Peace In The Time of Duterte

Any initiative that promotes peace between two sparring factions should be encouraged. Accords that seek to end hostilities among peoples need support from the citizens, and should be extolled. I have been a bitter critic of Rodrigo Duterte and his government. But, I encourage him to pursue the peace crusade with the various rebel and secessionist groups. Thousands of lives have been wasted in the decades long struggle between ideologies. Atrocities have left permanent scars in the hearts and minds of the survivors. It is high time the madness stops!

No Comfort Letters, Please

A year ago, I wrote a piece about the agreement between the previous government and that of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, I indicated that we should learn from the peace treaties of the past; especially the mistakes that were committed. The pursuit of reconciliation, justice should not take a back seat! The comfort letters issued by then Prime Minister, Tony Blair of the United Kingdom should be an ideal example of how not to proceed. His actions after the Good Friday peace agreement ensured that hundreds of Irish Republican Army criminals did not face prosecution for the atrocities they perpetrated during the troubles.

The Commie Bastards

In dealing with the Communist Party of the Philippines, the Duterte government should consider the past acts of the New People's Army. The NPA is composed of criminal bandits devoid of ideology. It has been involved in murder, extortion, and kidnapping. The group is categorized as a terrorist organization by the United States; and rightly so! Cadres who have participated in crimes against civilians should be brought to answer for their crimes.

And what of Jose Ma. Sison? President Duterte has hailed the communist bastard as his hero. But, that should not be an excuse for amnesty. Sison is listed as a person supporting terrorism. His deeds have resulted in mayhem and deaths to soldiers, policemen, and civilians over the years. If there is a specific individual who should not escape prosecution, it is Jose Ma. Sison!

Kill the Terrorists

It is universally accepted that no deals should be struck with terrorists. Therefore, peace with the Abu Sayyaf Group should not even be discussed. The ASG are neither rebels nor are they freedom fighters. They are a bunch of crooks who terrorize for profit. The barbarity they have exhibited rivals that of ISIS. The ASG should be hunted down and eliminated like Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

All pacts the government will agree to in the future should put the primacy to the interest of all peace-loving and law-abiding Filipinos. And not that of murderers and terrorists. Otherwise, it would just be another sell-out! A sham! And, the whole exercise would just result in more grievance, not unlike the ones it originally wanted to address.