I AM all for Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to get involved in ending local communist armed conflict. However, it should not be its primary orientation and program-focus. Its mandate is to ensure that the local government units (LGUs) become the true face of the government of the people, by the people and for the people.
Its main focus is to provide all the necessary support to make LGUs truly and effectively functional in its delivery of basic services, practice of good governance, empowerment of the people, and assets management.
Before it can do that, it is imperative to make DILG master the principles, science and art of good governance because the reason why insurgency has re-surged and growing in many provinces and municipalities is the fact that most LGUs are not exercising good governance causing poverty and hunger, and mass hatred towards the government in general.
As I mentioned in my past columns on good governance, a significant number of local chief executives are corrupt, act like political patrons, their municipalities and cities have no updated and sound comprehensive land use plan (Clup), comprehensive development plan (CDP), poor Annual Investment Plan (AIP), no comprehensive assets management program, leaving them dependent on their Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) and begging for project grants or loans.
It is also a sad fact that most LGUs have ineffectively functioning Local Development Council (LDC), Local Special Bodies (LSBs), and other mechanisms that ensure participation of citizens in governance.
Because of DILG’s status as the “primos interpares” or primary among equals, it is also its responsibility to lead, coordinate, synchronize various national line agencies and other special units of the government, in ensuring that government programs and services effectively address the roots of armed conflict not the armed parties in conflict.
With its mandate and its “primos interpares” status DILG can do so much not only in correcting and improving local governance, but also in mobilizing and leading various government agencies, like the DAR, DA, NFA, DENR, NAPC, DTI, HULRB, CDA, among others, to address basic problems of landlessness, poverty, unemployment, production, environmental crisis.
On the other hand, security operations, including ending armed insurgency is orientation and primary work of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Thus, the AFP tasks include intelligence operations, combat operations, psywar operations and community relations.
Of course, AFP units and forces on the ground need the support of the different government agencies in terms of identifying areas which need services, and then ensure the security and safety of government personnel tasked to deliver the services.
But it is not their primary task to do social services per se; theirs is community relations work. To do so is to be possibly misconstrued only as image builder, but not people builder.
Good community relations work of AFP does not begin with delivering services because it’s not their primary mandate. They should begin enhancing good practices that endear them among the communities, rather than sowing fear and terror.
Running after NPAs by terrorizing communities they suspected as mass base, or reports of killing local community leaders critical of the government and the AFP, or reports of turning schools as their tactical camp, or reports of discriminately bombing communities, hamleting and food blockade to separate the “fish from the water” -- are all example of practices that only isolate the government and the AFP from the people. The reverse should be the practice.
The AFP forces aside from their main mandate and tasks could be more helpful if they help DILG in identifying and monitoring local chief executives, LGU employees, and barangay officials who engage in bad governance, and themselves destroy the image of the government, and report them to concerned unit or official of the DILG for appropriate and prompt actions.
DILG has set up Bantay Korapsyon Program, a unit tasked to monitor, handle and prosecute corrupt LGU officials and personnel. AFP, expert in field of intelligence operations could help this program achieve successes. In this way, AFP help enforce and enhance good governance.
But to drag DILG in its anti-insurgency campaign is like turning DILG as an institutional support unit of AFP. It is also putting the lives of DILG field personnel especially the MLGOOs at risk of retaliatory actions from the armed insurgents.
To persuade LGUs also to come up with resolution declaring CPP-NPA-NDF as persona non grata is as the same as pushing them to become anti-insurgency institution. It’s wrong and won’t bring good results.
DILG’s flagship program is to make LGUs as instruments of good governance, because that is one of the best means to lessen the conditions that breed and fuel insurgency and dissent. This alone is already a great task. Why involve in anti-insurgency operations?
LGUs mandate and task is to become the face of a government that is truly of the people, by the people and for the people. It is not their task to engage in intelligence and psywar operations. It’s bad governance.
E.O. 70 calling for ending local communist armed conflict by involving DILG and other national line agencies in a national task force lead by the President and national security people is a poor strategy. It should be amended, or corrected.
Believe me guys, when good governance flourishes, insurgency diminishes.