MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has approved an amnesty program for Muslim and communist rebels who would agree to surrender their weapons as they return to normal life. It’s the latest such attempt to tame rural insurgencies that have raged for half a century. Duterte’s amnesty proclamations were meant for thousands of guerrillas belonging to two large Muslim groups in the country’s south and a communist rebel faction. Duterte also agreed to include former insurgents who once belonged to the main communist New People’s Army. The rebels should apply for the amnesty within a year after it gets approved by Congress.
