𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐦𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐈𝐥𝐨𝐢𝐥𝐨 𝐀𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦

18 October 2024 (Iloilo City) — The Local Amnesty Board (LAB) Secretariat in Iloilo City participated in the Regional Joint Validation Committee (RJVC) Meeting at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Police Regional Office 6 (PRO6), held at the Madia-as Hall in Camp Martin Teofilo Delgado, Iloilo City.

Representatives from various coordinating agencies, including the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Department of Justice (DOJ), National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), and the PNP, were in attendance.

Prosecutor II Flosemer Chris Gonzales, Chairman of the RJVC and representative of the Office of the Regional Prosecutor, opened the meeting with welcoming remarks. He explained the role of the RJVC in validating amnesty applications, emphasizing the importance of coordination among all participating agencies to ensure a streamlined validation process.

Among those present were OPAPRU representatives, Juniel Guath and Hennie Dionela; PNP officers Police Colonel Joriz Cantoria (Deputy Regional Director for Operations, PRO6), Police Lieutenant Colonel Reuben Siason (Officer-in-Charge, Regional Intelligence and Detective Management Division), Police Colonel Gilbert Gorero (Chief, Regional Operations Division), Police Colonel Adrian Acollador (Chief, Regional Community Affairs and Development Division), Police Major Ma. Theresa Lero (Chief, Intelligence Research Section, RID), and Police Colonel Giovanni Musico (Chief, Regional Intelligence Division); and AFP representative Major Robert Busaing (62nd Infantry Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, Philippine Army).

By the end of the meeting, the RJVC produced a Validation Report, which will be forwarded to LAB Iloilo. LAB members will hold a conference to deliberate on the validated amnesty applications.

Police Colonel Gorero commended the structure of the RJVC, highlighting how the involvement of multiple agencies has streamlined the validation process, making it more efficient due to enhanced inter-agency cooperation.

Several key points were raised during the meeting. OPAPRU suggested that LAB Iloilo forward referrals at an earlier stage to expedite information-gathering on applicants. Police Major Lero also raised a concern regarding applicants whose membership dates far back, making them difficult to trace in the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) records.

LAB Iloilo will continue to coordinate with the RJVC for future meetings. Notably, this joint verification committee is the first of its kind among LABs in the Philippines. LAB Iloilo, together with its partner agencies, is proud to implement a system that fosters streamlined communication and expedient verification.

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