CPP/NPA/NDF recruiting young boys and girls?
What is it with students of the University of the Philippines that they are easily recruited to become members of the Communist Party of the Philippines, or worse, join the heavilyarmed terrorist group New People's Army? This was revealed last weekend in Barangay Luyang, Mabinay, Negros Oriental by the 62nd Infantry Battalion that engaged some 20 suspected rebels for 45 minutes and arrested six members including a female Mass Communication graduate from UP.
Then an unknown group called the Nagkahiusang Kusog sa Estudyante (NKE) lamented the arrest of the Masscom graduate and another group, Anakbayan Cebu, said she was a student leader and a former chairwoman of Anakbayan. Anakbayan further said "The arrest is alarming since the reactionary military forces have a track record of violent and inhumane treatment of their captives, especially women." Of course this is mere Anakbayan propaganda.
If there is any organization responsible for recruiting women to fight our soldiers, it is the Anakbayan group. For many years, we have been saying that Anakbayan was one of the above-ground allied fronts of the CPP and the NPA and last weekend's firefight with the 62nd Infantry Battalion only proves that they have a low regard for women in their recruitment. Worst of all, of the six arrested suspects, two of them were 17year-old boys, which only proves Anakbayan or the NPA have no qualms in allowing young boys to fight our soldiers.
Anakbayan charges the Armed Forces of the Philippines for their violent behavior, but in truth if there was no armed insurgency by the NPA or Anakbayan, then there wouldn't be any need for soldiers to patrol the hinterlands of Negros Island. The fact that Col. Medel Aguilar did not reveal the identities of the two boys is proof of the AFP's adherence to international and humanitarian law.
But for the NPA who accuses the military of violations of human rights, they are far worse in the sense that they are recruiting innocent and underage students to fight their lost cause. I'm glad that Col.Aguilar will be meeting the heads of all schools in Region 7 to prevent further infiltration of our youth by the CPP/NPA/NDF.
According to Atty. Liz Corro, UP-Cebu Chancellor, the woman arrested after last weekend's firefight was an alumna of UP. Sure, that woman is entitled to due process, however, it would be difficult for her to explain what she was doing in Sitio Tumonon, Barangay Luyang, fighting the AFP. What a waste of talent, what a waste of our youth, who are romanticized and lured by the Communists even in this era of the digital information age.
The CPP/NPA/NDF have been waging a war in the countryside for 40 years without let-up, hoping that someday, they would change the Philippine government's adherence to our democratic principles and embrace the tenets of Communism. Fortunately for our youth, there are only a handful of UP students who fall into the trap of Communism to the point of arming themselves to fight our military forces.
Now Anakbayan is demanding to peace talks between the Philippine government and the CPP proceed. But you already know that we can never have peace with the leaders of the CPP/ NPA simply because their agenda is to turn the Philippines into a communist state, a dream that could never materialize because Filipinos love democracy and believe that Communism is no longer viable even in the countries that are still ruled by communists.
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There was a news report that urged Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña to "collaborate" with Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino through the Regional Development Council. My honest opinion on this is simple; for as long as Mayor Osmeña cannot learn how to humble himself, even for the sake of Cebu City, this could never happen.
Take the case of the eight-hectare Kawit Island development by the Gokongwei group, when all their plans were finalized an elated Mayor Osmeña proudly made this announcement himself. Yet if you saw those colored architect's perspective, the majority of those buildings were higher than the four-story height limitation that the mayor tried to impose. Yet in approving that project he was saying that buildings higher than four stories are okay.