Palparan blasts Bulacan execs for not aiding AFP

MALOLOS CITY — If only Bulacan officials would cooperate, Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, the controversial commanding officer of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division, said he could wipe out communist insurgency in the province by the end of July.

"If I have my way, I want to totally eradicate (the insurgency) in Bulacan by the end of this month," Palparan said, hastily adding though that the end of July would be more feasible.

Speaking to reporters in a roundtable discussion last Friday, he said it took them a few months to clear the eastern towns of Bulacan of insurgents but the fight would be a lot easier if Bulacan officials and sectoral groups would cooperate with the military.

He was apparently referring to Gov. Josie de la Cruz who earlier had threatened to cite the military for human rights violations for alleged abuses in Pandi town.

"Kung magbibigay si Gov, mas mabilis ang operations namin. Ang kaso nagtataka ako at hindi malaman ang motibo niya dahil dati kakampi namin siya (If Gov would assist us, our operations would be faster. But I am surprised and I cannot understand her motive; she used to be on our side)," he said.

"Ang aming hangarin ay tunay na kapayapaan upang matigil na ang mga patayan (What we aspire for is genuine peace so the killings would end)," he added.

Palparan belied claims that Bulacan appears to be increasingly militarized, saying they are merely focused on their mission.

"Hindi dumami ang military sa Bulacan, ikinalat lamang namin sila (The military in Bulacan has not grown; we have just spread out our forces)," he said.

Palparan, however, said more soldiers are needed in the province since more people need to be weaned away from the influence of left-leaning groups.

In the last two months, the military has declared the towns of Norzagaray, San Ildefonso, San Miguel and San Rafael, all in eastern Bulacan, rebel-free during indignation rallies. At present, the military is concentrating on western towns.

Palparan said part of their anti-insurgency campaign is to win the hearts of the people through constant dialogues, saying the communists have long poisoned their minds.

Palparan said the rebels used to collect at least P120 million yearly from Bulacan mining companies alone, but the military’s beefed-up drive has reduced this by 50 percent.

Militant groups have tagged Palparan in the killings of activists in Central Luzon, but he has repeatedly denied this.