House to pass concurrences on Marcos amnesty proclamations before Christmas break

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 30) —The House of Representatives is aiming to approve all the resolutions concurring with the proclamations issued by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granting amnesty to former rebels before Congress goes on holiday break next month.

Speaker Martin Romualdez and other ranking congressmen on Wednesday filed House Concurrent Resolutions 19, 20, 21, and 22, which were already referred to the House Committee on Justice.

«We will act with dispatch on these concurrent resolutions and we will strive to approve them before our Christmas break so that rebels who sincerely desire to return to the fold of law and lead normal lives, along with the members of their family, and our nation in general, could enjoy the blessings of peace as soon as possible,» said Romualdez in a statement Thursday.

Marcos earlier issued four proclamations granting amnesty to members of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and the Moro National Liberation Front, and former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front.

But the proclamations do not cover crimes such as kidnap-for-ransom, massacre, rape, and terrorism, among others.

The amnesty proclamations issued by the chief executive “shall take effect upon concurrence by a majority of all the Members of the Congress.”

Meanwhile, the Amnesty Commission shall issue the implementing rules and regulations covering the amnesty program not later than 15 days upon the effectivity of the amnesty proclamation.

The 19th Congress will adjourn session from Dec. 16, 2023 to January 21, 2024.