Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa (File photo)
MANILA – Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa is eliminating peace talks as a solution to the local insurgency caused by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA).
Dela Rosa said Monday that the only solution is for the CPP-NPA leaders and members to surrender to the government.
"Kung ayaw nila, eh di tuloy ang giyera. Wala man tayong magawa. Kung gusto mo ba (If they don't want it, then the war continues. Do you want) solution, meaning to say negotiation? Peace talk? ‘Wag kang maniwala diyan (Don't believe in that)," the lawmaker said in an interview video posted on his Facebook page.
He said it is better to have peace talks with other groups rather than the CPP-NPA, which he said is “insincere”
"They have been using peace talks to their advantage," Dela Rosa said.
He said communists use social injustices, poverty, lack of education, and alleged government abuse to hide their real objective of overthrowing the government.
"Para ang demokrasiya natin ay palitan ng komunismo. ‘Yun naman talaga (To transform our democracy into communism. That's it). The root cause of insurgency is not social injustice. It is the CPP-NPA's goal to seize power," Dela Rosa added.
The former national police chief said he respects the recent ruling of the Manila Regional Trial Court to dismiss the petition to declare the CPP-NPA as a terrorist organization but was dismayed by it.
Dela Rosa is eyeing the institutionalization of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) through Senate Bill 200 or the ELCAC Act.
Former president Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order No. 70 on Dec. 4 2018, creating the NTF-ELCAC to “provide an efficient mechanism and structure for the implementation of the whole-of-nation approach to aid in the realization of collective aspirations for inclusive and sustainable peace.”
The Barangay Development Program (BDP) is a hallmark program of the NTF-ELCAC, with the end goal of bringing development to former conflict-prone communities.
The BDP initially identified 822 villages nationwide that will receive PHP20 million each for farm-to-market roads, classrooms, water and sanitation systems, health stations and livelihood projects. (PNA)
