NPAs: How to jeopardize the peace talks

I have always been a staunch anti-communist since I began my journalistic career 30 years ago… thanks to close friends and my mentor the late Sir Max Soliven who always reminded me of the days he was in the field with then Defense Secretary and later President Ramon Magsaysay. This was why it took me some time to support then Presidential bet Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who had close ties with the underground movement. But then, this was the concession I gave to DU-30… that if there was anyone who could bring the Communists to the peace talks, it was DU-30 and that’s exactly what the President did after taking the reins of power in Malacañang.

During many of our lunches and dinners with Manong Max Soliven, when the topic of the communist insurgency came up, he always reminded me of the Magsaysay formula in handling the Communists with his four “F’s”. Pres. Ramon Magsaysay’s formula was simply, “Find them, fight them, fool them, then finish them, then offer them the hand of peace!” Of all the four “F’s” of Pres. Magsaysay, we failed to do one, which is to finish the communist rebels so we could offer them the hand of peace. In short, Pres. Magsaysay wanted to talk peace with the communists when they are down and weakened, so that they would readily talk peace. Alas, this is not happening.

Apparently a couple of days ago despite the on-going ceasefire between the government of the Philippines (GRP) and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) in Rome, the NPAs attacked members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in what looked like a highly coordinated ambush in different parts of the country. One ambush was in Barangay Concepcion, Valencia City and in Barangay Banquet in Echague Town. Another group of NPAs attacked Barangays San Isidro Mahayahay and in Kitcharao in Agusan del Norte.

What is happening here? Why are the NPAs violating this ceasefire with the Philippine government? Please don’t tell me that the CPP has abandoned the peace process? Come now, are the Communists serious in their quest for peace or not? If so, why are they doing coordinated attacks against the AFP? What can they hope to achieve in attacking the military while their leaders are talking peace in Rome?

Meanwhile, in what I would call an act of humility on the part of the AFP, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced that despite the renewed attacks by the NPA, the military would continue to desist from launching attacks against the NPA. But this stance means that our soldiers should always be on the alert in the event they get themselves in the middle of a firefight with the NPA rebels.

At this point, I would like to believe that the Duterte administration has bended too much to the demands of the communists… in releasing many prisoners, many of whom have criminal cases on their heads. Just recently, no less than Pres. Duterte has asked the international community to delist the name of CPP Chairman Jose Maria “Joma” Sison from the Terror watch list, which for me is another concession by the Philippine government in exchange for nothing! So the least we expect from the NPA cadres is to honor the ceasefire with the Philippine government. Perhaps the NPAs have no idea of what honor means?

But then, some pundits believe that perhaps Sec. Dureza is talking with the “Old Guard” of the CPP who no longer controls the young NPA rebels who have been living and fighting in the countryside and no longer listens to these old fogeys? I’ve always been skeptic about talking peace with the Communists, but because I fully support Pres. Duterte, I am giving peace a chance. So far so good…until this incident happened.

What we would like to get is the explanation from those Communists who are now in Rome talking peace with OPAPP why the NPAs have broken the ceasefire? We cannot go on talking peace while the NPAs go on rampaging in the countryside because the AFP has been told not to engage them. I also would like to hear what Pres. Duterte what he thinks about this break in the ceasefire with the NPA and what his administration should do if it happens again. I believe that the Duterte administration gave too many concessions to the CPP/NDF/NPA just so they would sit down and talk peace.

If I know Pres. Duterte, he is tough enough to withdraw from the ceasefire with the communists if he sees that they are using the peace talks as their delaying tactics. Mind you, this happened many times in the past and I wouldn’t be surprised if this is happening again. At this point, the Philippine government should come up with strict rules against the parties that violate the ceasefire. There is no sense if sitting down with the CPP officialdom when the NPA cadres cannot even respect the ceasefire agreement. I know that peace will not come easily, but violating the ceasefire will not bring peace.

*      *      *

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]