THE National Amnesty Commission (NAC) is in the process of finalizing the issuance of Safe Conduct passes for political dissidents.
Last Wednesday, April 23, NAC hosted an inter-agency meeting to discuss the first draft of the Implementing Guidelines of Memorandum Order No. 36, series of 2025.
The Memorandum Order No. 36 authorizes the NAC to issue Safe Conduct Passes (SCPs) and allows the Local Amnesty Board (LAB) to issue Provisional Safe Conduct Passes to rebels and former rebels applying for amnesty.
The NAC has been tasked with issuing the necessary guidelines for effective implementation within 30 days of the memorandum’s issuance on April 8.
This order is aimed at encouraging potential applicants for amnesty to participate in the program, with the filing deadline set for March 3, 2026, for rebels of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa – Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPMA-RPA-ABB); and March 13, 2026, for former rebels of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) and its front organizations.
Commission members, Ex-Officio representatives, and officials from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) participated in the meeting as part of the Technical Working Group (TWG), which is refining the draft guidelines.
The NAC welcomed the valuable insights and contributions shared by its partner agencies and emphasized the importance of close collaboration in finalizing the Implementing Guideline, which it intends to release before May 8, 2025.
This collaborative effort aims to ensure that the rules align with current laws, regulations, and procedures, and that they effectively support the ultimate goal of assisting amnesty applicants in reintegrating into society.
The NAC is also closing the week with 2,674 total applications received through its 20 LABs.
Former members of the CPP-NPA-NDF and its front organizations submitted a total of 1,772 applications while members of the MILF, MNLF, and RPM-P/RPA/ABB submitted 545, 292, and 65 amnesty applications, respectively.
With the recent approval of the SCP issuance, the NAC is looking forward to receiving more amnesty applications as submissions are set to conclude in March 2026.
