DND opens doors to amnesty applicants

The Department of National Defense (DND) has opened its doors to military and police personnel who want to avail of the amnesty extended by President Benigno Aquino III. Covered by the amnesty are those implicated in the three failed attempts to overthrow the Arroyo administration, including Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, a former Navy officer. “Pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 75, the Department is now in the process of accepting amnesty applications. An Ad Hoc Amnesty Committee is tasked with receiving and processing of these applications," said Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin. “Starting today (Monday), applications for amnesty can be submitted to the Department of National Defense and I have been told that this will be open for a 90-day period," said AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta. Mabanta said he was not aware if anybody has already filed their application forms as of Monday afternoon. He said they are anticipating applications to be submitted to the DND committee in the next few days. The committee, headed by Undersecretary Honorio Azcueta, will accept and process the application before making a recommendation to Gazmin, who will then forward it to President Aquino for the final approval. Rules and regulation The amnesty proclamation and its Implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR) were published in national dailies Thursday last week, paving the way for its actual implementation. Under the IRR, applicants must admit that they violated the Constitution, criminal laws and the Articles of War. President Aquino’s Proclamation 75 provides for the granting of amnesty to active and former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel and their supporters who figured in the July 2003 Oakwood mutiny, the February 2006 Marines standoff, and the November 2007 Manila Peninsula Hotel siege. The IRR provides that applicants must personally file their application forms with the DND amnesty committee through its secretary within 90 days upon the publication of Proclamation 75 and its IRR. Amnesty application forms are available at the DND Amnesty Committee Secretariat located at the AFP Commissioned Officers Club in Camp Aguinaldo. Forms can also be downloaded at the websites of the DND and the AFP. The members of the committee are DND Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino, DND Assistant Secretary Lamberto Sillona, AFP Judge Advocate General Brig. Gen. Gilberto Roa, and Rear Admiral Cornelio Dela Cruz, the new AFP deputy chief of staff for education and training. Rare opportunity Mabanta, meanwhile, urged the alleged mutineers to avail of the amnesty, describing it as a rare opportunity. “The amnesty plan . . . has been laid down on the table and I think they should take advantage of this opportunity. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said. Aside from Trillanes, others who are qualified for the amnesty are former Scout Ranger chief Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, former Marine commandant Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda and Marines Col. Ariel Querubin. – KBK, GMANews.TV