NPA rebels, kin hit by 'Pablo' should get relief goods, too - military commander

From InterAksyon (Dec 20): NPA rebels, kin hit by 'Pablo' should get relief goods, too - military commander

New People's Army (NPA) rebels and their families affected by Typhoon "Pablo" (Bopha) should also get assistance even though the Communist Party of the Philippines' (CPP) armed wing wants to overthrow the government via armed revolution. This is according to Major General Ariel Bernardo, commander of the Philippine Army's 10th Infantry based in the typhoon-stricken Mawab, Compostela Valley. Bernardo said he saw nothing wrong if NPA rebels and their kin were seen queuing for relief goods that were being distributed by government agencies. “Wala naman tayong problema doon. We know for a fact that some families of the rebels ay nasalanta rin, tinamaan din ‘yan ng matinding kalamidad [We have no problem with that. We know for a fact that some families of the rebels were also hit by the calamity],” Bernardo told reporters on Thursday.

Bernardo, a former peace adviser, issued the statement following reports that some rebels and their families in Compostela Valley were among the typhoon victims who lined up for relief goods. “Kung nandoon lang sila (rebels) sa taas ng bundok sa Compostela Valley o sa mga bundok doon sa boundary ng Davao Oriental, talagang tatamaan sila kahit na anong tibay ng kampo nila," said Bernardo. [If they are up in the mountains of Compostela Valley or in the mountains within the boundary of Davao Oriental, they would really be hit no matter how durable their camp is.]
"‘Yong mga kampo nila doon eh gawa lang naman sa makeshift. Siguro tinamaan sila kaya mga biktima din sila and they will [seek] refuge doon sa mga evacuation centers natin,” Bernardo added.
[Their camps there are only makeshifts. Perhaps they were hit and that's why they are victims, too and they will refuge in our evacuation centers.]

Compostela Valley is considered a stronghold of the NPA where majority of the population engages in small-scale mining as their main source of livelihood. Mining and illegal logging have largely been blamed for the perennial problems of landslides and flashfloods in the province that often claim lives of people especially during onset of typhoons. Bernarado said the calamity that struck NPA camps could be an opportunity for the communist rebels to go down the mountains and reintegrate into society.  "We just would like tell, challenge, and appeal to them (rebels) that this is an opportunity na bumababa na sila [for them to go down]. The rehabilitation that our government is doing is for all," said the military officer. "In fact, I just talked with the secretary of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, who said that all those insurgency-affected areas na tinamaan ng bagyo ay bubuhusan ng rehabilitation fund [that were hard hit by typhoon would be poured with rehabilitation fund],” Bernardo added.

The peace panels of the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF), the negotiating arm of the CPP-NPA, have just met in The Hague for the possible resumption of peace talks next year. The peace negotiations have since been stalled in February 2011 after the NDF withdrew from the negotiating table because of the continuous arrest of their peace consultants, which it said was a violation of the Joint Agreement on Security and Immunity Guarantees for the staffers, employees, and negotiators of both sides.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/50890/npa-rebels-kin-hit-by-pablo-should-get-relief-goods-too----military-commander