WITH the recent signing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, of the protocol on the decommissioning of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters and weapons that contains a provision on “confidence-building measures,” the government may eventually offer amnesty to separatist commanders, including those involved in the killing of 44 elite policemen in Maguindanao on January 25.

According to a well-placed source interviewed by The Manila Times, the “normalization” deal with the MILF shall compel President Benigno Aquino 3rd to grant pardon to convicted MILF commanders.