The Marcos administration is serious about peace talks and reintegration. Instead of chasing rebels with arrests, it is offering them legal and safe path back to society, provided they apply for amnesty and show genuine intent to change.
This is the goal when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. authorized on Friday, through a memorandum order, the National Amnesty Commission (NAC) to issue safe conduct passes (SCPs) to individuals applying for amnesty, a move aimed at encouraging former rebels to return to the fold of the law.
Marcos signed the order during a ceremony at Camp Brigadier General Gonzalo H. Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, where he also called on government agencies to fully support the administration’s push for peace and reconciliation.
The SCP will allow applicants to engage with the amnesty program without fearing arrest while their documents are being processed.
It guarantees their safe passage and protection from warrantless arrest or seizure for crimes and offenses covered under existing amnesty proclamations. However, the pass applies only to applicants who are not currently detained.
“Ang paglagda natin ngayon ng memorandum order ay patunay na handa ang inyong pamahalaan na mag-abot ng kamay sa sinumang nagnanais na magbalik-loob sa batas [at sa] ating lipunan,” he said.
“Ngayong araw na ito, nais kong iparating sa inyo—bukas po ang aming pinto. Kung taus-puso ang inyong pagbabago, handa ang pamahalaan na makining, umalalay, at sumuporta sa inyong pagbabalik-loob,” Marcos added.
He expects the NAC, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and other line government agencies to work together in pushing the peace agenda forward.
The President stressed the relevance of recognizing the SCPs, saying that the participating agencies would help bring about peace and build the nation by luring former rebels back into society.
The NAC hailed the step, calling the memorandum order an unmistakable sign of the administration’s determination to advocate peace and healing among former rebels.
This follows President Marcos’ previous November 2023 Executive Order No. 47, which included processing of amnesty petitions under Proclamations 403, 404, 405, and 406 to Executive Order No. 125, series of 2021.
