37 years of communist insurgency…and counting
(June 22, 2006) THIRTY-SEVEN years. That's how long the communist guerillas in the Philippines have been waging war against the established government. Thousands have been killed in those 37 years, including civilians, and the nation has yet to see a light at the end of the tunnel despite numerous attempted ways of quelling the insurgency.
This week though, the Arroyo administration would like to this nagging problem ended once and for all, again through military might and the establishment of economic infrastructure that will bring jobs, education and health care services to the impoverished that mostly harbor the insurgents.
According to the latest announcement from the Palace, they want €dramatic results€ in two years, especially those in the so-called hotbeds of insurgency including Central Luzon, the Bicol region and some parts of Southern Luzon. The government said jobs and other economic factors would bring an end to the insurgency because €the people know that theirs (communist guerillas agenda) will not work€ or something to that effect.
In my exploits as a journalist and a student who actively participated in the downfall of the dictator, it was obvious that the New People's Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has been fighting a battle based on people's clamor for social justice, equality or an opportunity to better their lives, and access to wealth that is controlled by the elite few. It wanted to deflate the rising gap between the rich and poor, which for the last 40 years, however, has continued to widen. Of course, an abusive military and police served as fuel to the insurgency, which by the way, are also victims of social injustice as they are two of the most underpaid sectors in the society, forcing many to commit graft, if not violent criminal activities.
The government claims that there are around 7,000 armed guerillas at present, significantly down from more than an estimated 30,000 two decades ago during the martial law period. How they derived at the numbers are more or less unscientific, unless of course the government counts the number of weapons they have lost to the enemy, which uses the same types of rifles and ammunition supplied by the military aside from maybe a few Kalashnikovs smuggled from China a long time ago. The sheer strength of the NPA, for me, is immeasurable, but a 37-year-old war speaks of their longevity, resilience and massive support. And lucky for them, the archipelago, its mountains and forests are their blankets keep them as a force to reckon with despite the technology, military hardware and other forms of tactical assistance from Uncle Sam.
For some reason, I don't know if the government didn't get the message before or that eventually now it is able to understand what the communist campaign is all about. The left has been saying that the root of the insurgency is what has been mentioned above and many times over by both camps, but that implementing an economic approach to minimize or even defeat the insurgency is always sidestepped because the elite, which also comprises the people in the government, will be the ones who will lose their land, reduce their wealth accumulation and the power in their localities. For them, it would be against established €traditions€ dating back to the beginning of feudal world.
It will be up to the military to neutralize the insurgents, which as of latest accounts, can no longer muster more support both in the number of armed guerrillas and areas of influence. This is what the Arroyo administration would want the military to achieve and achieve fast in two years. Meanwhile, the government also says it will do its part in as far as making the lives of the Filipinos better in the countryside. Good luck!
Personally, I pity the soldiers who are like pawns in this battle that is more economic than military. The formula of winning the hearts and minds of the people launched decades ago was a myth, since it was only the dictatorship and its fascist regime that was responsible for the NPA's initial success in getting the support of the people. There was no actual brainwashing. Rather, the people were enlightened as to why, despite their daily hardship in factories and in the fields, they just couldn't improve their lives. They remain poor, education was inaccessible or unaffordable, health care is non-existent and their debts to landlords or creditors continued to rise. Through those four decades, the countries around them have become tigers while the Philippines lagged behind, and they find their sons and daughters leaving for these countries to become maids, adding more insult to the injured Filipino nation.
In the next two years, it is expected that more heavy fighting will occur that will only result to more deaths, and corresponding more abuses and violations of human rights. The government must heed to the other approach €" that is, build the infrastructure now and you will see more people coming down from the hills leading to a peaceful Philippines.(RFL)
This week though, the Arroyo administration would like to this nagging problem ended once and for all, again through military might and the establishment of economic infrastructure that will bring jobs, education and health care services to the impoverished that mostly harbor the insurgents.
According to the latest announcement from the Palace, they want €dramatic results€ in two years, especially those in the so-called hotbeds of insurgency including Central Luzon, the Bicol region and some parts of Southern Luzon. The government said jobs and other economic factors would bring an end to the insurgency because €the people know that theirs (communist guerillas agenda) will not work€ or something to that effect.
In my exploits as a journalist and a student who actively participated in the downfall of the dictator, it was obvious that the New People's Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has been fighting a battle based on people's clamor for social justice, equality or an opportunity to better their lives, and access to wealth that is controlled by the elite few. It wanted to deflate the rising gap between the rich and poor, which for the last 40 years, however, has continued to widen. Of course, an abusive military and police served as fuel to the insurgency, which by the way, are also victims of social injustice as they are two of the most underpaid sectors in the society, forcing many to commit graft, if not violent criminal activities.
The government claims that there are around 7,000 armed guerillas at present, significantly down from more than an estimated 30,000 two decades ago during the martial law period. How they derived at the numbers are more or less unscientific, unless of course the government counts the number of weapons they have lost to the enemy, which uses the same types of rifles and ammunition supplied by the military aside from maybe a few Kalashnikovs smuggled from China a long time ago. The sheer strength of the NPA, for me, is immeasurable, but a 37-year-old war speaks of their longevity, resilience and massive support. And lucky for them, the archipelago, its mountains and forests are their blankets keep them as a force to reckon with despite the technology, military hardware and other forms of tactical assistance from Uncle Sam.
For some reason, I don't know if the government didn't get the message before or that eventually now it is able to understand what the communist campaign is all about. The left has been saying that the root of the insurgency is what has been mentioned above and many times over by both camps, but that implementing an economic approach to minimize or even defeat the insurgency is always sidestepped because the elite, which also comprises the people in the government, will be the ones who will lose their land, reduce their wealth accumulation and the power in their localities. For them, it would be against established €traditions€ dating back to the beginning of feudal world.
It will be up to the military to neutralize the insurgents, which as of latest accounts, can no longer muster more support both in the number of armed guerrillas and areas of influence. This is what the Arroyo administration would want the military to achieve and achieve fast in two years. Meanwhile, the government also says it will do its part in as far as making the lives of the Filipinos better in the countryside. Good luck!
Personally, I pity the soldiers who are like pawns in this battle that is more economic than military. The formula of winning the hearts and minds of the people launched decades ago was a myth, since it was only the dictatorship and its fascist regime that was responsible for the NPA's initial success in getting the support of the people. There was no actual brainwashing. Rather, the people were enlightened as to why, despite their daily hardship in factories and in the fields, they just couldn't improve their lives. They remain poor, education was inaccessible or unaffordable, health care is non-existent and their debts to landlords or creditors continued to rise. Through those four decades, the countries around them have become tigers while the Philippines lagged behind, and they find their sons and daughters leaving for these countries to become maids, adding more insult to the injured Filipino nation.
In the next two years, it is expected that more heavy fighting will occur that will only result to more deaths, and corresponding more abuses and violations of human rights. The government must heed to the other approach €" that is, build the infrastructure now and you will see more people coming down from the hills leading to a peaceful Philippines.(RFL)
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