By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Despite the announcement of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to grant amnesty to rebel groups, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has blatantly defied its Commander-in-Chief by saying that there will be no ceasefire and the fight against insurgency continues.

Some political pundits told Maharlika NuMedia that this controversial amnesty proclamation could be used by the “hawks” in the military establishment as a pretext to launch a coup d’etat against Marcos Jr. and hand over the presidency to “rabid anti-communist” Vice President Sara Duterte.

“While we are offering this opportunity for them to return the fold of the law, we will continue to exert pressure. We will continue to conduct security patrols. Kasi iyong encounter po, nangyayari naman ito dahil sila ay na andiyan at lumalaban,” AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar declared at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City on Saturday, November 25.

He said the AFP will continue to conduct security protocols to ensure the safety of communities, especially in areas still under the influence of what the AFP tags as terrorist groups.

For his part, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro on Friday, November 24, lauded Marcos’ issuance of Executive Order (EO) No. 47 (s. 2023), which amended EO No. 125 (s. 2021) or the Creation of the National Amnesty Commission (NAC), together with Proclamation Nos. 403, 404, 405, and 406.

“The granting of amnesty offers an invaluable opportunity for our brothers and sisters to transform their lives, avail [of] government services, and rejoin their families and communities,” Teodoro noted.

He added that the DND is hoping for the support of all Filipinos for PBBM’s “historic move” to find a long-lasting solution to the internal conflicts.

Earlier, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), headed by lawyer and former journalist Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil, said the amnesty is granted to organizations that committed crimes whether punishable under the Revised Penal Code or special penal laws, including but not limited to rebellion or insurrection; conspiracy and proposal to commit rebellion or insurrection; disloyalty of public officers or employees; inciting to rebellion or insurrection; sedition; conspiracy to commit sedition; and inciting to sedition.

According to the PCO, the amnesty was granted “to encourage them (rebels) to return to the folds of law.”

Still, the problem lies in the mindset of some military officials who only see the “military solution” as the means to end armed insurgency, said some political observers who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal.

“Millions of pesos of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) will be gone if there’s no more insurgency,” they said.

They noted that VP Duterte has justified the use of CIF for her “anti-communist” drive but drew public uproar when the Office of the Vice President (OVP) spent P125 million in just 11 days in 2022.

(ai/mnm)