I have discussed amnesty for the past two weeks and there is no stopping this train. Amnesty is what the government wants. More importantly it's what Duterte wants.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1130859 |
President Rodrigo Duterte has signed four proclamations granting amnesty to members of the communist movement, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Mangagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPMP-RPA-ABB).
Duterte on Feb. 5 signed Proclamations 1090, 1091, 1092, and 1093 to grant amnesty to members of the said groups who have committed crimes in pursuit of their political beliefs.
Palace released the copy of the proclamations, which shall take effect upon concurrence by a majority of all the members of Congress, on Tuesday.
In his proclamations, Duterte said the government’s peace policy is to nurture a climate conducive for peace, as well as to implement programs for reconciliation and reintegration of rebels into mainstream society.
“There is a need for the government to act on former combatants request for the grant of amnesty so that they may live in peace in the pursuit of productive endeavors without prejudice to any legal arrangement that may result from a negotiated settlement which the government is pursuing with the various rebel and insurgent groups,” the proclamations read.
According to the presidential proclamations, the grant of amnesty in favor of the former rebels will “promote an atmosphere conducive to the attainment of a just, comprehensive, and enduring equanimity.”
Granting amnesty is also in line with the government’s call for peace, unity, and reconciliation to bring closure to past enmity, rancor, and bitterness that has stymied lasting amity among Filipinos, the proclamations said.
The one thing amnesty will not do is grant justice to those who have been affected by these terrorists. Fore years the MILF has been a threat to the people of Mindanao. But now over 1,000 MILF terrorists have been granted amnesty.
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/19/21/barmm-official-says-around-1000-milf-members-to-be-granted-amnesty |
Some 1,000 members of Moro Islamic Liberation Front who committed crimes for their political beliefs will be granted amnesty by President Rodrigo Duterte, an official of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) said Friday.
BARMM Interior Minister Naguib Sinarimbo said this was part of the normalization track of the comprehensive agreement on the fledgling self-governing region with the rebel group.
As a confidence-building measure, the amnesty proclamation encourages combatants to transition into civilian life, he said.
"The other one is if they are to participate in political exercises such as the right to vote or being voted for in the event they want to participate in the political process, [criminal] cases would affect their chances of running for public office," Sinarimbo told ANC.
The amnesty erases criminal liability and restores political rights of an individual.
Among those set to benefit from the proclamation are members of MILF's central committee and senior commanders, Sinarimbo said.
In exchange for the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the Philippines should get something like $16 billion that Pakistan had received in counterterrorism assistance from the United States from 2001 to 2017, Malacañang said on Monday.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the Philippines received only a total of $3.9 billion from the United States in the same period.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier said the US government must pay if it wanted to keep the VFA, an agreement signed in 1998 that allows American troops to come to the Philippines for joint military exercises with Filipino troops and humanitarian missions.
This is just ridiculous. For one thing the Philippines is not in the same situation as Pakistan. For another thing the Philippines has received more money than any other country in SEA.
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| https://ph.usembassy.gov/acting-us-defense-secretary-turns-over-php1-4-billion-in-military-equipment-to-strengthen-security-cooperation/ |
The Philippines is by far the largest recipient of U.S. military assistance in the Indo-Pacific region. Since 2015, the United States has delivered more than Php33 billion ($650 million) worth of planes, ships, armored vehicles, small arms, and other military equipment to the Philippines, while training side-by-side with our Filipino allies.
Unless the Palace wants to admit that the Philippines is a war zone like Pakistan it is time for them to cease with this crazy demand.
Meanwhile terrorists continue to be caught.
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/363737/traffic-violation-leads-to-arrest-in-lapu-lapu-of-12-alleged-mnlf-recruits |
A traffic violation led to the arrest in Punta Engaño, Lapu-Lapu City on Sunday, February 14, of 12 men, who claimed to be members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) .
The 12 men, who are not mostly from Lapu-Lapu City and were wearing military uniforms, would be charged for violation of article 117 or usurpation of authority, and article 179 or illegal use of uniform and insignia under the Revised Penal Code (RPC), said Police Lieutenant Colonel Resty Santos, deputy director for administration of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO), in a press briefing on Monday, February 15.
The 12 men were wearing military uniforms with patches of the MNLF logo on them.
Investigation showed that it all started when two men, who were wearing military uniforms with MNLF logo patches, and riding on separate motorcycles were apprehended at a checkpoint in Punta Engaño in Lapu-Lapu City at past 2 p.m. of February 14.
Both riders— Joseph Bregildo, 23, and April John dela Cerna, 21 — were brought to the Mactan Police Station for further questioning.
Later, 10 other men in military uniform with MNLF patches also arrived at the Mactan Police Station and tried to intervene with the police investigation against Bregildo and Dela Cerna.
They identified themselves as being connected to the Philippine Navy.
But since they could not present documents that they were connected with the military, Santos said that they were also arrested and detained.
Surrenders continue to occur as well. This has resulted in 13 North Cotobabto villages to be declared insurgent free.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1131060 |
Thirteen remote villages in North Cotabato have been “cleared” of the presence and influence of the communist New People’s Army (NPA), North Cotabato Governor Nancy Catamco said Thursday.
Catamco made the statement after meeting with officials of Police Regional Office (PRO) 12 (Soccsksargen) and the Army’s 10th Infantry Division (10ID) at the Provincial Capitol in Kidapawan City on Wednesday.
She said the cleared areas are covered by the End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) program, as validated by the Area Clearing and Validation Board (ACVD) composed of officials of the 10ID, PRO-12, and 72nd Infantry Battalion (IB).
The areas are Bituan, Banayal, Nabundasan, Tuburan, Magbok, and Daig in Tulunan town; and Sto. Niño, Santa Felomina, Luayon, Malasila, Cabilao, Malungon, and Malabuan in Makilala municipality.
Lt. Col Geoffrey Carandang, 39th IB commander and representative of the 10ID, said more government services are expected to come into the villages as part of the interventions.
Now that these villages are free of NPA influence they can expect more government services. Why not increase those services in the first place? It is the government's plan to allocate P20 million for barangays who clear out the NPA. This money is for development projects.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1398134/esperon-why-davao-got-bulk-of-anti-insurgency-fund |
The bulk of the funds of the controversial National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) was allocated to the Davao region and Davao City, home of President Rodrigo Duterte, because of the military’s success in quelling the communist insurgency there, according to National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr.
In a statement dated Feb. 21, Esperon, who sits as the vice chair of NTF-Elcac, said that a total of 215 barangays in the Davao region have been cleared of the influence of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its guerrilla arm, the New People’s Army (NPA), from 2016 to 2019.
“The former NPA communities are now ripe for developmental projects through the Barangay Development Program (BDP),” said Esperon, who was Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff from 2006 to 2008.
The BDP is an incentive for barangays that have cleared their areas of communists. Under the program, each of the 822 barangays listed by the NTF-Elcac is set to receive P20 million.
This will be earmarked for socioeconomic development such as for farm-to-market roads (P12 million), livelihood (P1.5 million), irrigation (P1.5 million), health stations (P1.5 million) and school buildings (P3 million).
“The Davao region will be receiving projects and funding for school buildings, among other projects, in order to provide places of learning which will replace the closed NPA learning and recruitment institutions,” he noted.
No NPA means barangays can now get the services from the government they need and deserve. But just imagine if the Philippines had been constantly developing over the past 500 years and there were excellent roads connecting farms to markets, well funded health programs, and schools buildings for all. It would be a totally different country right now.
What's a surrendered NPA terrorist to do with his life? Why not become part of the CAFGU militia?
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1130923 |
Government troops are planning to tap former members of the New People’s Army (NPA) who have surrendered and availed of the reintegration program for the proposed new auxiliary force that would operate in parts of Sarangani and Sultan Kudarat provinces.
Lt. Col. Edgardo Vilchez, commanding officer of the Army’s 38th Infantry Battalion, said Wednesday the discussions are underway with rebel returnees from this city and nearby Sarangani province for their enlistment as members of the Citizen’s Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu).
He said they are currently pushing for the establishment of a new Cafgu company for the area that will be composed of 85 to 100 members.
The official said they have submitted a request to their higher headquarters for the creation of the additional unit to help protect communities in the municipalities of Maasim, Kiamba and Maitum (Makima) in Sarangani and Palimbang in Sultan Kudarat.
“We will prioritize our rebel returnees to compose this Cafgu company so we’re hoping that this request will be granted,” he said in a report.
Vilchez said the former NPA rebels would be a big help in terms of securing the area since they are already familiar with the terrain and conditions of local communities.
They could also assist in convincing the remaining active combatants of the communist terrorist group to also surrender and lead normal lives, he said.
Authorities earlier said the NPA units in the area, which is under the Front 73 of the Far South Mindanao Revolutionary Committee, have been significantly decimated in the last two years due to the series of mass surrenders by their cadres, supporters and militia members.
Citing accounts from former rebel returnees, Vilchez said the active regular combatants of the remaining NPA units operating in the Makima area and Palimbang have gone down to less than 40, with only 19 reportedly carrying firearms.
If they don't want to carry arms against their former comrades they can always get married like these happy communist couples.
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| https://www.kalinawnews.com/8-former-npa-couples-marry-in-zamboanga-del-norte/ |
Eight (8) Former NPA Rebel (FR) who surrendered to 97th Infantry “Kalasaglahi” Battalion officially tied the knot and exchanged their vows in a civil wedding ceremony held at Municipal Capitol of Leon B. Postigo, Zamboanga del Norte last 18 February 2021.
The newly wed couples were former members of the dismantled Communist-New People’s Army- Terrorist Cells “HQ-KALAW” Regional Operations Command and Main Regional Guerilla Unit (MRGU) both of the Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee (WMRPC) of the CPP-NPA-NDF. Last August 2020 the 97th Infantry Battalion was able to dismantle HQ KALAW the Regional Operations Command unit of the WMRPC.
The union of the former NPA rebels couples was sponsored by Local Government Unit (LGU) of Leon B. Postigo led by Hon. Aidaroz M. Hambali who also presided over the wedding ceremony while the food and drinks for the reception was sponsored by LGU Sindangan led by Hon. Rosendo Labadlabad. Wedding gifts were given to the couples by Provincial Government Unit of Zamboanga del Norte led by Gov. Roberto Y. Uy.
I guess the couples who fight against the government together stays together?
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