Conclusion
THE incurable optimist that is the Filipino is usually seen in times of hardships and conflicts that were in abundant supply last year for those in the thick of armed and legal strife: the military and the Judiciary.
This year the military would be more preoccupied, as its officers said the institution is “hell-bent” on conducting a more “focused operations” against all threat groups, with particular focus in Mindanao, under the banner of the extended martial aw.
No less than Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero has already pronounced that all lawless groups should expect a more intensified and deliberate operations from the government as the military pursues its objective of ending challenges to domestic security.
These challenges are posed by the Abu Sayyaf Group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the remnants of the Islamic State-Maute Group and the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), which have been declared as terrorist groups by the Commander in Chief, President Duterte.
“They can expect a more focused military, intensified focused military operations that will be conducted nationwide, most especially in Mindanao,” Guerrero said. “[This is] to address, first and foremost, our threat from remnants of the ISIS [Islamic State of Syria and Iraq] group, and second, all other threat groups to include the CPP-NPA,” the chief of staff added.
End times
WHILE military operations are ongoing in various parts of Mindanao, Guerrero said areas that are threatened or where the threat groups operate, especially the NPA, should expect more actions.
“We have winded down our skirmishes in Marawi City but in other parts, particularly in NPA-affected areas, they can expect more of the actions that are now being taken by the military, probably more intensified in terms of scope and coverage,” Guerrero said.
As a prelude to the more deliberate operations, the military has already moved or realigned its forces from Western Mindanao to Eastern Mindanao, where nearly half of the total forces of the NPA is currently based and operating.
“With the upsurge of atrocities in parts of Eastern Mindanao, we have started to put in more of our forces in Eastern Mindanao for us to be able to address this problem [insurgency] and, similarly, in other parts like Sulu and Basilan, and even in Luzon and the Visayas,” the chief of staff said.
In Compostela Valley, which is under the operational jurisdiction of the Armed Forces Eastern Mindanao Command, Maj. Gen. Noel Clement said they would pursue the rebels in the province who have been dwelling on support from mining companies.
The same operations will be carried out against the guerillas in Davao provinces.
“So that we can finally put a stop to their atrocities and extortion,” said Clement, who is the commander of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division. “Now is the best time to end this problem and let our country develop and improve lives of the people,” he added.
Korea jitters
OUTSIDE the country’s borders is another conflict whose burden falls on the shoulder of those outside the military.
In case of an outbreak of war between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the US, including allies South Korea and Japan, the Philippine government must contend with a significant number of souls.
In Seoul, South Korea alone, Filipinos number 63,000, which represents 0.1 percent of South Korea’s total population of 51 million.
The BusinessMirror asked Foreign Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano about the outlook for this large number of evacuees in case war escalates or breaks out. Surprisingly, he said there is a plan in place to address what could be a dire scenario.
“Our Ambassador [Executive Secretary Leo] Herrera is very good. He briefed me privately on the plans,” Cayetano said. “There’s a point in time when there are many tests, and he had to come out with plans so Filipino
leaders there are assigned numbers and contacts of [our]
kababayans, and there are assigned ports and everything. But it’s not without difficulty.”
According to Cayetano, the easiest route to evacuate, “aside from going to the other side of Korea” is Japan. “But, the problem is, North Korea also targets Japan,” he said.
Preventive acts
ACCORDING to Cayetano, “although Pyongyang tells the Philippines that we are friends, we tell them back, ‘Yes, but if you target our region, it will affect us all.’”
“So, even if there’s no Filipino in this other country, the impact of war in our region is really devastating to our economy, and more people will go hungry,” Cayetano added.
According to the foreign
affairs chief, he cannot take out the fact that there are hundreds of thousands and maybe millions of Filipinos across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region.
“Any country that they attack with [an] ICBM [intercontinental ballistic missile], some Filipinos would be hit,” Cayetano said. “So, really, the best plan is to prevent hostilities from happening.”
According to him, preparations for the effects of an intense conflict in the Korean Peninsula “are being done.”
“And we are also monitoring western countries and many other nationals in this area and were monitoring also what are their instructions to their own nationals.”
In other words, Cayetano, in the absence of a direct word from the US or its allies, would have to monitor the movement of other nationalities in the Korean Peninsula.
“But it’s always advisable to avoid war, and we will always rely on prevention.”
Legal battle
A nonmilitary battle, on the other hand, grips the Judiciary.
But, while the prospect of being removed from her post through impeachment is not remote, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes A. Sereno
still found some reasons to remain positive for the Judiciary for the year 2018.
Before saying good-bye to 2017, Sereno bragged about the many accomplishments and reforms that took place during the past several years since she assumed office, as the country’s top magistrate in 2010.
Among these were the introduction of “e-courts,” or electronic courts, and the continuous trials which helped the courts swiftly resolve pending cases.
“This is a time of rejoicing because we have so much accomplishments that we can [back] with enough proof. We can face everyone with pride, with honor, with dignity,” Sereno said in her speech during the yearly Christmas gathering of court employees. Sereno expressed hope that the said reforms would be imitated by the other parties in the justice sector like the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, prosecution and the defense.
The chief magistrate expressed belief that the future of the judiciary remains bright despite the ongoing impeachment proceedings against her.
She noted that the reform agenda being implemented by the SC would be strong enough to withstand political maneuverings and change in leadership.
“Meaningful changes take deep roots and survive leadership turnovers in the judiciary,” she stressed in a recent public speech.
Main goal
FOR 2018, Sereno said judicial programs for transparency and efficiency would continue until the Judiciary achieves its main goal, which is to make the institution as the “gold standard for public service.”
“In the long term, the measured performance and the public perception of personnel in the Judiciary should become the gold standard for public service,” she explained. “The people can be proud of our Judiciary. We work with pride, with honor, with dignity.”
The Chief Justice vowed to continue reform efforts aimed to speed up the trial system in the country and to make the courts transparent and closer to the public. “We look forward to more things to report to the nation,” she said.
Sereno indicated that the formula to improve services of the Judiciary and address corruption in courts have already been laid down by the High Court, and all that’s left is to make sure the programs will be implemented well.
“The Judiciary will continue with the implementation of its different judicial-reform programs, ultimately shifting into automating its processes with the end in view of transforming the Judiciary into the gold standard of public service,” she assured.
And, if these words still fail to make many believe the deep well of optimism the Filipino people scoop from, there are no other words left in the world to describe the unflagging spirit of the people in this archipelago.
Image credits: CBCPNews