AMENDING PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 433 ENTITLED, “GRANTING GENERAL AMNESTY, UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS, OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES, MEMBERS O…

WHEREAS, Presidential Decree No. 433 dated April 8, 1974,
granting general amnesty under certain conditions to violators of
election laws and under related statutes applies only to: (1) Those
“facing charges” and (2) “All public school teachers, other government
officials and employees, members of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines,” not including other persons outside of the government
service;

WHEREAS, there are valid reasons to broaden the limited
applicability of Presidential Decree No. 433 so as to include the
following: (1) other persons who may not necessarily be public school
teachers, other government employees, members of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines; (2) persons who have been sentenced under final judgment,
including those who have already served the penalties imposed upon them
but are still subject to accessory penalties; (3) persons involved in
the violation of laws relative to the election of barrio or barangay
officials; and (4) persons involved in the violation of decrees relative
to the national referendum of July 27-28, 1973, not previously entitled
to amnesty; and

WHEREAS, broadening the scope of amnesty would
correspondingly strengthen the government’s moral posture vis-a-vis the
“continuing effort of the leadership to heal the wounds inflicted in the
past and to provide a fresh start for all concerned to help build the
New Society;”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the
Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution,
do hereby decree and order: SECTION 1. Section 1 of Presidential Decree
No. 433 is hereby amended to read as follows:

“SECTION 1. General Amnesty is hereby granted to all public
school teachers, other government officials and employees, members of
the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other persons facing charges or
who have been sentenced under final judgment including those who have
already served the penalties imposed upon them, for violation of
election laws or other related statutes in connection with the elections
of 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, and the election of Delegates to the
Constitutional Convention, all the barrio or barangay elections, and the
referendum of July 27-28, 1973, subject to the conditions provided in
the succeeding section.”

SEC. 2. A new section shall be inserted between Sec. 3 and
Sec. 4 to be known as “Sec. 3-A” and shall read as follows:

“SEC. 3-A. Without prejudice to the right of any person
serving sentence to avail of the benefits of this decree by directly
petitioning the Commission on Elections, the courts shall furnish the
Commission on Elections with a list of persons who may have been
convicted therein for the offenses covered by this decree. The
Commission on Elections shall then determine who are entitled to amnesty
as herein provided.

“In the case of a person who has served his sentence or is
pardoned conditionally, or is under parole and still subject to
accessory penalties, such person may petition the Commission on
Elections to declare him entitled to the amnesty granted herein.”

SEC. 3. The Commission on Elections shall promulgate rules
and regulations to implement this decree.

SEC. 4. This
Deere shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 3rd of December in the year
of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-four.