Military says 2-year timetable unrealistic - Malaya 06.22.2006

BY VICTOR REYES

THE Armed Forces yesterday said it cannot crush the New People’s Army in "critical areas" in Southern and Central Luzon and Sorsogon province in two years as Malacañang wants.

The most the military could do is to reduce the strength of the communist movement in those areas to an "insignificant level," said Col. Tristan Kison, chief of the AFP’s public information office.

"We cannot decimate the enemy to zero but we should be able to bring down their operational capabilities to an insignificant level," Kison said. "We hope that we can further decimate them to an insignificant level."

Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor on Friday announced the two-year timeline following President Arroyo’s order for the budget department to release P1 billion in additional funds to the military and the police to bolster their capability to fight the insurgents.

Kison could not say the current strength of the NPA in the three areas, but he said the figures are available from the intelligence community.

Quoting from latest military assessments, Kison said the communists have less than 7,000 fighters throughout the country, about 50 percent of which are in Luzon, 40 percent in Visayas while the rest are in Mindanao.

He said the military plans to use all available resources in the continuing fight against the insurgents. Early this week, the military deployed three more Army battalions from Mindanao to NPA-infested areas in Luzon.

President Arroyo will welcome the core leaders of the three battalions newly deployed to the "critical areas," in a ceremony at the AFP grandstand in Camp Aguinaldo at 11 a.m. today.

Kison said the stepped-up operations against the rebels would not be limited only to the Army. He said the Air Force and the Navy would act as "support forces."

On why the government wants to end the insurgency in two years, Kison said: "Why the short period? Because a protracted war would deplete the resources of the government. Imagine if this war would drag on."

Asked if the military plans to reposition more troops from Mindanao and the Visayas for the renewed counter-insurgency drive in Luzon, Kison said: "It would all depend on the assessment of the higher headquarters. If in the assessment of higher headquarters is there is a need to bring in more troops, then we will do that."

Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz on Tuesday said the military is recalling at least 3,000 soldiers who are serving as security escorts of government officials and civilians so they could be used in the drive to end insurgency.

'UNFAIR'

Armed Forces chief Gen. Generoso Senga branded as unfair allegations of militant groups that the P1 billion is a "murder fund."

Senga said the fund is for counter-insurgency and socio-economic development operations.

"It is not fair to say na murder fund. Mali naman iyun. The AFP will conduct its operations together with the PNP in accordance with our existing laws…That is a very unfair statement.

We are doing the counter-insurgency operation so that we can accelerate the socio-economic development of the country," he said.

Senga said they would use the fund to acquire additional equipment and "improve the operational tempo to accomplish this task the soonest possible time."

He said they would try to avoid any "collateral damage" during their operations and in case of possible "damage," they would immediately modify their operation plans to limit if not avoid collateral damage.

He said they are modifying their campaign plan to beat the deadline set by the administration, including the "one to two years" deadline for licking the NPA.

Senga said the President wants the insurgency problem completely solved before her term ends.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said militants will always try to link the spate of murder of Left-leaning leaders to the government.

Ermita said Task Force Usig, which recently met with members of the Commission on Human Rights and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines to update them on their operations, is determined to solve these cases.

He said they are looking into intelligence reports that the killings were part of "purging operations" within the Leftist movement.

Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca said she was not in favor of using all the money for the "all out war" offensive. She said it would be better if the money was re-channeled to basic services.

Padaca also said the deadline was not realistic, noting government has launched several "all-out wars" but to no avail.

OVERALL APPROACH

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the campaign against the CPP-NPA "is not a campaign of force and violence but a combination of security operations directed at armed adversaries, development directed at poor communities and governance initiatives directed at the local governments."

"We are aware of the root causes of this problem and the intensified campaign against the CPP-NPA is actually a part of this government’s overall approach to addressing poverty, especially in the countryside," he said.

Ermita said as the campaign moves on, government will investigating other groups or even businesses that may be giving support to the NPA.

"Definitely anyone who abets insurgency, who gives comfort to the enemy would be within the ambit of counter-insurgency operations. Insurgents are guerillas… (they) live of the land and they depend on the assistance provided to them by their cadres on the ground so we have to address these particular cadres," he said.

Ermita said these include those who pay revolutionary taxes to the NPA, particularly some businessmen.

"Lahat ng firm, whatever name you call them, lahat ng business firm na kina-kailangan talaga silang maki-cooperate naman sa gobyerno... We are allocating so much fund to neutralize those who are creating trouble for government which affects our economy, pagkatapos sila naman ay nakakatulong pa sa kabila. Kaya mag-ingat lang sila dahil hindi na dapat silang tumulong sa mga kaaway ng gobyerno," he said.

Ermita said government is prepared to protect these businessmen.

He said they would convert "cadres" into peace-loving citizens through the civil military operations and development projects in the areas heavily affected by the NPA.

He said from 1,969 barangays under NPA influence in 2001, there was a "slight increase" to 2,178 by end of 2005.

FIGHT AND TALK

Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile said the government could not go on "talking and talking" to communist rebels without forging a resolution.

"I’m not saying we totally crush them (NPA), but it’s about time that we deal with this problem. We can’t stand still," he said.

Enrile said neither economic solution nor military approach would end the 37-year communist rebellion.

He said it is always a combination of the two.

"There’s a military doctrine: ‘You fight and you talk at the same time,’" he said. "You can’t use military solution alone (and) you can’t use economic solution alone."

He said peace advocates, fearing a full escalation of war between government and the NPA, should convince top communist leaders to lay down their arms.

"Di puwedeng tayo ang su-surrender. Sino ba ang amo natin, si Joma Sison?" he said, referring to Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

Sison on Tuesday said President Arroyo will suffer a fate worse than what befell the late President Ferdinand Marcos because of her flagrant disregard for human rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution.

Enrile berated government for failing to contain the insurgency.

"The purpose of government is to govern. If it cannot, let’s liquidate that government," he said.

He rejected calls to seek the help of the United States to crush the rebellion.

"Why should we involve other people in our internal affairs?" he said. "We don’t need to internationalize the problem."

He said the country should run for help only when the enemies became too formidable.
He said the government could turn to the United States by invoking the Mutual Defense Treaty. – With Jocelyn Montemayor, JP Lopez, Dennis Gadil and Ashzel Hachero