DUMAGUETE CITY – The commander of the 79th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army on Tuesday welcomed President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of the New People’s Army (NPA) as a terrorist group.
Lt. Col. Roderick Garcia said there would be implications of the declaration, especially on the mass base of the NPA in the hinterlands.
“For one, no one wants to be affiliated with terrorists, especially now (that) the people have seen what the Maute terrorists have done, so they will now be cautious,” he said.
Another thing is that there will be legal implications because unlike freedom fighters, “the perception of terrorists is like you are on the level of the ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group), BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters), and other pests of the Philippines,” he added.
Garcia also pointed out that the support system of the NPA would mostly be affected by the President’s declaration.
He expressed belief that little by little, the mass base support of the NPA will crumble after being declared as terrorist.
The Army commander admits this would be to the advantage of the AFP but he also stressed the need for people to be aware of the so-called “birth pains” as there would be questions and issues that could arise from it.
But once the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will get the feel of it, and the people will realize the “tagging” of the NPA as terrorist, “it will become much easier for us.”
The province of Negros Oriental continues to deal with the problem of the NPA presence in a good number of areas even though it was earlier declared as conflict-manageable and development-ready. (PNA)
