Philippine rebels eligible for amnesty

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine president has approved an amnesty program for Muslim and communist rebels who would agree to surrender their weapons as they return to normal life in the latest such attempt to tame rural insurgencies that have raged for half a century.

Thousands of guerrillas belonging to two large Muslim groups in the country’s south and a communist rebel faction could apply for the amnesty within a year after it gets approved by the congress, according to President Rodrigo Duterte’s signed orders made public late Tuesday.

The three rebel groups have signed separate peace deals with Duterte’s predecessors that have eased decades of fighting but have not been fully enforced because of unresolved issues. Leaders of the largest armed group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, have been put in charge temporarily of administering a new Muslim autonomous region in the south while thousands of its fighters are disarmed.

Duterte also agreed to include former insurgents who once belonged to the main communist New People’s Army in his amnesty program. He labeled the organization a “terrorist group” in his amnesty proclamation. His administration’s peace talks with the Marxist group collapsed after the sides accused each other of attacks despite peace negotiations brokered by Norway.

Duterte has promised to resolve Muslim and communist insurgencies before he leaves office. His term ends in June next year.