WALL OF PEACE. Brig. Gen. Filmore Escobal, Police Regional Office in Region 11 director (left) and Col. Kirby John Kraft, Davao City Police Office director (right), unveil the 'Wall of Peace' on Friday (February 14). The murals depict images showing the atrocities of the New People's Army. (PNA photo by Che Palicte)
DAVAO CITY -- Twelve concrete walls surrounding the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) headquarters became the canvass for murals depicting the atrocities of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF).
Painted by local artists, the murals were unveiled Friday led by Brig. Gen. Filmore Escobal, Police Regional Office in Region 11 (PRO-11) director, who said the murals symbolized the police's support to the desire of President Rodrigo Duterte to end the communist rebellion.
Dubbed as the "wall of peace," the murals aim to raise awareness--especially among the youth--of the government's "whole-of-nation" approach to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC).
“As you can see in the painting, families were harassed by the NPA. They recruited the vulnerable sectors which became the source of their combatants,” Escobal said.
He said it was important to emphasize the wrongdoings of the NPA and be known to the public for them to be aware and avoid their deception.
“Most of their victims are the indigenous people (IP). They easily get influenced because of the NPA’s false promises,” Escobal added.
Meanwhile, Col. Kirby John Kraft, DCPO director, underscored the importance of the murals, which he said were painted by local artists starting January 15.
"There's a larger issue than many people may be aware of, such as the extremism of the CPP-NPA-NDF and their recruitment of students," Kraft said.
"We are doing this because we want the public to be wary of the pattern of deception of this terrorist group. Likewise, I am asking the support of everybody to deny them a chance to regain strength. We want peace and order to prevail in this land, not hate, terror and inhumanity," he added.
Coinciding with the unveiling of the murals, a rally was held by some 300 protesters against NPA atrocities.
“This multi-sectoral movement wanted to tell the public that we need to unite and end their recruitment,” Escobal said.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)
