NTF-ELCAC exec says Amnesty Program a success

A RANKING official of the NaAe Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Thursday said the government’s Amnesty Program has emerged as a resounding success, with more than 16,000 former rebels stepping forward to reclaim peaceful lives—prompting authorities to push for its continuation for another two years, or until 2028, as more applicants are expected in the coming months.

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NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., in a statement, said the overwhelming response to the program underscores a decisive shift on the ground, where former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) are choosing peace over armed struggle.

“The numbers speak for themselves. This is not failure—this is a quiet but decisive victory for peace,” Torres said, even as he dismissed claims by the CPP that the amnesty initiative is an “epic fail.”

He stressed that the Amnesty Program is voluntary and grounded in law, with no coercion involved.

“No one is forced to apply. They come forward on their own, acknowledge their past, and submit to a legitimate legal process. If this were truly a failure, there would be no applicants. Yet thousands have stepped forward nationwide,” he said.