Manila: A ranking official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) cannot counter and claim that the government's amnesty program is a failure, citing the large number of former communist insurgents who have availed of this life-changing initiative.

According to Philippines News Agency, NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., in a statement over the weekend, said the CPP greatly fears this development as the program reveals it struggles to contain the steady exodus of its members. "This is what the CPP fears-the truth that their own members are leaving, choosing dignity, stability, and a brighter future with their families," he added.

Unable to stop these departures, Torres said the CPP is resorting to delegitimizing those who choose peace and dismissing their testimonies. He, however, said the claims of amnesty applicants are hard to dispute as "these are sworn statements, validated through due process and they expose the reality of life inside the armed movement."

Torres also emphasized that the success of the amnesty program is closely linked to the government's broader peace and development initiatives, particularly the Barangay Development Program, which delivers infrastructure and basic services to conflict-affected communities. "While the CPP offers only conflict, the government offers construction-not just of roads and schools, but of lives and communities. For the CPP, amnesty may be just a piece of paper. But for thousands of Filipinos, it is a passport back to society, stability, and hope," he said.

Torres, citing figures provided by the National Amnesty Commission, said the amnesty program has already received 16,003 applications, far exceeding the initial projection of 10,000. Of these, 13,633 were actual combatants and supporters of the armed struggle under the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF). Their applications were received before the March 13 deadline set for the group. Meanwhile, 1,240 applicants came from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), while the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) had 646.

Another 484 applications were submitted by members of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa-Pilipinas / Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPM-P/RPA-ABB) who now call themselves the Kapatiran. The deadline for MILF, MNLF, and RPM-P/RPA-ABB applicants was set earlier on March 4.