GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 7 May 2026) – The independent Third Party Monitoring Team (TPMT) has expressed support for extending the amnesty program for members of the 40,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). In its 119-page 9th Public Report released last Tuesday in Makati City, the TPMT noted that the amnesty program for the MILF “has begun to gather momentum after a slow start” and recommended extending the application period, which expired in March, by another year to encourage more applicants. The amnesty program for MILF combatants ended on March 4. The TPMT, chaired by former European Union diplomat Heino Marius, emphasized the need to accelerate the actual granting of amnesties. The National Amnesty Commission (NAC) proposed extending the amnesty program for all rebel groups for two years, a suggestion backed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., aiming to extend it until 2028. On November 22, 2023, Marcos issued Proclamation Nos. 403, 404, 405, and 406 granting amnesty to members of various rebel groups, including the MILF and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). The NAC has received 16,207 amnesty applications, surpassing its initial target of 10,000, with most applicants coming from the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) at 13,863, and the MILF at 1,240. So far, Marcos has granted amnesty to 20 applicants—19 from the CPP-NPA-NDF and one from the MILF, Jannati Mimbantas, now a member of the Bangsamoro Parliament. The amnesty program is part of the normalization track under the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), which has lagged behind the political track in implementation, according to the TPMT’s report covering November 2023 to April 2026. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)
