CASER not pro-masses but serves Reds’ interests
MANILA – Contrary to how the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) portrays the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER) as promasses, National Security
Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said it is a piece of document that only serves the interest of communists.
“At first glance, this may appear to be pro-masses as it promises to benefit the majority, if not all, but if we look at it closely, the duplicitous character and self-interest of the communist terrorist group (CTG) becomes evident, as the provisions do not directly reflect the best interest of the nation, but their own,” said Esperon, who is also vice-chairperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC)
Contrary to NDFP’s
claim that their CASER contains “concrete and doable steps towards liberating the Filipino people from poverty, exploitation, and underdevelopment”, Esperon said dismantling the current economic model means reversing all economic reforms in the past several decades implemented through laws passed by previous administrations.
“Such move would be an arduous, costly, and extensive process,” he added. “The Philippines might not only find itself worse off economically if it lets go of the advantages of the current system but also face ostracism and isolation in the community of nations after such a radical shift.”
Their CASER, he said, was crafted with the goal of turning the Philippine economic model to nationalist and socialist which means it would dismantle the effects of globalization that communists view as the cause of the country’s continued underdevelopment. Irrevocable Esperon added that CASER, a document bannered by NDFP to be forged prior to the signing of an Interim Peace Agreement, will bind not only the current administration and the communists, but also all their successors.
“We believe that future conditions merit suitable responses. It would be unreasonable for the current administration to commit to something that would be irrevocable and might present challenges for the next administrations,” he said in a position paper on peace talks.
NDF’s demand that the agreement remains in force regardless of the outcome of peace talks robs the Philippine government of its ability to negotiate on equal footing with the CTG and therefore, might sabotage the government’s efforts in attaining a genuine and lasting peace with rebels, he added.
He said CASER’s provision of designating the NPA to play a key role in implementing agrarian reform, and demobilizing the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) by reducing their functions only for civil works and infrastructure construction, will be hugely detrimental to the government because the military must be able to retain their mandate of protecting country and its people from various kinds of threats.
“Conceding to their CASER version will not only be an act of admission of their (CTG) accusations but an act of disregard to the efforts of our leaders and lawmakers in addressing pressing societal issues,” he said.