“In Region XI, a total of six hundred twenty-three (623) former members of the CPP-NPA-NDF were successfully assisted in the filing and processing of their amnesty applications during the implementation period of the program,” Secretary Leo Tereso A. Magno, Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security XI (CORDS XI) said in a statement.
Signed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., Proclamation No. 404 series of 2023 grants amnesty for former members of the CPP–NPA–NDF, formally concluded on 13 March 2026.
Magno, who chairs the Joint Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (JRTF-ELCAC XI), has recognized this development “as a significant milestone for Davao Region in relation to the national government’s continuing efforts to promote reconciliation, strengthen national unity, secure a just and lasting peace across the country, and reinforce the conditions for inclusive growth and stability.”
He attributed the successful implementation of the amnesty program in Davao Region to the decisive leadership of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity – Local Conflict Transformation Field Implementation Support Unit (OPAPRU LCT-FISU Mindanao) and the National Amnesty Commission’s Local Amnesty Board – Davao.
“Working in strong partnership with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP), Provincial and Local Government Units (PLGUs), and member-agencies under the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (PTF-ELCAC) Enhanced Amnesty Program (EAP) Cluster, these institutions ensured that eligible applicants were properly informed, guided, and assisted throughout the amnesty process,” Magno said.
The CORDS XI official also recognized the contribution of Kalinaw Southeastern Mindanao, Inc., which served as a key peace partner throughout the program's implementation.
On Friday, the Provincial Local Government of Davao del Norte, the AFP’s 1003rd Infantry “Raptor” Brigade, and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity – Local Conflict Transformation–Field Implementation Support Unit in Mindanao (OPAPRU LCT-FISU Mindanao), and Kalinaw Southeastern Mindanao, Inc. formally marked the closing of the amnesty application for former members of the CPP–NPA–NDF in the Province of Davao del Norte with a ceremonial turn-over of the last batch of 82 amnesty applicants.
In Davao del Norte alone, a total of 134 former members of the CPP–NPA–NDF have applied for amnesty under Proclamation No. 404, Series of 2023. Significantly, a majority of these applicants are members of Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities from the Municipality of Talaingod, an area that for many years has experienced the adverse effects of armed conflict and insurgency-related activities.
“For many Indigenous Peoples of Talaingod, decades of insurgency created conditions that exposed vulnerable communities to recruitment, coercion, and exploitation by the CPP-NPA-NDF,” Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib said.
“Through initiatives like the amnesty program, the Government acknowledges the historical challenges and material conditions faced by these communities that make them vulnerable to insurgent influence and affirms its commitment to ensuring that Indigenous Peoples are protected, empowered, and fully integrated into the nation’s peace and development agenda,” Jubahib said.
Meanwhile, OPAPRU LCT-FISU Mindanao Director Atty. Elisa D. Evangelista-Lapina, Brigadier General Christopher M. Diaz, Commander, 1003RD Infantry “Raptor” Brigade, Ida Marie G. Montero-Lubguban, President, Kalinaw SEMR, Inc, and NAC LAB Davao’s Chris Gaerlan lauded the support given by the provincial local government of Davao del Norte for the successful completion of the amnesty application workshop in Davao del Norte underscores the effectiveness of the Whole-of-Nation Approach to End Local Communist Armed Conflicts.