Communists dismiss AFP’s claim it can lick insurgency in 6-10 years

TARLAC — Communist rebels yesterday brushed off the declaration of Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz Jr. that the 36-year-old communist rebellion would be crushed within six to 10 years as "reactionary wishful thinking."

"The revolutionary armed movement will continue to advance," according to Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal, Communist Party of the Philippines spokesman, even if the government gets more US military support. Rosal gave this reaction to Cruz’s statement before the Manila Overseas Press Club on Wednesday night.

"He will eat his own words. The Filipino masses are the wellspring of new recruits of the New People’s Army. (Guerrilla forces) are daily augmented by new recruits from the peasantry, the working class, students, rank-and-file employees, doctors and other professionals."

The "trend" in the past 10 years has indicated that the communist rebel movement "will continue to gain strength in the next decade and beyond," he added.

"Unprecedented levels of poverty," worsened by unemployment and the lingering economic crisis, "lay bare to the people the need to carry out revolutionary armed struggle," Rosal said.

On the other hand, some military officials, who asked for anonymity, said yesterday Cruz was simply rehashing a failed military plan drawn up by Juan Ponce Enrile after he was named defense secretary. Cruz said the plan is attainable as the defense department and the military will be employing the "carrot and stick" approach in defeating the communists.

"The assessment of the AFP is that with the total government approach — meaning economic, political and military — if you combine this, it could be achieved within six to 10 years... the CPP-NPA can be defeated," he said.

The government will continue to pursue peace negotiations with communist rebels while bringing services to far-flung areas through development projects, he added. — Jaime Laude, Benjie Villa