Press Release - Sponsorship speech Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada

Payapa at panatag na buhay sa bawat Pilipino. This noble objective is enshrined in our Constitution and lies at the heart of every policy decision of the national government, including the Senate. This is the aim of our long-term development plans that shapes our priority legislative agenda. Also, the silencing of guns, an end to warfare, and the cessation of hostilities serve as the bedrock of prosperity and economic growth.

With that, Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, as your Chairperson of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, I have the distinct honor to sponsor four (4) Committee Reports numbered 200, 201, 202, and 203 which are in line with the collective aspiration of the Filipino people for a peaceful and united nation. Our Committee Reports respectfully recommend the adoption of House Concurrent Resolutions 19, 20, 21, and 22 concurring with Presidential Proclamations 403, 404, 405, and 406, respectively.

The said proclamations grant amnesty to:

1. The members of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPMP-RPA-ABB);

2. The former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF);

3. The members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF); and

4. The members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

Through the years, Philippine presidents have exercised their power to grant executive clemency to certain qualified individuals towards the advancement of reconciliation and in pursuit of social cohesion.

Under the 1987 Constitution, this presidential power is tempered by the requirement to seek the approval of the legislature by requiring the concurrence of a majority of all the Members of the Congress to take full effect. Hence, this representation humbly seeks the support of this august chamber to allow the members of rebel groups and those who have been entangled in armed conflicts to be reintegrated into mainstream society and welcome them back into the folds of the law.

As in other jurisdictions around the world, amnesty has also been judiciously wielded as an