The character of the communists
Let me open this write-up today with my rather faint recollection of the case of People versus Ferrer. Yes it is an old case which the Supreme Court decided in the early months of Proclamation 1081, the Martial Law of President Ferdinand Marcos, almost half a century ago. While many of us have put this case in the pages of our forgotten history, I sincerely believe it is worth remembering today in the light of more disturbing recent incidents.
Constitutional scholars and legal luminaries contributed their profound thoughts in dissecting the case. One significant issue that the highest tribunal ruled upon was, (and I believe that it still continues to be valid up to the present) the character of the communist party of the Philippines. In the words of Justice Fred Ruiz Castro, (he later became Chief Justice) the ponente, the Communist Party is “xxx an organized conspiracy for the overthrow of the government xxx”
My memory of People vs. Ferrer may hopefully put things in proper perspective. On one side, this corner has been critical of some pronouncements of many of our leaders, mostly the president’s. More often, I had been harsh on him in my articles. Many a time, I expressed, in somewhat severe language, what I thought was wrong in his policy pronouncements. I must admit that the opinions I raised might have run counter to the ideas of others. Just the same, the fear of becoming the page Sancho Panza who fought the windmills never shackled me. I always dared to speak my mind unafraid that I might be incorrect.
Perhaps because I have, of late, been very acerbic on the actions and declarations of President Rodrigo Duterte, people may believe I am against the president. In few instances, as a matter of fact, I almost reached the point of calling the president a liar. To recall, I applauded very rarely the president’s decisions
There were times when I uttered worse commentaries when the president, at the beginning of his term, offered the olive branch of peace to the group led by Jose Maria Sison. The peace talk, to me, was useless and our communist brothers only took advantage of the peace-seeking posture of the president. They made huge propaganda out of sitting across the table with government officials in supposed discussion of peace. It was a matter of time that President Duterte would realize that the unwavering objective of our communist brothers is what Justice Fred Ruiz Castro earlier opined.
I applaud the direction presently taken by President Duterte in pursuing the communists. All Filipinos should rally behind the president in his search to put an end to the insurgency. I do not necessarily become a kind of presidential lapdog to say that the time has come for the government to use all its forces. We are aware of the directive of President Duterte to the Armed Forces, to run after and pulverize, if possible, the Abu Sayyaf Group for its reported desecration of the cathedral in Jolo and for many dastardly crimes. After the government demolishes the ASG, the president should throw all muscles and put an end to the communist rebellion.
The solution to this communist problem is not all military. The communists have, all these years, survived on a basic propaganda - that government does not care for the poor most of whom are marginalized peasants. President Duterte, seemingly more pragmatist than his predecessors, should direct all government agencies to assist local officials go to the most remote areas of their jurisdiction and attend to their basic needs. Imagine if mayors open new roads to reach far flung places, tag along doctors, nurses and medicine to these areas, bring seeds and other farm implements and funnel the Pantawid program to them, the supposed cause of the communist will be totally lost.
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