'Gunless battle for hearts and minds key to ending atrocities'

MANILA, Philippines - Retiring Lt. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) chief, believes that the roots of rebellion like poverty could be addressed by intensifying the cooperation among the military, local governments and civil society.

Dolorfino, who will retire from the military service on Wednesday, said the “gunless battle for the hearts and minds” of people and not armed operations is the key to addressing insurgency and terrorism in the country.

“There are two imperatives: Winning our battles with the enemy group and winning peace for the people,” Dolorfino told reporters.

As chief of the Wesmincom, Dolorfino supervised military operations in areas believed to be hideouts of notorious terrorists like Sulu and Basilan.

He will reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on Wednesday.

Dolorfino said the country’s internal security is like a tree with several branches.

“The branches represent the threat groups. The true solution lies in the root of the tree. In the battle for the hearts and the minds, you cannot use bombs. You cannot eliminate poverty using a gun,” he said.

“It is in the hearts and in the minds wherein you cannot use arms. The existence of armed groups, rebel groups, terrorist groups, and criminal groups are just physical manifestations of the problems.”

Dolorfino, a member of Philippine Military Academy Class 1976, said he saw the government dealing with just two “branches” after he graduated - the communist rebellion and the Moro National Liberation Front.

He said the “branches” increased to include criminal and kidnap groups and the Abu Sayyaf terrorists.

“I’m now almost 39 years in the military service and I saw the branches increase. The leaves also increased. If the Armed Forces were making the right approach through the years solved the problem,” Dolorfino said.

Dolorfino said the military should do more in enhancing its ties with civilian stakeholders.

“Our internal security problems will be solved if the whole society will collaborate,” he said.

“There are now partnerships with local government units but these are still lacking.”

Dolorfino said his ideas on addressing the country’s security problems are contained in his book “Soldiers as Peacemakers, and Peace Builders,” which will mark his retirement from the service.

The book will also feature articles on peace-building efforts, training of Marine troops and case studies.

“The book is not for sale. It was published in connection with my retirement. It will highlight my experiences, my analysis on our security problem and proposals to adopt a whole society approach (to address them),” Dolorfino said.