Wednesday, February 21, 2007 Editorial: More commie propaganda fodder
THERE are few things as certain as the loyalty of one's fellow soldiers or workers and this was proven true in the case of a Civilian Auxiliary Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) member named Paria Gonzales who stole two M-16 rifles and several magazines to defect to the communist New People's Army (NPA) two days ago.
Gonzales's act of betrayal reminds people of the 29 firearms stolen by the communist NPA rebels at a Cafgu outpost in Valencia City last year, which was reportedly facilitated by some Cafgu insiders in the detachment.
These Cafgus have been facing court charges and despite a civilian lawyer, remained in the barracks where they are set to face administrative charges and dismissal from the service.
As expected, the communist NPA rebels chortled that this development only showed that the military's claims of its diminishing loyalty from the people were untrue and that they still hold sway over some people in the countryside particularly in the communist rebel-plagued town of Salay in Misamis Oriental, where militant groups are demanding a troop withdrawal in the wake of a militant farmer group leader's death.
Unfortunately for the military, it had yet to complete its investigation into the incident and thus appeared not ready to deal with questions posed by some local media--some of whom appeared to be gloating over this development--thus enabling the communist rebels to seize the opportunity to parlay their propaganda rhetoric for anyone bothering enough to hear them roll with it.
The confiscation of firearms and defection may not have bothered the Fourth ID much but considering that it happened less than a year after the theft of several firearms at the Cafgu Valencia City outpost it should give pause to the military and require them to conduct a loyalty check of some sorts in order to keep its people in line.
At its root cause is the small honoraria and other miniscule benefits given to these Cafgus who are supposed to be the civilian frontliners in the fight against communist insurgency within the communities.
And should they fail in their task, they are subject to military discipline and action, which is a lot harsher than the civilian police.
Still, the incident only showed that the communist NPA rebels are making some gains in their goal to indoctrinate and brainwash some Cafgus in hopes of gaining some leverage in their war against the military. And every short win is played up as part of their continuing agenda to topple the government through violence and subjugation.
They supplement this with atrocious acts of summary execution similar to the murder of a barangay official in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon province which they use as propaganda fodder to portray themselves as saviors and protectors of their people and the Filipinos when in fact they could just as easily kill one of their own.
The military should guard against this and make some inroads of their own in order to break the necks, backs and everything in between and outside of the communist insurgency.
The legal offensives against the communist NPA rebels and their legal allies are a good start and hopefully would be conducted well and sustained enough to make a difference.
