Senate body OKs revised amnesty proclamation

(Updated 11:59 a.m.) The Senate committee on peace, unification, and reconciliation on Tuesday approved the resolution concurring with the amended presidential proclamation granting amnesty to soldiers and policemen involved in at least three attempts to overthrow the Arroyo administration. The Senate body made the approval even after it grilled Malacañang, specifically Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., over the supposed erroneous list of alleged mutineers who stand to benefit from the amnesty grant. Senator Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the peace committee, earlier revealed that Sen. Gregorio Honasan and some members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) were listed as participants in the 2006 Marines standoff and were included in the more than 300 supposed beneficiaries of the amnesty grant. Senator Joker Arroyo, who abstained from voting on the resolution, said it was insulting how the Palace provided a list that would imply that a senator and some of the country's soldiers conspired with communist rebels against the government. "We deserve a little more respect. You better do your intelligence work, how the hell was he (Honasan) included here? Why did you (also) include here the CPP-NPA?" he said during Tuesday's hearing. Honasan likewise said Malacañang needs to "reconcile" the list. "The ball now is back in the office of the executive secretary. They will have to reconcile this list. But I’m not blaming them," he told reporters. Ochoa, however, clarified that they just gathered the list of people against whom cases were filed in connection with the mutiny incidents and those who might likewise be involved in the incidents as reported to the Departmenft of Justice (DOJ). "We did our homework. We believe that there should have been no confusion in the first place," he told reporters after the hearing, adding that they have no intention of coming up with a new list of amnesty beneficiaries. Ochoa added that Honasan has a pending case with the DOJ that is under preliminary investigation. No need to clean list of mutineers But Guingona said there was no need to clean the list because the only list that matters is the list of mutineers who would actually apply for amnesty. "Hindi complete yung list, hindi all inclusive, hindi definitive yung list na yun (The list provided by the Palace is not complete, it is not all inclusive, and is not definitive)," he said. He added that even members of the NPA can apply for the grant but that it is still up to the Department of National Defense whether their application would be approved. Guingona said that Malacañang has also committed to look into the cases related with the mutiny incidents pending with the DOJ. "Those cases are clearly political persecution made by the previous government," he said. On November 25, the Senate and the House of Representatives received from Malacañang their respective copies of Proclamation No. 75, the amended version of Proclamation No. 50 which was earlier submitted to Congress in October. Proclamation No. 75 aims to grant amnesty to all active and former personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) and their supporters, who committed acts or omissions punishable under the Revised Penal Code, the Articles of War or other special laws related to the following:

the July 27, 2003 Oakwood Mutiny;

the February 2006 Marines Stand-Off;

the November 29, 2007 Manila Peninsula Incident, and/or related incidents "provided that amnesty shall not cover crimes against chastity and other crimes committed for personal ends." The amnesty takes effect upon the concurrence of Congress. Guingona said they plan to take up the concurrent resolution during Tuesday's Senate session. Last week, the House committees on justice and national defense approved the resolution concurring with Proclamation 75 granting amnesty to mutineers. Among those who stand to benefit from the amnesty is detained Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who is facing charges before military and civilian courts in connection with the Oakwood incident and the siege of the Peninsula Manila hotel. — RSJ/LBG, GMANews.TV