MANILA — The chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on Tuesday said he hopes President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will tackle developments on the amnesty and decommissioning of former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members during his second State of the Nation Address (SONA).

"We are hoping that during the SONA, it will be included. This amnesty, the declaration has already been made, and the decommissioning will also be included," BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim said.

Several members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) also presented the State of Bangsamoro Amnesty, with some of the region's lawmakers calling for "blanket amnesty."

Under Presidential Proclamation 1090, amnesty does not cover members of the MILF who were involved in cases related to kidnap-for-ransom, massacre, rape, terrorism, and other crimes against chastity.

It also does not include crimes committed for personal ends, drug-related crimes, as well as crimes the United Nations considers as ineligible for amnesty: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture, enforced disappearances, and other human rights violations.

Some members of the BTA Parliament hoped that under blanket amnesty, MILF members would be totally cleared of their past crimes, and the amnesty would not be selective.

Since BARMM was established in 2019, more than 20,000 former MILF combatants have been disarmed through the decommissioning process.

But some of the former militants fear that they may one day be apprehended and imprisoned due to pending cases.

As of January 2023, there are 489 former MILF members on the list of applicants for amnesty, among them Member of Parliament (MP) Akmad Abas.

"That is why, we want the amnesty as soon as possible and should be implemented soon," he said.

For his part, MP Suharto Esmal said that amnesty and decommissioning should go hand and hand.

"There should be a simultaneous process where amnesty and decommissioning should not be separated. When we separate them, during the decommissioning, we disarm our combatants, but at the end of the day, if they are not given amnesty, their fears and worries will not be eliminated. So, it should be done in parallel," Esmal said.

As of writing, no new proclamations were made on the amnesty program under the Marcos administration.

However, the National Amnesty Commission officials have already taken their Oath in January this year, and the constitution of Local Amnesty Boards has already begun.

Marcos is set to deliver his second SONA before a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives at the Batasang Pambansa Complex on Monday, July 24.

Marcos earlier said his SONA would focus on how the Philippines has "made significant progress" so far under his administration.

• Marcos Jr says 2nd SONA to show PH 'made significant progress'

—Report from Lerio Bompat

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