MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte yesterday branded the decades-long communist insurgency in the country as a dying movement, saying it is only a matter of time before the war against the New People’s Army (NPA) is put to an end.
“The NPA’s so-called protracted war is ending,” Duterte said during the event commemorating the first anniversary of Davao City’s declaration as insurgency-free.
“The guerrilla warfare tactic is no longer working for them to be able to breathe life into a dying movement,” she said.
Describing the NPA as the “devil,” Duterte, who was recently appointed co-vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), recalled their efforts while she was Davao City mayor to remove the rebel group’s presence in the city’s Paquibato district.
“The civilian-led program Peace 911 won the hearts of the people of Paquibato through projects and programs that offered them the opportunity to become productive, provided them with livelihood, made them discover new skills, capacitated women and built their confidence as individuals and as a community,” Duterte said.
“It is a shining example of a successful anti-terrorism campaign made possible by the collaboration of various sectors through the program Peace 911 by the local government of Davao,” she added.
But she stressed that the peace they achieved is fragile, saying it can only be sustained “if we do not abandon our strength as a community or our shared dreams as a nation.”
“Terrorism is a dangerous enemy. The NPA, for one, does not care if you are a member of the military, police or civilian body,” the Vice President said.
Duterte, who is also education secretary, underscored the importance of education to protect children from being recruited by terrorist groups.
She highlighted their efforts to integrate a national peace curriculum in the country’s basic education system.
“Education, as we know, harbors power that could change the course of our lives and that of our fellowmen,” Duterte said. “It is a tool that can emancipate us from poverty or injustice. It is also a powerful tool for peace-building and combating terrorism.”
Meanwhile, NTF-ELCAC executive director Ernesto Torres Jr. said more aggressive and active participation of local government units could be expected against the anti-insurgency campaign with the designation of Duterte as the task force co-vice chair. – With Edith Regalado, Diana Lhyd Suelto, Ralph Edwin Villanueva