(Last of 2 parts)

THE insurgency had its heyday during the martial law years. Armed struggle was seen as the only way to get rid of the dictatorship. The National Democratic Front (NDF) has prepared the road for the Edsa revolution.

The communist ideology that had inspired the CPP/NPA in its struggle against Marcos lost much of its élan after Edsa and also after the collapse of socialism in Eastern Europe. But its cause, the struggle for nationalism and democracy was far from fulfilled. They still kept the right to exist and they had valid reasons to continue the fight. Unfortunately, at that juncture, the insurgency made some serious mistakes.

View photos of anti-Charter change rally from around the country
For minute updates follow Sun.Star on Twitter

First there was a split within their ranks between the RA and RJ. Many dropped out from the NPA and some even joined the military as shown in the RPA-ABB factions in Negros. It instituted its own “order of battle” and made its own targets for liquidation, such as the suspected infiltrators and alleged traitors among their ranks. They set up so-called people’s courts who issued death sentences or ordered liquidations of comrades. The much-dreaded Ahos (DPA) campaign led to a situation which the Philippine Daily Inquirer called “the NPA devouring its own children.” The victims of that campaign are still crying for justice, and an independent commission of reconciliation must still be set up to deal with that issue. The order of battle actually became a fratricide, a brother-murder, as was shown in the Balweg case where two brothers did a Cain and Abel, or in the more recent case of a commander Pitao in Davao, who, on his own admission, ordered the rape-slay of his very own daughter Rebelyn for treason.

The new Constitution of the Aquino administration has been instituted and this is still in force. There is democratic space. There are possibilities for the insurgents to participate in a parliamentary struggle. US imperialism, which was very much an issue under the Bush administration, has drastically changed since Obama became president. By next year we can expect a more balanced VFA agreement, if not a cancellation altogether.

After having fought the battle for valid reasons for over 35 years, the NPA has the right to negotiate for an honorable settlement of the conflict through genuine peace negotiations. A constructive dialogue has to take place, but the present government is not in a position to initiate such a dialogue. After the 2010 elections, when hopefully a new and credible government is in place, it should make this dialogue and settlement with the CPP/NPA one of its top priorities. For the NPA, it doesn’t make sense to negotiate for a disposition of their forces, certainly not for integrating them into the armed forces of the Philippines. But I believe one possibility is that they could join the party list group and be offered – without prior elections – some seats in congress. Thus the NPA could make the best of a bad job.

(For your comments e-mail: arnvv@yahoo.com)