The communist-led insurgency in the Philippines is more of a governance than a police or military problem, and the Duterte administration is winning the war in the countryside, Interior Officer in Charge Eduardo M. Año said on Monday.
Año issued the statement as he expressed support behind the call to create an interagency task force to deal a final blow to the communist rebellion being waged by the Communist Party of the Philippine and its armed wing, the New People’s Army.
The former chief of staff of the Armed Forces (AFP) said “nipping communist recruitment in the bud entails a whole-of-government approach” in order to address the socio-politico-economic problems that threaten the stability of the country.
“The government is cognizant that effectively ending insurgency requires not only police and military response but necessitates a triad of development, governance and security efforts,” he said.
Año issued the statement in support to AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr.’s suggestion that civilian agencies and other stakeholders must be aware of and integrated into the whole-of-government strategy of quashing the communist recruitment.
“Insurgency is rooted in poverty, inequality and grievances that could be addressed by respective mandates of various government institutions. We have all the mechanisms to face these issues but all government agencies have to perform our roles in a concerted manner,” Año said.
The communist insurgency, he stressed, is not primarily a military or police problem but a “governance problem.”
“In fact we are winning the battle in the mountains. There are so many surrenderers now. It’s in the propaganda war and parliamentary battle that we are losing. The National Task Force will ensure that other government agencies help the DND [Department of National Defense] and DILG [Department of the Interior and Local Government] in this effort,” he said.
Año said civilian government agencies must be aware of the real situation and fulfill their mandates so as to prevent a buildup of public grievances that communist terrorist rebels exploit to stir anti-government sentiments, such as corruption, price hikes, and labor sector and indigenous peoples’ concerns.
“Communists are using as propaganda the inefficacies of the government to advance their aspiration of toppling democracy. Thus all instrumentalities of the government have to recognize their role in addressing this urgent and long-standing problem,” he said.
On to the part of the DILG, Año assured that the department is instilling good governance among local government units (LGUs) who are at the forefront of public service delivery.
He added there is no need for a loyalty check the ranks of the Philippine National Police, “whose allegiance is to the Constitution and the people.” “The DILG and the DND, as well as the PNP and AFP, are one in preserving the stability of the state. Our police and soldiers are ruled by law and accountable to the sovereign people only,” he said.