BACOLOD CITY: The National Amnesty Commission (NAC), through the Local Amnesty Board (LAB) in this city, is accepting amnesty applications from former rebels in Negros Island and the neighboring provinces of Siquijor, Bohol and Cebu this week. The five-day processing of enrollment, which started Monday, is being held at Bacolod City College. The acceptance of applications came after the LAB-Bacolod, chaired by Negros Occidental Provincial Prosecutor Hermes Ariño, convened here for the first time last month. In an interview on Monday, Lt. Col. J-Jay Javines, public affairs chief of the Philippine Army's 3rd Infantry Division, said at least 100 former rebels are processing their applications. 'We are closely coordinating with our LABs. These applicants are under the coverage areas of 302nd and 303rd Infantry Brigades,' he added. Proclamation Nos. 403, 404, 405, and 406 in 2023, grant amnesty to members of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao B rigade, Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front and their front organizations, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and Moro National Liberation Front. After the assessment, LAB will forward its recommendations to the NAC, which will further review the applications for the President's final approval. Applicants facing arrest warrants and who want to submit their applications personally can request the LAB for a provisional safe conduct pass, while those incarcerated will be assisted by supervisory officers within their detention centers. The window for amnesty applications, according to the NAC, spans two years from the effective dates of the proclamations (March 4 and March 13, 2024). Source: Philippines News Agency