Group hails appointment of Gen. Bautista as new AFP Chief of Staff

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 22): Group hails appointment of Gen. Bautista as new AFP Chief of Staff

The “Yes for Peace—Bayanihan" para sa Kapayapaan on Tuesday hailed the appointment of Lt. Gen. Emmanuel T. Bautista as the new Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as formidable ally in the quest for long lasting peace in the country. The nationwide peace movement also cited the contributions of Gen. Jessie Dellosa, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 56 last January 20, for pursuing programs aimed at creating public awareness on the military’s peace initiatives and programs.

Social activist Ricardo Penson, chairman of the National Advocacy Council of the Yes for Peace movement, said that “Gen. Bautista’s impeccable credentials and track record as field commander of the Philippine Army will definitely keep him in good stead in leading the entire AFP in finding a lasting solution to our country’s perennial peace and order problems.”

Penson, who is among the 33 contenders for running a senatorial seat in the coming national and local elections, expressed his support to Bautista’s aim of rendering the communist insurgency and further armed struggle irrelevant before the end of his term as AFP Chief in July next year.

He also lauded the counter insurgency plan crafted by Bautista--the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) Bayanihan—a multi-sectoral approach to ending the country’s insurgency problem by fostering community development instead of combat operations.

In their letter to Bautista, Penson and Ernesto Alcanzare, lead organizer of the Yes for Peace movement, expressed their belief that “the multi-sectoral approach of IPSP Bayanihan coupled with the education and advocacy focus of Yes for Peace will bring the Filipino people to the forefront of addressing the roots of the armed struggle being waged by those who claim to represent us.”

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=489760