Photo Release

Amnesty for rebel groups: Sen. Panfilo Lacon, chairman of the Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, presides over a hybrid hearing Tuesday, September 28, 2021, on several measures from the House of Representatives concurring with presidential proclamations on the granting of amnesty to members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Moro National Liberation Front, the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPMP-RPA-ABB) and the communist terrorist group. Lacson, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy and former chief of the Philippine National Police during the Estrada administration, said the Senate hearing was called in the spirit of reconciliation with the message of peace. “It is with great weight and importance that we hear the measures concurring with the grant of amnesty as there are over 7,600 applicants who may be willing to return to the fold of the law and live in peace as members of the society,” Lacson said. He said the grant of amnesty has always been a tool for national reconciliation and an act of compassion. (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB)