Last week Duterte declared the peace talks with the communists officially over. He even signed an executive order to the fact. This week he has issued a shoot to kill on sight order for armed NPA members.
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| http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/634900/duterte-s-order-shoot-armed-npa-members/story/ |
Duterte is hyped for war and he has hyped the AFP for war warning them to prepare for the inevitable bloodshed. So it's a bit odd that he has yet to declare the CPP-NPA a terrorist group.
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| http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/948576/rodrigo-duterte-cpp-npa-ndfp-terrorists |
What's even more odd is that he rebuked the communists for wanting a coalition government.
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| http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/11/28/1763444/duterte-closes-door-coalition-govt-reds |
A coalition government with communists would spark a mutiny among security forces, President Duterte said Tuesday, as he blamed the rebels anew for the collapse of the peace talks.
Duterte said a coalition government would mean sharing a part of the Philippines’ sovereignty, something that he is not allowed to do.
“I studied the working papers and the sum total is a coalition government. I told them I cannot give what I don’t have. It’s a thing of sovereignty and you know...the one that represents sovereignty are the elected choice of the people,” Duterte said in an anti-corruption summit in Pasay.
“It cannot be shared by somebody just because you’re fighting a revolution and you want to fix it by having a coalition government. The military, even the police, will launch a coup d’état and I will lose my head. That’s for sure,” he added.
Duterte said several policemen and soldiers have died because of the armed struggle waged by the Maoist guerillas.
“There are policemen and Army men who have died and then I will coalesce with them and the wound runs deep? They (military) will kill me and they will arrest me and what? This is not something I can distribute,” he added.
His reasons for rejecting a coalition government with the communists are that it is an issue of sovereignty and that the NPA has killed so many AFP and PNP men that it would be impossible to work with them. But this is the EXACT situation with MILF and MNLF. They are terrorist groups who have killed AFP and PNP personnel as well as civilians. They are also clamouring for an autonomous political region to replace the current ARMM. MILF is also assisting the AFP with the war against terrorism and the leader of the MNLF, Misuari, was feted at Malacañang Palace last year. Instead of rebuffing these groups as he has the communists Duterte has done everything he can to promote their agenda. Especially encouraging Congress to expedite passage of the BBL.
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| http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/11/29/1763502/senators-cool-special-session-bbl |
“Not even a special session can fast-track it to be passed into law this year. It contains 289 sections that hearings alone can take so much time. We need the Christmas break for our families,” Sotto said.
Congress may be cool but the MILF is hot.
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| http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2017/11/27/milf-bbl-sultan-kudarat-duterte.html |
The MILF said they are hoping, although not necessarily optimistic, the new draft law will be passed.
Intially targetted for legislation by yearend, Congress is eyeing a new deadline, either March or May next year.
And if it fails to get through for the second time?
Iqbal said, "That's the most asked question. People who are asking that question is expecting the MILF to answer, that we go to war. But that's not our answer
The MILF said it will continue to insist that government comply with the 2014 peace agreement.
This terrorist groups insists the government complies with the peace agreement? How upside down! It is the MILF who should be insisted upon to follow the peace agreement. In fact they should put down their arms and be taken into custody. Obviously such a thing will not happen. Not without war. Even if the BBL is passed war is still an inevitability.
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| http://www.philstar.com/nation/2017/12/02/1764593/imt-urged-continue-observing-peace-process-even-after-bbl-enactment |
What need is there to observe the peace process once the BBL is enacted if the BBL is what will bring peace?
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Peace-building organization International Alert Philippines has warned of two possible sources of violence that may erupt in Marawi City shortly after the war between terrorist groups and government forces in the Lanao del Sur capital: first are people who are seeking revenge for the loss of their families and/or property, and second are issues that have to do with overlapping land claims in the South.
At the same time, International Alert Philippines stresses that the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) needs to happen soon, to prevent more violence.
“It’s classic rido, clan-feuding that may happen,” said International Alert Philippines country manager Francisco Lara, Jr. on Wednesday in Taguig City, during the lauch of Conflict Alert’s 2017 report titled Guns, Drugs, and Extremism: Bangsamoro’s New Wars. Conflict Alert is International Alert Philippines’ conflict monitoring system for Mindanao.
How does it follow that passage of the BBL will end rido killings and clan feuds and land disputes? It does not follow and it will not happen. The ARMM is violent already and nothing will fix that except replacing the evil ideology of ISLAM which fuels all the violence. Passage of the BBL absolutely will not guarantee an end to the Moro rebellion as the establishment of the ARMM did not quell the rebellion either.
The MNLF has entered into a peace agreement with the government that led to the establishment of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which the proposed BBL seeks to replace.
The Moro rebellion, however, did not stop after the pact with MNLF as another group, now the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), split up from MNLF to initially demand an independent Islamic state in Mindanao.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/949541/roque-dont-force-christians-into-bblIf MILF gets what it wants other groups will want more. These groups are already regaining strength.
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| http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/948675/afp-maute-remnants-regrouping-in-lanao |
“Despite being defeated, the [IS-inspired group] did not learn its lesson,” said Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command.
The AFP has not learned its lesson. The Maute group along with the rest of the ISLAMIC terrorists in Mindanao are waging a holy war, a jihad, in pursuit of an Islamic State. They are not going to stop and hence must be totally eradicated. Marawi was only one victory in a long war. This ongoing war is why certain groups want martial law to be extended again.
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| http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/949121/bangon-marawi-head-backs-martial-law-extension-until-rehab-phase |
Del Rosario said they have received intelligence reports that the local ISIS in Marawi City has been stepping up its efforts to recruit new members, offering money of up to P100,000 to potential members.
Who is feeding Bangon Marawi such sensitive intelligence and why is it being divulged? Do groups really have the power and money to be offering 100,000 pesos to new members and if so how would these new members even spend it? Local ISIS? Does he mean ISIS affiliated groups like BIFF? This report with all its generalities sounds like garbage and fear mongering to get the people behind another martial law extension. With all the real violence in Mindanao such tactics are unnecessary.
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| http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/01/17/alvarez-backs-extension-of-martial-law-in-mindanao |
"Para sa akin, at siguro para na rin sa majority ng mga taga-Mindanao, gugustuhin na namin itong martial law kasi nga sa dami ng threats of terrorism, yung mga kidnapping d'yan, prevalent sa Mindanao," Alvarez said in an interview on radio DZMM.
(For me, and perhaps for the majority of Mindanaoans, we would like this martial law because of the number of threats of terrorism, those kidnapping cases, prevalent in Mindanao.)
Alvarez said residents actually feel safer under martial law.
Alvarez and others want martial law as a crime deterrent. Well too bad because martial law is a last resort to be used only in case of invasion or rebellion or when the safety of the people requires it. If Alvarez thinks the situation in Mindanao is so dire that the safety of the people requires martial law that is a stunning admission that the Philippines is not safe and that the government has been lying about the security situation in the country whenever it dismisses foreign travel warnings and insists the country is safe.
Its a foregone conclusion that the AFP will recommend an extension and that Duterte will follow that advice. They had better hurry up with all the formalities though. Congress goes on holiday on the 15th and won't be back in session until next year. That's hardly any time at all to debate the issue if Duterte does recommend an extension. We are potentially looking at more lawsuits and inquiries and another go before the Supreme Court.
Imagine if there is another Supreme Court hearing and the Duterte administration justifies the extension with the defence that there is an on-going state of rebellion in Mindanao (the Moro rebellion) or that the security situation requires it for the safety of the people. Either of those admissions would contradict everything the administration has said about the Philippines being safe. It would be a nasty can of worms and a horrible Pandora's Box that could never be shut. With the NPA causing havoc throughout the country it would be the perfect justification for nationwide marital law. The slope is too slippery.
But it could turn out different if Duterte does not recommend an extension.
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| http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/949710/afp-mindanao-martial-law-marawi-siege-rodrigo-duterte |
Imagine if there is another Supreme Court hearing and the Duterte administration justifies the extension with the defence that there is an on-going state of rebellion in Mindanao (the Moro rebellion) or that the security situation requires it for the safety of the people. Either of those admissions would contradict everything the administration has said about the Philippines being safe. It would be a nasty can of worms and a horrible Pandora's Box that could never be shut. With the NPA causing havoc throughout the country it would be the perfect justification for nationwide marital law. The slope is too slippery.
But it could turn out different if Duterte does not recommend an extension.
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