The possibility for peace with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the National Democratic Front (NDF) and the New People’s Army (CPP/NDF/NPA) has gotten slimmer because the national leadership of this organization refuses to sit down with the Aquino government because Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III wants to conduct peace talks while they are having a ceasefire. What’s wrong with having a ceasefire if there is on-going peace talks huh?
Again I’d like to reiterate that in Ireland, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) hid all their weapons in an undisclosed place, but international observers were allowed to see them to prove their sincerity that they truly want peace to happen in their country. Then they talked peace and today, Ireland is enjoying the dividends of peace…, which is a good economy. If the Philippines is trailing behind our ASEAN neighbors, it is also because we just have too many internal security problems and the CPP/NDF/NPA is a huge part of this… yet their leaders do not want to talk peace with P-Noy!
Since peace with the Communists cannot be achieve, this means that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Defense establishment must now work hard to ensure that those groups who threaten our established government should no longer become a threat to our nation. A couple of years ago, the AFP promised to vanquish the CPP/NDF/NPA by the end of then Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s term. I was skeptical with that lame promise and when Pres. Arroyo stepped down, the NPAs escalated their attacks against government troops.
But getting the insurgency to stop can be done, if only Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III get all the local government units (LGUs) to make certain commitments to stop the insurgency in their respective areas, while strengthening the capability of the AFP to support these LGUs. If P-Noy puts his mind and might into this problem, I’m sure this problem can be solve within his six-year term. If the President can lick this decades old insurgency, then P-Noy can rank as one of the greatest Presidents we had.
Just to show an example, a couple of years ago, the Province of Cebu was declared “Insurgency Free” by the AFP, this happened just a two short years after Cebu Gov. Gwen F. Garcia declared “All-Out War” against the Communist insurgency. When she made that declaration, the NDF warned that blood would flow like a river in the streets of Cebu. But nothing of that sort happened. Gov. Gwen made sure that the areas that experience an insurgency problem was given priority in development. Hence, in the town of Tuburan in North of Cebu City, NPA activity slowed to a crawl because the LGU’s helped each other, while the military kept its presence there.
Today there is peace in Tuburan and I have vacationed twice in a friend’s house in the last two years… something I wouldn’t have dared to do if there was an existing insurgency. These days, the NDP and their mouthpiece are demanding from the Aquino administration for the removal or the transfer of the 78th Infantry Brigade from Tuburan… because their presence has stymied the underground movement there.
The Province of Bohol soon followed suit under then Gov. Enrico Aumentado and they too are enjoying the peace dividends after the NPA’s left Bohol and now tourism has flourished in that beautiful Province. These are just two examples of what the LGU can do if it wants to put an end to the insurgency that is plaguing their towns and villages.
Another great way to put the backs of the CPP/NDF/NPA on the wall is to immediately restore the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), which was abolished in the year 2002 thanks to a hazing issue in one of the schools. Back then Pres. Gloria Arroyo signed into law Republic Act. No. 9163 that established the National Service Training Program (NSTP), thus making the ROTC only one of three programs in school and worse, it was no longer mandatory. This is the problem of the Philippines, we are so reactionary, we abolished a very vital program because of the media hype on hazing.
Well, let me say it here that there are lots of people in mainstream media who are openly sympathetic to the struggle of the CPP; hence they must have rejoiced when the ROTC was abolished! Well, a few days ago, Defense Sec. Voltaire Gazmin announced that he is in favor of the revival of ROTC. Well, Gazmin’s predecessor former Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro, Jr. too was for the return of the ROTC. So if everyone is for it, then P-Noy should make it a priority in his administration, this can happen. Already, Rep. Eddie Gullas (Cebu 1st District) has filed House Bill no.737 making the ROTC an academic requirement, just like the good old days, but this was opposed by the Kabataan Party-list, who is allied with the CPP/NDF/NPA.
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For e-mail responses to this article, write to vsbobita@mozcom.com or vsbobita@gmail.com. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.