Senate adopts House reso on amnesty for mutineers

The Senate on Tuesday adopted the House of Representatives’ version of a resolution concurring with the amended presidential proclamation granting amnesty to soldiers and policemen involved in at least three attempts to overthrow the Arroyo administration. Senator Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the Senate committee on peace, unification, and reunification, said they moved to adopt House Resolution No. 8 so that the executive branch can immediately start the processing of the applications for amnesty. Guingona noted, however, that he is not in favor of the recommendations of the House that (1) no application for amnesty shall be given due course without the applicant admitting his guilt or criminal culpability of any or all of the subject incidents in writing as expressed in the application; and (2) the decision granting amnesty shall not be executory pending appeal. "The President dictates the underlying principles, the terms and conditions of the amnesty proclamation. Congress has no power to amend or to add conditions to the proclamation. That is very clear from the constitutional provision," he said during his sponsorship speech. He added that it is the sole prerogative of the executive branch whether it will follow these recommendations. "Congress cannot force the hand of the President. The discretion lies solely with the President." Thirteen senators voted to adopt the House resolution, while two — Sen. Joker Arroyo and Sen. Gregorio Honasan — abstained. "I would like to have my vote recorded as abstention. The issue of conflict of interest may be raised and I believe I may be a potential beneficiary of the proclamation," Honasan said during Tuesday’s session. Honasan and some members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) were earlier listed as participants in the 2006 Marines standoff and were included in the more than 300 supposed beneficiaries of the amnesty grant. Arroyo, for his part, 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 to overthrow the government. Executive Secretarty Paquito Ochoa Jr., however, clarified that they just gathered the list of persons against whom cases were filed in connection with the rebellion and those who might likewise be involved in the incidents as reported to the Department of Justice. Among those who stand to benefit from the amnesty grant is Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, a former Navy official who is facing coup d’etat charges before the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) branch 148 and rebellion charges before the Makati RTC branch 150. Some 300 other suspected mutineers are also expected to benefit from the amnesty grant, including resigned officers Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and Col. Ariel Querubin. Both Lim and Querubin lost in their respective bids for the Senate during the May 10 polls. Covered by the amnesty proclamation were those allegedly involved in: