Yes to an amnesty program, but…

First, it was the United States government, followed by the Netherlands and Great Britain. Now, the rest of the European Union (EU) have joined the call naming the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) as a "Foreign Terrorist Organization" (FTO). Because of this tag, the special privileges once enjoyed by CPP Chairman Jose Maria "Joma" Sison have been removed by the Dutch government! Now, Joma can’t even hide in another European Union member country.

Hence, it’s quite timely that the Arroyo administration plans to offer a new amnesty for members of the CPP/NPA who may be fed up with all this fighting while their chairman orchestrates his terror campaign in the comforts of his home in Utretch, the Netherlands.

I’m all for an amnesty program for as long as there’s a definitive period without any extension. More importantly, those who wish to avail themselves of the amnesty must secure a "safe conduct" pass. I mean the military shouldn’t let their guard down and continue with their hot pursuit operations against these communist rebels where they can be found. What’s important here is that, we are offering an olive branch to those who wish to avail of it, while those who refuse must face the consequence of their refusal.

Meanwhile, Vice President Teofisto "Tito" Guingona Jr. has urged the Arroyo government to review our past amnesty programs and find out whether they were success stories or downright failures. I fully concur with the Vice President‘s observations because we’ve known of so many amnesty programs in the past and yet . . . there wasn’t any hoopla when these programs were terminated . . . making us suspect that these programs most probably didn’t achieve their desired purpose.

I do recall back during the martial law years that the amnesty program that the Marcos dictatorship offered the Muslim rebels was being misused to the point that those who surrendered their arms actually got more in terms of money than the value of their weapons. Worst of all, the weapons being surrendered were the old, antiquated ones . . . while they kept their modern weaponry from the military. This is the very reason why until now, we still have a Muslim insurgency . . . because those amnesty programs didn’t work!

Meanwhile, it is quite interesting to note that top communist officials have denounced the government’s amnesty offer. Naturally, I’m pretty sure that there are many armed New People’s Army (NPA) rebels out in the hills of Tuburan, Cebu or in Bohol who are probably fed up with their violent way of life . . . a way of life that is far from comfortable, where one is always in danger of being caught and killed. A lot of these people have families too, and I’m sure they, too, want to lay down their arms and accept what the government has to offer!

Perhaps, these people want to know what the CPP leadership can offer them in return when their Chairman Jose Maria Sison himself could no longer offer them any money or aid. Indeed, the declaration by the United States and now the European Union (EU), tagging the CPP/NPA as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) has done a lot to push these rebels to ask themselves if this struggle is still worth fighting for. What scares me, though, is that this amnesty offer might lead to another bloody purge . . . I mean, those top CPP/NPA leaders would never ever allow their followers to accept any amnesty offer from the government. They would rather kill their own than allow them to go back to their families. That’s one of the dangers of an amnesty program.

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Here’s a letter from our reader, which needs the attention of the Department of Agriculture (DA) very badly! His letter is self-explanatory.

"Dear Mr. Avila,

Your column is more effective than writing direct to the concerned. Reaction and comments can immediately be obtained instead of the common answer . . . We are endorsing! Watching TV one evening, my heart bleeds and blood pressure rises seeing Manila market vendors displaying imported vegetables competing with local produce. Is our agricultural industry dying? Or, do we want it to die purposely so that we can have more importation?

I have a small farm lot in Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte. During the last week of Sept. 2002, I harvested the palay crop that up to this date (Oct. 17th) is still unsold. Reason… NFA stopped buying palay it is not in commercial quantity; thus middlemen are making a killing. Middlemen are currently buying palay at P7 or less per kilo. It is not even enough to recover the chemical input! The poor farmers, however, were forced to disposed of their harvest under the said price because they needed cash for daily subsistence and the educational expenses of their children.

NFA’s policy to buy palay in commercial quantity shows that they are helping the middlemen instead of the poor farmers. How can the farmers produce commercial quantity when their landholdings are limited as controlled by the DAR? Granting there is a valid reason in bulk buying, NFA must have exception. DSWD findings showed that Zamboanga del Norte is one of the 11 poorest provinces. Bulk buying should not be implemented in this province. By doing so, they are pushing the life of these poor farmers harder. They are killing them! Is their hidden intention in bulk buying — procure less local rice in order to import more? It is very discouraging.

I plan to stop producing rice and change it with other crops. But what kind of crop when we are importing almost everything? Our Philippine agriculture is sick and there is no medicine to cure. To make use of our agricultural lot is to convert all of them into golf courses for us to enjoy even with empty stomachs and Memorial Parks where we can permanently rest after the enjoyment."

Yours Truly, Jose Nacilla, BF Resort Village, Talon 2, Las Piñas"

I’d like to point out that there’s a way out to Mr. Nacilla‘s problem, which I believe can easily be solved by the DA . . . more so that this has been the backbone program of President Arroyo. Let’s hope that the Department of Agriculture can lend a hand to Mr. Nacilla.

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For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila’s columns can also be accessed through www.thefreeman.com. He also hosts a weekly talk show entitled, "Straight from the Sky" shown every Monday only in Metro Cebu on Channel 15 on SkyCable at 8 p.m.