TACLOBAN CITY — A total of 127 individuals applied for amnesty in a single day during an Amnesty Orientation and Application Intake conducted by the Local Amnesty Board (LAB) of Tacloban at the Liga Function Hall here, the highest number of applicants recorded by the board in one activity.
The mass intake was made possible through coordinated efforts among various partner agencies, including the city governments of Tacloban and Ormoc, the Ormoc City Police Office, the 802nd Infantry Brigade, the 93rd Infantry Battalion, and Uswag Sinirangan Bisayas, which provided logistical support, processing assistance, and security during the event.
Legal assistance was extended by the Tacloban City Legal Office and the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), which deployed four lawyers and legal staff to guide applicants through the process.
The legal team included Attorneys Mary Rose Tisado-Irlandez and Nicole Monge from the Tacloban City Legal Office, and Attorneys Clint Octavius Labtic and Leover Burato from PAO, assisted by legal staff member Honey Eugenie Ayuban-Burato.
During the orientation, Atty. Labtic explained in Bisaya the crimes covered and excluded under the amnesty program to ensure applicants fully understood its scope and legal implications.
The amnesty covers offenses under the Revised Penal Code and special penal laws related to rebellion, insurrection, sedition, and other political offenses. Illegal possession of firearms used in connection with rebellion may also be covered. Common crimes such as murder or theft may qualify if committed in pursuit of political beliefs, subject to sufficient proof.
Excluded from the program are heinous crimes and offenses committed for personal gain, as well as crimes against international law, including kidnapping for ransom, massacre, rape, illegal drug offenses, terrorism, grave violations of the Geneva Conventions, genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture, and enforced disappearances.
The Local Amnesty Board credited strong inter-agency collaboration for the success of the activity, noting that the intake supports government efforts to expand access to justice and facilitate the reintegration of qualified individuals into their communities.
The deadline for accepting amnesty applications from members of the Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army–National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) is set on March 13, 2026.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
