The end of the year is only a week away but the fate of Mindanao for next year is secured. It's war. It's war with the Muslim terrorists who show no signs of stopping in their goal of establishing an Islamic State in Mindanao. It's war against drug lords and drug users and the narcopoliticians who protect and profit from both.
And it's war against the NPA. A hundred years on from the Russian revolution and the evil and stupid ideology of communism is still being fought in the jungles and mountains of the Philippines. It's a big job and the unprepared and untrained AFP are going to need some help.
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The lumad recruits, organized into four Sundalo ng Mamamayan Armado Laban sa Terorismo at Kriminalidad (Soldiers of the People Armed Against Terrorism and Criminality, or SMART) companies, are set to be assigned near their home villages after graduating from an eight-week basic military training, according to Capt. Jerry Lamosao, public affairs chief of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division (ID).
This group may be called SMART but how smart is it to give these tribes military training and weapons and then send them on their way to defend their homes? Who's to say these groups won't get wise and rise up themselves or even join established armed groups? Is creating more armed groups to battle armed groups a smart idea? Are the lumads also getting the special urban training the Australians are offering?
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| http://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/12/19/17/military-trains-with-australian-troops-on-urban-warfare |
Aside from war against the communists and the Muslims the Philippine government is committed to establishing a fully functioning Islamic state in Mindanao. Which begs the question, "Why bother fighting these groups if you are going to do their work for them?"
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And why does anyone think the BBL will quench the violence in Mindanao when the ARMM is filled with violence?
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| http://www.philstar.com/nation/2017/12/21/1770536/armm-opens-center-conflict-affected-maguindanao-towns |
Their agricultural productivity, however, has been at all-time low due to frequent displacement by militants.
The ARMM is so violent that farmers can't even grow food.
But this is all for next year. What about right now? What's going to happen right now in the war against the NPA especially? The government just officially declared them a terrorist organisation and the Congress just officially voted to extend martial law for a whole year. Time to go in there and squash those commies with no regrets, right!?
Wrong!
Wrong!
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| https://www.rappler.com/nation/191904-government-dates-christmas-ceasefire-communists |
In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the unilateral ceasefire against communists will run from 6 pm of December 23 to 11:59 pm of December 26, and from 6 pm of December 30 to 11:59 pm of January 2.
"This unilateral ceasefire would lessen the apprehension of the public this Christmas season. We expect that the CPP-NPA-NDFP would do a similar gesture of goodwill," Roque said in an earlier statement.
A holiday ceasefire? I guess the NPA isn't that much of a threat if they can call a ceasefire for the holidays.
After much hemming and hawing and dillydallying and back and forthing the government has finally decided on a four days on, four days off, four days on ceasefire, and then a resumption of hostilities. And they expect the communists, who they so recently reclassified as terrorists, to extend a similar gesture of goodwill?
After much hemming and hawing and dillydallying and back and forthing the government has finally decided on a four days on, four days off, four days on ceasefire, and then a resumption of hostilities. And they expect the communists, who they so recently reclassified as terrorists, to extend a similar gesture of goodwill?
Crazy! But the CPP has issued a ceasefire for the same dates as the AFP.
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| https://www.rappler.com/nation/191993-communist-insurgency-holiday-ceasefire |
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) matched the dates of the broken ceasefire declared by the government. For Christmas, the ceasefire will be from December 23 to 26. For the New Year, the ceasefire will be from December 30 to January 2.
Originally the ceasefire was planned for the whole week unbroken.
"The President announced last night a suspension of military operations (SOMO) from December 24, 2017 to January 2, 2018," presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/637134/duterte-orders-holiday-ceasefire-palace-expects-reds-to-do-the-same/story/
What prompted Duterte to change it from one unbroken timeframe of 10 days to the schedule of a factory worker on a rotating 12 hour shift?
Even though the AFP will remain in a defensive posture:
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| http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/12/24/1771456/afp-stay-defensive-vs-reds |
It's hard not to scoff in derision that the AFP will be basically off duty during the ceasefire while McDonald's will remain open all throughout the holiday season.
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