Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Hunt on for killers of soldier in Maguindanao

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 9, 2020): Hunt on for killers of soldier in Maguindanao (By Noel Punzalan)



Google map of Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.

Police and military personnel are in pursuit of two gunmen who shot dead an Army soldier and wounded a bystander during an ambush in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao on Monday.

In a report, Col. Arnold Santiago, Maguindanao police chief, identified the victim as Staff Sgt. Bien Zamora Mendoza, 42, of the 61st Reconnaissance Company under the Army’s 6th Infantry Division (ID) based in the province.


Santiago also identified the wounded bystander as Abohair Royod Kusain, 38, a local motorcycle mechanic.

Mendoza's vehicle was traversing the section of the highway in Barangay Crossing Simuay, Sultan Kudarat shortly before 10 a.m. when tailed and fired upon by the gunmen onboard a motorcycle.

“Witnesses said the perpetrators sped off after the incident, leaving the bloodied Mendoza sprawling on the pavement,” Santiago said, adding that the victim, who was unarmed, died on the spot.

Initial police investigation said that Mendoza had earlier secured a weekend pass from his superiors for a short visit to his family in Pigcawayan, North Cotabato, and was on his way back to the 6ID camp in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao when ambushed.

Hit by a wayward bullet was Kusain who was near the road at the time of the incident. He is currently being treated at a hospital.

Both the police and military investigators are eyeing a hit squad of the Islamic State-linked Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters as possible perpetrators of the attack.

More than a dozen off-duty motorcycle-riding soldiers were killed in a rash of attacks in this city and the nearby towns of Sultan Kudarat and Datu Odin Sinsuat over the past two years.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1105333

Subanen tribal leaders back passage of anti-terror bill

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 9, 2020): Subanen tribal leaders back passage of anti-terror bill (By Teofilo Garcia, Jr.)



NO TO TERRORISM. A group of Subanens of the Zamboanga Peninsula and Misamis Occidental area, install a billboard in Barangay Cunacon, Bayog, Zamboanga del, to express their support to the passage of the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. The group also declared the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front as persona non grata within their ancestral domain. (Photo courtesy of the Army's 44th Infantry Battalion)

A group of Subanen tribal leaders in the Zamboanga Peninsula and Misamis Occidental province have expressed support to the passage of the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

At the same time, they also declared the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) as persona non grata inside their ancestral domain.

Lt. Col. Don Templonuevo, Army’s 44th Infantry Battalion (44IB) commander, said Tuesday that Timuay Lucenio Manda, Subanen tribal chieftain of Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur and Timuay Basilio Promon, led the installation of billboards publicly manifesting their persona non grata declaration against the CPP-NPA-NDF.

Templonuevo said the billboards were installed over the weekend in Barangay Cunacon, Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur.

In a video message, Manda said their support to the passage of the anti-terrorism bill and declaration of persona non grata against the CPP-NPA-NDF is their way of expressing gratitude to the national government's support for the tribe.

Manda assured the IP leaders in the entire Zamboanga Peninsula and Misamis Occidental that they will support any community development programs of the national government.

He also lamented that Subanens had been victims of NPA terror activities.

Meanwhile, Promon also called on the other tribal leaders and other sectors to support the passage of the anti-terrorism bill.

“I encourage you to support the anti-terrorism bill since it can help to our tribes as well as the other rural dwellers,” Promon said.

Senator Vicente Sotto III said Tuesday the anti-terrorism bill has been passed by the leaders of both houses of Congress and will be transmitted to President Rodrigo Duterte for signature.

The CPP-NPA-NDF is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1105350

Mayor of rebel-infested Samar town backs anti-terror bill

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 9, 2020): Mayor of rebel-infested Samar town backs anti-terror bill (By Sarwell Meniano)



'YES' TO ANTI-TERROR BILL. Matuguinao, Samar Mayor Aran Boller. The mayor of this conflict-stricken town on Tuesday (June 9, 2020) called for passage of the Anti-Terrorism Bill to help eliminate the New People’s Army in their town. (PNA file photo)

The mayor of the remote town of Matuguinao, Samar has called on critics to look into the plight of villagers in provinces affected by armed struggle before maligning the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.

Mayor Aran Boller said in a phone interview on Tuesday that families in far-flung communities, who have been suffering from terroristic activities of the New People’s Army (NPA), stand to benefit from the passage of House Bill 6875.

“People who are against the bill do not know the real situation on the ground. Protesters have never experienced what the people here have gone through because of illegal activities of NPA rebels in our town,” Boller told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

The mayor recalled that several residents have been victims of extortion, recruitment of minors, indoctrination, deprived of basic education, and distracted economic activities due to the presence of rebels.

In the past, the NPA launched several attacks against government forces, displacing hundreds of families.

He appealed to critics to stop spreading false information that the bill seeks to silence critics since there are existing laws that protect those expressing dissent against the government and conducting peaceful demonstrations.

On June 8, he issued a statement to the National Task Force on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict in response to protests against the passage of the bill.

“I was compelled to issue the statement after I heard that some member of the House of Representatives withdrew their support to the passage of the bill due to pressures from those against the bill. Why we should be scared? We are the legitimate government,” the mayor added.

For several decades, Matuguinao has been known as a hotbed of NPA fighters due to its poor road access. It was only in 2018 when the town got connected to Samar’s main highway after the completion of 21-kilometer Gandara-Matuguinao Road funded by the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process’ Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Pamana).

Of the 20 villages, five far-flung areas are still threatened by sightings of about 20 NPA fighters crossing the boundaries of Samar and Northern Samar provinces.

Ending insurgency has been the priority of the local government as they believe that armed struggle hampered the town’s economic development for decades.

Since the launch of its strong campaign against insurgents, 33 active NPA fighters and 96 die-hard supporters from Matuguinao town have surrendered to the local government and the Philippine Army, Boller said.

The mayor said the passage of the enactment of the landmark legislation that seeks to prevent, prohibit and penalize terrorism, is a big boost to their campaign against insurgency.

The bill introduces provisions imposing life imprisonment without parole on those who will participate in the planning, training, preparation, and facilitation of a terrorist act; possess objects connected with the preparation for the commission of terrorism; or collect or make documents connected with the preparation of terrorism.

Under the bill, any person who will threaten to commit terrorism will suffer the penalty of 12 years. The same jail term will be meted against those who will propose any terroristic acts or incite others to commit terrorism.

Any person who will voluntarily and knowingly join any organization, association, or group of persons knowing that such is a terrorist organization, will suffer imprisonment of 12 years.

Under the bill, the number of days a suspected person can be detained without a warrant of arrest is 14 calendar days, extendable by 10 days.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1105345

Anti-terror law to shield Agusan Norte IPs from NPA abuse

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 9, 2020): Anti-terror law to shield Agusan Norte IPs from NPA abuse (By Alexander Lopez)



Agusan del Norte provincial Indigenous People Mandatory Representative Datu Bawang Eddie Sulhayan Ampiyawan of the Higaonon tribe. (Photo grab from Sangguniang Panlalawigan Agusan del Norte Facebook Page)

The passage of the anti-terrorism bill, which now awaits the signature of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, is welcomed by the indigenous peoples (IPs) in Agusan del Norte, saying the measure would protect them from the abuses of communist rebels.

Datu Bawang Eddie Sulhayan Ampiyawan, the Indigenous People Mandatory Representative of Agusan del Norte (IPMR-ADN), said there is nothing to be afraid of with the measure as it is only meant to "protect the ordinary people."

"It will protect the people — especially the IPs and their communities — from the recruitment, extortion, and other forms of abuse being done for years by the communist New People’s Army (NPA)," Ampiyawan told the Philippine News Agency Tuesday. “The IPs of Agusan del Norte are supporting the passage of the anti-terror bill and we ask President Duterte to sign it.”

For years, the Higaonon leader said NPA rebels have been intruding into their ancestral lands to influence the IPs to join the communist rebellion, adding that "violent repercussions" await against those "who refused to join the communist cause."

Ampiyawan said the IP communities in the entire country will benefit from the anti-terror bill, noting that peace will engender development in the countryside — especially in ancestral lands.

“We have to look at the law in all aspects. The law will not only shield the IP communities it will also become a ticket for development programs and progress to far-flung IP and non-IP communities in Agusan del Norte and other parts of the Caraga Region,” the tribal leader said.

He also called on various sectors opposed to the anti-terror bill to "reflect on their one-sided stand."

“The country is facing terrorism every day. Threats are always posed by the NPA, the extremists, and the criminals. This law is needed to combat these terrorists that threaten our families and communities,” Ampiyawan said.

He also expressed gratitude to President Duterte and the leaders of the House of Representatives for their "perseverance and resolve to enact the said law."

The NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1105378

Safeguards in anti-terror bill in place: PNP

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 9, 2020): Safeguards in anti-terror bill in place: PNP (By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan)



PNP chief, Gen. Archie Gamboa. (File photo)

The proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 has safeguards to prevent abuse and protect the rights of the people, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Archie Gamboa said Tuesday.

“I don't suppose that the legislature, the branch of government who takes care of formulating the law will craft it without safety nets. I think these have safety nets and the public is there to watch,” Gamboa said in a Laging Handa public briefing.

He added that the passage of the bill is not tantamount to a martial law scenario and that critics can question the measure before the courts.

“First, hindi pa siya nagiging batas (it is not a law yet). Second, we will wait for the IRR (implementing rules and regulations) para natin matingnan kung (for us to be able to look) what's in it for the PNP and what's in it for the public," Gamboa said.

He added that the PNP would always operate in compliance with the law and will observe all necessary procedures.

Meanwhile, he said the eight protesters in a rally against the proposed measure at the University of the Philippines-Cebu were arrested due to disobedience to authority.

"Parang (It seemed) they really try the tolerance of police to some extent. Sobra na ginagawa nila (They are going too far) which is tantamount to disobedience that's why we caused the arrest," said Gamboa.

While stressing the right to assemble protests under Batas Pambansa 880, Gamboa said the situation is different now as the country battles the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Gamboa, meanwhile, urged the public to air their sentiments and expression through various means aside from holding mass gatherings.

On Monday, the protesters were ordered released without bail by a Cebu court.

The bill only needs President Rodrigo Duterte's signature to become a law after it was transmitted to Malacañang by Congress on Tuesday.

The bill introduced provisions imposing life imprisonment without parole on those who will participate in the planning, training, preparation, and facilitation of a terrorist act; possess objects connected with the preparation for the commission of terrorism; or collect or make documents connected with the preparation of terrorism.

Under the bill, any person who shall threaten to commit terrorism shall suffer the penalty of 12 years. The same jail term will be meted against those who will propose any terroristic acts or incite others to commit terrorism.

Any person who shall voluntarily and knowingly join any organization, association, or group of persons knowing that such is a terrorist organization, shall suffer imprisonment of 12 years.

Under the bill, the number of days a suspected person can be detained without a warrant of arrest is 14 calendar days, extendible by 10 days.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1105343

Malacañang receives copy of anti-terror bill

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 9, 2020): Malacañang receives copy of anti-terror bill (By Azer Parrocha)



Malacañang on Tuesday received a copy of the anti-terrorism bill which is now up for President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed the news in a text message to reporters.

In a virtual presser earlier in the day, Roque said Duterte has 30 days to act on the legislation or else it will lapse into a law.

“We have a 30-day period to review, either to veto or to sign the bill. Otherwise, kung wala pong aksyon ang Presidente (if the President does not act on it), it will become law,” he said.

Roque said Duterte will spend the next few days working in Davao City.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Duterte is likely to wait for his department to review the measure, adding his department targets to submit its comments on the bill in 15 days.

Roque, meanwhile, assured critics and detractors that the measure will have safeguards against human rights abuses.

“There are safeguards po. Unang-una, kinakailangan po may (First, it is necessary to have a) judicial declaration to be classified as a terrorist group,” he said.

He also said law enforcement authorities that will abuse the proposed law could face imprisonment of up to 10 years.

Last week, Roque assured that Duterte will thoroughly review the anti-terrorism bill to ensure that it complies with the 1987 Constitution.

He said Duterte is in no rush to sign the measure meant to add more teeth to the country’s law against terrorism.

Roque also assured that the anti-terrorism bill would not curtail freedom of speech.

Under the bill, persons who shall threaten to commit terrorism and those who will propose any terroristic acts or incite others to commit terrorism shall suffer imprisonment of 12 years.

Suspected persons can be detained for 14 days without a warrant of arrest with an allowable 10-day extension.

A 60-day surveillance on suspected terrorists can also be conducted by the police or the military, with an allowable 30-day extension.

Videoconferencing for the accused and witnesses will also be allowed under the measure.

To allay fears of abuse, the Commission on Human Rights will be notified in case of the detention of a suspected terrorist.

The opposition and progressive groups condemned the passage of the measure in the Congress, describing it as an attack on freedom of speech or an avenue for red-tagging.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1105368

Anti-terror bill to curb recruitment of youth combatants: group

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 9, 2020): Anti-terror bill to curb recruitment of youth combatants: group (By Lade Jean Kabagani)



The passage of the proposed anti-terrorism bill would help address the recruitment of young people into terrorist outfits, a youth group said Monday.

"The passage of the bill will definitely benefit the future generations -- us, the youth," Amorsolo Guerrero, chairman of the Youth for Peace and Development (YPAD) coalition, said in a statement.

He said the youth should not be swayed by "emotional and political rhetorics" being implored by militant organizations that are exerting efforts to block the passage of the bill.

These organizations, he said, are just "using political dramatizations" to intimidate the government.

"Sino ba yung naniwala sa (who would believe that) political power grows from a barrel of a gun, na ang tanging solusyun sa lahat ng usaping bayan ay digmaang bayan, insureksyun at welgang bayan (that the only solution to everything is people's war, insurrection or strikes?)," he said, noting that those pushing for democratic rights are the same people violating the law.

Guerrero urged the youth not to believe in the deceptions of groups who are explicitly helping rebel groups spread wrong ideologies.

He said there are many groups in the country impudently spreading violent extremism, exploiting youths, and indoctrinating minors into radicalism.

"Huwag po nating hayaang magpatuloy ito. Ito na po ang pagkakataon natin na gumawa ng kasaysayan bilang mapagpasyang pwersa ng lipunan, mga kabataang Pilipino (We should not let this continue. It's now our time to make history as a united Filipino youth force of this society)," Guerrero said.

He said the anti-terrorism bill, if enacted into law, will address armed insurgency, atrocities, and killings of innocent people caused by the terrorist groups.

"Alisin po natin ang ating pangamba sa sinasabi nilang pang-aabuso o paglabag sa karapatang pantao sa nasabing bill. Wala pong mangyayaring ganun, dahil nandyan naman ang anti-terrorism council para bantayan ang lalabag na otoridad (the fear of possible abuses and human rights violations on the bill should be discarded. It will not happen since an anti-terrorism council will watch over authorities abusing power)," he said, adding that a strong Philippine Constitution is in place whenever a violation committed by a government authority is done.

The coalition, composed of out-of-school youth organizations, young professionals, and student organizations, among others, urged President Rodrigo Duterte to sign the bill.

"On behalf of the 107 youth national organizations under YPAD coalition, we plead to you Mr. President Duterte, please sign this anti-terrorism bill," Guerrero said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1105357

Senate probe of fake Facebook accounts sought

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 9, 2020): Senate probe of fake Facebook accounts sought (By Jose Cielito Reganit)



Senator Francis Pangilinan on Tuesday filed a resolution asking the Senate to investigate the proliferation of fake Facebook accounts that use identities of students, government officials, journalists, and other users, stressing such online acts could imperil one's security and privacy.

In filing Senate Resolution No. 444, the minority lawmaker urged the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an inquiry to find out if there is a need to amend Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and other pertinent laws to make them more responsive to the situation.

Pangilinan said the inquiry would also help determine "possible regulation of social media platforms, in accordance with the policy that respects the rights and freedoms of all Filipinos guaranteed by the Constitution."

In the resolution, Pangilinan said it is the declared policy of the State to protect and safeguard the integrity of communications systems, networks, and databases, and the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information and data stored therein, from all forms of misuse, abuse, and illegal access.

“There is a need to look into our existing laws to increase the extent of liability and possible regulation of service providers or content hosts such as Facebook and other social media platforms," he said.

He added that legislation must be carefully crafted so as to balance the rights and freedoms accorded to every Filipino by the Constitution and the public interest to be protected from dangerous acts online.

"We should not be utterly defenseless against social media manipulation and threats. We must use our laws to fight the fakes online," Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan filed SR 444 following the surge of fake accounts on Facebook last June 7.

The majority of the dummy accounts on the social media platform do not have a profile picture and friends, and their profile links have the same format: first name (dot) last name (dot) number.

The social media giant said it already investigating the “suspicious activity on its platform” and vowed to take action on any accounts that it finds to be in violation of its policies.

The Department of Justice has also announced that its Office of Cybercrime will look into the matter in coordination with the cybercrime units of the National Bureau of Investigation and Philippine National Police.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1105406

DOJ assures anti-terror bill to undergo thorough review

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 9, 2020): DOJ assures anti-terror bill to undergo thorough review (By Benjamin Pulta)



Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra. (File photo)

Malacañang will thoroughly scrutinize the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Tuesday.

"The Palace statement that the anti-terror bill will be reviewed is not a mere perfunctory statement. From my experience as former senior deputy executive secretary, I know that all enrolled bills are carefully scrutinized with the help of the relevant executive agencies before they are submitted to the President for appropriate action," Guevarra said in a statement.

Gueverra said President Rodrigo Duterte, being a lawyer himself, has a good grasp of any legal or constitutional issues involved.

He also assured that any implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the proposed measure will iron out any rough spots.

"Perhaps this is the more significant thing to know: should the anti-terror bill be enacted into law, the DOJ (Department of Justice) will endeavor to define more clearly, in the IRR that the ATC (Anti-Terrorism Council) and the DOJ will be tasked to promulgate, the parameters within which the law will be implemented and enforced, in order to erase any latitude for misapplication or abuse," Guevarra said.

Data from the National Prosecution Service (NPS) showed prosecutors secured 17 convictions representing 100 percent of terrorism cases in 2019 and 35 convictions in 2018.

In a letter to House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano last week, Duterte certified as urgent House Bill 6875 which seeks to give the country’s anti-terrorism law more teeth “to address the urgent need to strengthen the law on anti-terrorism in order to adequately and effectively contain the menace of terrorist acts for the preservation of national security and the promotion of general welfare”.

The Senate passed a similar measure on third and final reading in February.

On Tuesday, Malacañang received a copy of the anti-terrorism bill which is now up for the President's signature.

Under the bill, persons who voluntarily and knowingly join any organization, association, or group of persons knowing that such is a terrorist organization, shall suffer imprisonment of 12 years.

Suspected persons can be detained for 14 days without a warrant of arrest with an allowable 10-day extension.

A 60-day surveillance on suspected terrorists can also be launched by the police or the military, with an allowable 30-day extension.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1105398

Pag-asa Island dev't projects to go full blast with beaching ramp

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 9, 2020): Pag-asa Island dev't projects to go full blast with beaching ramp (By Priam Nepomuceno)



BEACHING RAMP. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (center) and some military officials lead the inauguration of the beaching ramp at the Pag-asa Island on Tuesday (June 9, 2020). The completion of the beaching ramp at Pag-asa Island is expected to help in the construction of more development projects to improve the living conditions of the island's residents. (Photo courtesy of DND)

Development projects in Pag-asa Island are expected to go full blast with the completion and turnover of its beaching ramp, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Tuesday.

"Once operational (beaching ramp), we can go full blast already. Any project here, mga barracks ng mga sundalo (barracks of soldiers) bahay ng mga tao dito (houses of people living here) eskwelahan (schools), electricity, power, solar siguro tsaka (and) diesel hybrid, everything, we will improve this,"
he said in a media interview.

Lorenzana said the purpose of these developments is to develop Pag-asa Island into a viable community.


Among these development plans, he added, is the installation of a radio broadcasting center.

"We will put out money here. Si (Department of Transportation) Secretary (Arthur) Tugade, kita niyo yung fishermen's shelter? (You saw his fishermen's shelter?) Magtatayo din siya ng ice plant (he will also put up an ice plant) so that the fishermen can deposit their catch para hindi masisira ang mga huli (so that their catch will not spoil)," Lorenzana said.

He is also looking at the possibility of constructing another beaching ramp to carry equipment and supplies to other Philippine-claimed territories in the Spratlys Island chain.

Out of the seven islands and two reefs being controlled by the Philippines in the Spratlys, Pag-asa is the largest measuring 37.2 hectares.

Other Philippine possessions in the area include Likas Island which measures 18.6 hectares, Parola Island, 12.7 hectares; Lawak Island, 7.93 hectares; Kota Island, 6.45 hectares; Patag Island, 0.57; Panata Island, 0.44; Rizal and Ayungin Reefs.

Lorenzana said there are no plans to militarize Pag-asa Island and soldiers deployed are only armed for protection.

"We will not militarize this. I call it militarization if we bring in other weapons that are heavy like cannons or missiles. We will not do that here," he added.

Lorenzana earlier said transportation of materials needed to repair and then maintain the Rancudo Airfield will be made easier with the completion of the Pag-asa Island beaching ramp.

"Very significant (as with) the beaching ramp, we can now bring in materials, equipment to continuously repair and later on to maintain our runway (Rancudo Airfield)," Lorenzana said.

Prior to the turnover of the beaching ramp, equipment and supplies could only be brought in by ship who have to anchor 500 meters away from the shore and transfer it to a smaller boat so that it can be carried to the island.

"So it’s very tedious (practice) and very expensive and we can only do that during calm weather," Lorenzana said.

During the "habagat" or southwest monsoon season, even fishermen are very wary to go in the area due to rough weather and large waves.

With a budget of PHP267.18 million, the construction of the beaching ramp on Pag-asa Island is one of several projects aimed at improving the living conditions of the people there.

A total of PHP1.3 billion worth of projects are also in the pipeline, including the repair and concreting of the runway that has been damaged by erosion.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1105353

[OPINION] The Philippine military and its hypocrisy

Opinion piece posted to Rappler (Jun 9, 2020): [OPINION] The Philippine military and its hypocrisy (By Glenda M. Gloria)

Who is the biggest recruiter for the communist movement? Surely the generals know?



We tend to forget that the communist New People’s Army (NPA) has long been decimated. Even the military is burying this fact, as it has come to embrace its own propaganda that the guerrillas and their fronts are now the gravest threat to this nation.

You only need to hear Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr to recognize the steep decline of reason in the armed forces. Each time I see Parlade’s Facebook posts, I imagine the old guards cringing – not so much over Parlade’s bad prose (which could be forgiven) but for his being shrill, his being crude, his being unsophisticated.

I started covering the military in 1988, when the communists were at their peak with anywhere from 25,000 to 30,000 armed regulars and urban fighters. The post-Marcos Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) took this challenge to heart, convinced this was going to be a long, intense battle that could only be won by the brightest minds.

So the best combatants and sleuths lived in the camps or their cars; staked out safehouses for months and years; mapped battlefield attacks with intelligent intelligence; targeted the underground’s political and armed commands; and zeroed in on strongholds.

A senseless matrix, such as the favorite of Malacañang and the Duterte military, would not do then. It had to stand on 2 or 3 layers of verified connections that would serve as a guide for street work, not fleeting propaganda. It was clear that propaganda was an indispensable spice in the war, but not the main weapon.

The military I knew had a single goal then: decapitate the communist leadership through arrests and intrigue, and win the hearts and minds of the people who support them.

Which was what happened.

At some point, the Camp Crame detention center had as its prized trophies both the chief of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), Rodolfo Salas, and the NPA, Romulo Kintanar, as well as the entire Party executive committee. (Until 1991 when the Philippine National Police or PNP was established, Camp Crame was military headquarters.)

Intelligence agents also infiltrated the communist underground and sowed divisions deep enough to trigger a bloody internal purge of so-called state agents and “adventurists” within the Party.

The purge caused bitter debates in the movement, causing an ugly and public Party split in 1992 that prompted Fidel V Ramos to predict the insurgents’ “irreversible decline.” From its peak, the NPA’s numbers declined to around 5,000 by the time Ramos stepped down from the presidency in 1998.

The Parlades (Philippine Military Academy, 1987) and the Ed Años (PMA, 1983) of the world were young officers then, in awe of what their seniors had accomplished. Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, in fact, was molded in the same methodology and thinking, that it's a shame he would tolerate this current institutional hysteria.

The communist pill

Let it be said in clear terms: by 2018, in the second year of the Duterte administration, the NPA was down to 3,700 armed members nationwide, according to the military’s own estimate. Their strongholds have been reduced to probably 3 or 4 regions – parts of Eastern Mindanao and Caraga; portions of Calabarzon and Bicol; some patches in the Cordilleras.

Range this against some 85,000 Army troops that in 2018 were allocated half of the total military budget of P195.4 billion against the NPA .

The guerrillas are now but a poor shadow of their old selves, where command is nebulous, control is regionalized, and leadership is aging.

What’s all the fuss then? Why is Parlade and his peers acting like the communists are at Malacañang’s gates? Why are they suddenly casting a net so wide to catch even the angry but harmless ones?

Why are the PMAers who should know better now sharing memes and fake news to hype up the communist threat even as households struggle with the pandemic and China continues to invade our seas? Why are they not as agitated when Chinese ships cross our borders, even swallowing organizational pride when their chief of staff begged Beijing for an untested COVID-19 vaccine?

Why, for the love of God, are they buying attack helicopters at this time to finish off the rebels?

To be blunt, what drug have the generals been taking?

Ah, it’s the commie drug – the one that leaders inject in the veins of the military when they want to keep its loyalty.

It’s the same drug used by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo when she battled charges that she cheated her way to victory in the 2004 presidential elections and crushed mass protests and attempted mutinies against her. (READ: War with the NPA, war without end)

It’s the same drug that Joseph Estrada failed to use (as he deployed the military instead against the Moro rebels, who are more sturdy and complex), which probably partly explains his short-lived presidency.

And it’s the same drug that Duterte is giving the military, to keep it too busy and obsessed – and awash with counter-insurgency cash – to be thinking of plotting against him or watching China.

Is the military not understanding this or refusing to see it?

Friend of the NPA

If there’s anyone who was Red long before these so-called communist activists, it is the armed forces' commander-in-chief. As the longtime mayor of Davao City, he tolerated and aided the guerrillas on one condition: that they did their attacks elsewhere but his city.

When the mayor became president in 2016, he made history in the same way Noynoy Aquino made history when he welcomed Moro guerrillas to Malacañang: he opened the gates of the presidential palace to top communist leaders and, after that, released their senior comrades from jail.

On the 5th month of an unprecedented ceasefire with the rebels in December 2016, Duterte declared: “I am the President belonging to the Left. The Reds would never demand my ouster. They will die for me, believe me.”

Duterte walked the talk: he appointed key Leftist leaders to his Cabinet and mobilized the bureaucracy for an ambitious and generous peace process with the rebels’ political arm, the National Democratic Front.

Yet here we are: the military would be unforgiving toward young Filipinos in search of themselves through activism, but chooses to forget that Duterte was actually in bed with the guerrillas for decades, culminating in the rebels' support for his presidential bid in 2016.

I would have struggled with this irony if not for the fact that the armed forces did condone Duterte during those years. Because like the guerrillas, they were also the beneficiary of his largesse. Each time the commanders in Eastern Mindanao ran out of cash or needed more vehicles or wanted to party, Mayor Duterte offered succor.

Keeping a distance

What to do in the face of this Duterte-NPA lovefest, was the penultimate question at Camp Aguinaldo in 2016. They know Duterte long enough not to spite him in public. So, in the guise of protecting institutional integrity, they kept distance from him.

Remember that time not too long ago? When the military would absolutely have nothing to do with the PNP’s drug war? When it refused to be dragged into Duterte’s harassment of then-senator Sonny Trillanes? When the armed forces punished officers who spread fake news about journalists? When it stood valiantly against China and its incursions into the West Philippine Sea?

That was a period when the AFP played the adult in the relationship and where, in the words of a retired general, it showed it was “not a second-the-motion institution.

One would hope it was going to last.

But the President is the better politician here. He got the message and gave the AFP its drug of choice. He eventually parted ways with the communists, ended talks with them, and gave the go-signal to jail, maim, or kill them via the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

Targeting the legal base

The government’s final gambit to end the 5-decade old insurgency, which will be facilitated by a tougher anti-terror bill, is to bring the war to the unarmed or the political base of the guerrillas – couched as a “whole of government approach.” (READ: 'Terror law': The pet bill of the generals)

As early as 2018, for example, the justice department issued a list of 600 “terrorists” who ought to be covered by the weaker anti-terror bill at the time, the Human Security Act. Intense red-tagging of the voter base of the extreme Left followed, but they survived the onslaught, with 4 party lists the military tags as “Red” winning seats in the 2019 elections.

While it is true that the NPA has only a few thousand armed men, argues the military, the guerrilla army is backed by a formidable base of roughly 2 million Filipinos, based on the votes garnered by the 4 parties in the last polls.

For years the military believed that as long as the NPA had this advantage of legal representation in Congress and on the streets, the only way to defeat it is to wipe out its legal fronts.

This is where the military is wrong.

Part of the reason the Left survived the bruising 2019 campaign is the residual effect of the open space afforded them by Duterte after he won as president 3 years prior. Part of the reason, too, is the violent drug war that solidified the protest movement against the established order. And the two-million base is already a huge slash from these groups’ partylist heyday years ago.

But the military need not do the math or divine politics – because that’s not their business.

They only need to remember the hard lessons from 50 years of counter-insurgency: rebels thrive on government abuse and the hysteria of an armed forces that thinks it can defeat them through terror.

The biggest communist recruiter, sirs, is you know who. Surely you must know that?

https://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/263193-opinion-philippine-military-hypocrisy-counter-insurgency