Why the “communist insurgency” in the country may never end?
The CPP/NPA/NDF are close to being extinct even before the NTF-Elcac was formed in 2018 as they had significantly diminished in membership and influence. In fact, their presence can hardly be felt now even in the countryside, certainly not as much (by far) as during the administrations of Marcos Sr., Cory Aquino and Fidel Ramos.
Thus, is this the reason why government authorities, through Anti-Terror Law, have to tag as terrorists, reds or sympathizers just about everyone who espouses good governance, criticizes crooks, clamors for justice and opposes sanctioned ruthlessness so that their fight against “communist insurgency” will continue, and therefore their yearly big budget to carry out the “fight” (or show) won’t stop? Ingenious!
Even the DILG/PNP has a proposed budget of P1.084 billion for 2023 just to “assess and evaluate” the government’s so-called “anti-insurgency” community programs. And this money is distinct from the P10 billion allocated to NTF-Elcac which the same people’s money can otherwise be put to real good use or channeled to modernize our agriculture sector/industry.
When can we, Filipinos, expect (indeed) the communist insurrection to come to an end? Is the “problem” meant (purposefully) to stay with us forever? Is this precisely why the military doesn’t want peace talk with the reduced rebels? Hence, the Anti-Terror law, red-tagging and the budget/s (year after year) to solve the “problem.”
The NTF-ELCAC, much less when spelled out, appears to be one of the biggest ironies in the country from its inception – National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
Apparently, government authorities are addressing the insurgency like they’re inside a time machine, transported back to the years 1970s and 1980s? In light of these realities, would it be illogical to conclude that our insurgency problem is more a problem of corruption than about “terrorism” or the CPP/NPA/NDF?
God, help the Philippines!
