Martin, regional director of the Police Regional Office in the Cordillera and acting chairman of the RPOC, pointed out that the implementation of the President’s amnesty Proclamation would allow the government to provide rebel returnees with the required safety and security so that they would voluntarily leave the rebel movement.

Ironically, the Proclamation has not yet been implemented because of the failure of both Houses of Congress to concur the measure.

While the insurgency problem in the region is under control, the RPOC cited the implementation of an acceptable and realistic government amnesty program would allow the remaining cadres in the remote communities it give up from their struggle and return to the mainstream society to live a peaceful life.

Col. James Jacob of the 5th Infantry Division reported to the RPOC that during the first two months of this year, there were 99 non-violent actions of the rebels in the different parts of the Cordillera which includes harassment, illegal logging, illegal mining among others.

However, he emphasized the insurgency problem in the region is within the control of police and military authorities, thus, they were able to limit the atrocities being committed by the rebels especially to the innocent civilians in remote areas.

Mountain Province Gov. Maximo Dalog urged the RPOC to initiate the pressure from all RPOCS nationwide to lobby for Congress to concur the issued amnesty proclamation so that prospective rebel returnees who had been waiting in the sidelines for so long would be able to be assured of government support before they will surrender.

He said numerous members of the New Peoples Army had already signified their intentions to surrender but the lack of clear-cut guidelines implementing the government’s amnesty program is holding them back due to the absence of alternatives offered to them when they will be back to the community.

The Cordillera RPOC’s resolution requesting both chambers of Congress to immediately concur Malacanang’s revised amnesty Proclamation would be forwarded to all RPOCs nationwide for support for Congress to act on the urgent matter.