CLARK FREEPORT – Defense Sec. Norberto Gonzales said here that some local candidates seem to regard killing their rivals as a less costly alternative to cheating in the country’s first automated elections this May.
“We in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) appeal to them not to compel us to use force to stop the killings,” Gonzales said in an interview with the media during his inspection of 18 trainer aircraft being built by the Aerotech firm for the Philippine Air Force (PAF).
Gonzalez noted “a rising number of killings of local politicians”, amid claims from some sectors that an automated election could prompt more violence.
“I hope that will not be the case, but I appeal to politicians who have armed goons to dismantle their armed groups and those who plan to hire goons to desist from doing so,” he said.
Gonzales said that apart from armed groups, the New People’s Army (NPA) has also posed as a problem to the government because of its imposing permits to campaign or win on candidates.
He said, however, that the Arroyo government has “crushed” the NPA “in a major way”. In 2004, the President ordered the military to “crush” the NPA by the end of her term this year.
“The armed forces has done enough in terms of reducing the number of NPA guerilla fronts. But as I have been saying, it is not our intention to defeat the NPA militarily. Actually, we would like to employ negotiations,” he said.
From 26,000 armed regulars at the start of the Aquino administration, the NPA’s strength has already been reduced to only 5,000 armed men, he said.
Gonzales said that peace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA has been stalled by the change of leadership in the CPP.
“We had been negotiating with Jose Ma. Sison, but it turns out the CPP-NPA now regard the Tiongson couple as their leader. We don’t know where they are and the government has no communication with them,” he said.
Gonzales said that because of this situation, the government is appealing to all sectors nationwide to help convince individual members of the NPA to “return to the fold of law”, as he vowed government help for them.
“We in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) appeal to them not to compel us to use force to stop the killings,” Gonzales said in an interview with the media during his inspection of 18 trainer aircraft being built by the Aerotech firm for the Philippine Air Force (PAF).
Gonzalez noted “a rising number of killings of local politicians”, amid claims from some sectors that an automated election could prompt more violence.
“I hope that will not be the case, but I appeal to politicians who have armed goons to dismantle their armed groups and those who plan to hire goons to desist from doing so,” he said.
Gonzales said that apart from armed groups, the New People’s Army (NPA) has also posed as a problem to the government because of its imposing permits to campaign or win on candidates.
He said, however, that the Arroyo government has “crushed” the NPA “in a major way”. In 2004, the President ordered the military to “crush” the NPA by the end of her term this year.
“The armed forces has done enough in terms of reducing the number of NPA guerilla fronts. But as I have been saying, it is not our intention to defeat the NPA militarily. Actually, we would like to employ negotiations,” he said.
From 26,000 armed regulars at the start of the Aquino administration, the NPA’s strength has already been reduced to only 5,000 armed men, he said.
Gonzales said that peace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA has been stalled by the change of leadership in the CPP.
“We had been negotiating with Jose Ma. Sison, but it turns out the CPP-NPA now regard the Tiongson couple as their leader. We don’t know where they are and the government has no communication with them,” he said.
Gonzales said that because of this situation, the government is appealing to all sectors nationwide to help convince individual members of the NPA to “return to the fold of law”, as he vowed government help for them.
