DND readies panel to process amnesty applications of rebel soldiers

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of National Defense (DND) has readied a panel that will process the amnesty applications of rebel soldiers after Congress approved the amnesty proclamation issued by President Aquino.

This developed as the Senate adopted Concurrent Resolution No. 8 of the House of Representatives, approving Proclamation 75 granting amnesty to the officers and enlisted personnel implicated in the three coup attempts against the previous administration.

With a vote of 13 in favor and two abstentions, the Senate concurred with the House Concurrent Resolution No. 8, including the recommendations inserted by the House for the implementing rules and regulations of the proclamation.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the amnesty committee would consist of military and defense officials, which will be headed by Undersecretary for Defense Affairs Honorio Azcueta. “Once its (proclamation) IRR is implemented, the applications will be processed. They (rebel soldiers) will have to apply before the committee under Undersecretary Azcueta,” Gazmin said.

Members of the amnesty committee include Defense Undersecretary for Legal Affairs Pio Lorenzo Batino, DND Assistant Secretary for Personnel Lamberto Sillona, Armed Forces deputy chief for Personnel Rear Adm. Cornelio de la Cruz and AFP Judge Advocate-General Brig. Gen. Gilberto Roa.

Gazmin said the processing of applications would be immediate but this would also depend on the availability of records.

Batino said applicants would be asked to fill up an application form and to present court records showing they have been charged for the crime. Applicants would also be required to narrate their involvement in the uprisings against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Gazmin stressed the reintegration of enlisted personnel tagged in the uprisings will not affect the stability of the military. “The AFP has prepared for this. This has been discussed during troop information and education,” he said.

President Aquino in October issued the proclamation that granted amnesty to military personnel accused of trying to oust the Arroyo administration. The amnesty would cover 378 officers and enlisted men including detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, the former Navy officer who led the Oakwood mutiny in 2003.

The proclamation also covers the cases of former Marine commandant Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, Marine Col. Ariel Querubin and Army Scout Ranger chief Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim who took part in a failed power grab in 2006. Lim joined Trillanes and other officers when they walked out during a court hearing in Makati City in November 2007 and took over the Manila Peninsula Hotel.

The amnesty would remove the criminal liability of the mutineers, which means their cases in court would be dropped once Congress approves the proclamation.

Officers and master sergeants covered by the amnesty are not entitled to a reinstatement. The amnesty would also restore the right of military personnel to avail of retirement benefits.

Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the committee on peace, unification and reconciliation that approved the amnesty proclamation for floor debates, said the recommendations inserted by the House does not need approval by Congress since this would be for the President to decide. – With Marvin Sy