Outside the bland socio-economic dictates teleprompters flash, what stood out in the second Marcos state of the nation address (Sona) was the declaration that the President will soon issue a proclamation granting amnesty to former Muslim secessionists.

The planned amnesty, which is part of the idea to finally reintegrate into society former state foes, also extends to rebels but, according National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, only affects “high-ranking officials of the communist New People’s Army (NPA).”

“For almost half a century,” President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. declared, “some of our fellow Filipinos have taken to arms to make their views known and felt. We are now at a point in our history when their armed struggle has evolved. We have now progressed together toward peace and development.”

This plan, though, is long in coming. For over three decades since the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) of the Nur Misuari faction signed a peace accord with the Ramos administration, the noble mission to achieve peace for Mindanao, though not as elusive as it was before, has taken so much time that those who are recipients of this reintegration are slowly passing away.

Even the decommissioning of firearms, which has long been pointed out as a primary threat towards achieving genuine peace in the South, has been delayed. Obviously, the military and police institutions still harbor reluctance whether a total reintegration of forces that caused the conflict in Mindanao can peacefully co-exist with the state forces.

Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity PARRU), revealed that the government has already decommissioned at least 24,600 firearms from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Still, despite the impressive number, there are still 15,300 members to be disarmed.

The decommissioning process, expected to be completed before the 2025 Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) elections, is part of the peace agreement the MILF signed with the government in March 2014.

For her part, National Amnesty Commission (NAC) chair Leah Tanodra-Armamento has only positive thought about the amnesty, saying: ““We welcome the call of the President to extend the application period for the granting of amnesty to former members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front. It is a valid and reasonable request.”

But before the amnesty can be granted, two significant items must be taken into account: the recommendation of the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Legislative Affairs (ODESLA) and the enactment of the law towards that purpose.

While there are efforts to fast-track the presidential plan, things do not necessarily work smoothly in a bureaucracy that is more preoccupied with getting funds for projects that yield commissions than in fighting it out to bring normalcy to communities that have been wracked with conflict due to the failure of government to deliver social services to remote communities.

Outside the grant of amnesty to former enemies of the state, perhaps it’s time the government also extends probation, parole, and executive clemency to individuals, inside or outside detention, who are first-time offenders and whose sentences do not go beyond six years.

If secessionists and rebels, after pulling a string of unprovoked civilian murders in the name of ideology and in pursuit of armed struggle, are given amnesty, it comes to reason that petty crimes should not be subject to any imprisonment but fine, probation, or community service.

Amid the challenges that come with good intents, giving the Muslims their due in nation-building should be a priority that cannot be relegated. It’s about time the people of the South organize themselves into a truly potent electoral force that can define the destiny of politicians.