MANILA, March 15 -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has stressed the importance of bridging political differences and establishing a common goal with former rebels to maintain peace and order in the country.

During the oath-taking of members of Local Amnesty Boards of Eastern Visayas in Tacloban City, Leyte on Friday, Marcos acknowledged that granting amnesty to rebels who want to reintegrate into mainstream society is key to fostering peace and national unity.

"There is now a mechanism that is in place for us to bring back into the fold of the law, into society, those who have opposed the State for a while, for a good long while, and to the point of adopting the principles of armed struggle," Marcos said, based on a video uploaded on...