PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said that, if Congress permits, he is willing to grant communists rebels who are interested to surrender to the authorities a general amnesty.

“Maybe, just maybe, if Congress will agree with me, I will declare a general amnesty, except [for] criminals. Hindi ko talaga tatanggapin ang criminals,” Duterte said Saturday during a media gathering at Matina Enclaves.

According to him, he is willing to provide the rebels housing and job opportunities if they wish to join the government and the armed forces.

He said rebels could be a Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) where he will provide them monthly salary and benefits.

“We will start immediately. Uramismo trabaho bigyan ko sila ng sweldo every month all they have to do is to work and just be at peace with everybody,” he said referring to the NPA.

This developed in order to entice more surrenderers to leave the armed rebel group and join the mainstream society.

He also cited the struggles that rebels are experiencing in the upland like sickness, hunger, poverty, clashes with government forces, and even death, thus, he is not closing his door for them to surrender and vowed to continue his call.

Duterte assured that there will be no harassment for the rebels and they can surrender as he will not make them accountable of the number of persons they killed while in the movement.

“Those rebels that really wanted to tap with the government, bumaba kayo para walang away,” he said.