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DILG proposal to tap barangay execs for
insurgency campaign will give rise to vigilantism
“Very Marcosian,” says leftwing group

The militant fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Thursday rejected the proposal of Interior and Local Government secretary Ronaldo Puno to tap barangay officials across the country to help the government in its’ fight against the communist guerillas across the country.

“ The idea of Secretary Puno will revive military backed civilian vigilantism across the country. His Marcosian-like proposal is really horrible and blatant endorsement of an authoritarian state from the national down to the grassroots level,” said Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap.

However, the proposal of Secretary Puno did not come as surprise to Hicap’s group, saying the DILG secretary was part of the National Security Council of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and that Secretary Puno studied and trained under the tutelage of former President Ferdinand Marcos. “ He is a Marcos boy through and through. He started his career as an upcoming traditional politician at the height of Marcos dictatorship in the 70s. So what do you expect from a Marcos guy like Puno?” Hicap said.

Hicap added: “ Secretary Puno wants to rewrite history back to the dark days of Marcos dictatorship where military trained and financed vigilante groups in barangays were roaming free killing people who were branded enemies of the state.”

Hicap recalled the brutal experience of the Filipino people during the 14-years of Marcos dictatorship, when the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos allowed his puppet generals in the Armed Forces of the Philippines to set up Barangay Self-Defense Units (BSDUs) and Civilian Home Defense Forces units (CHDFs) to contain communist insurgency in remote barangays in the countryside.

He said vigilante groups were used to suppress human rights and civil liberties of Marcos critics and mass members of leftwing groups across the country during the dictatorship. At least 10,000 human rights victims during the Marcos dictatorship filed and won class suit case against the late strongman on charges of human rights violations.

The BSDUs and CHDFs which were established by local government officials and backed by military and police authorities had became uncontrollable instruments of the Marcos regime for unbridled violations of human rights and summary executions of critics and alleged supporters of the CPP and NPA at the height of late strongman rule.

“ Secretary Puno is not doing his assignment in defense of human rights and civil liberties. He is performing his role the max as the civilian counterpart of the militarist people in the National Security Council of President Arroyo. This is disgusting and grossly reprehensible,” Pamalakaya said.

In yesterday’s meeting in Malacañang, Secretary Puno asked Malacañang to tap local officials at the village level in the government’s heightened counter-insurgency operations to eradicate the 37-year old communist rebellion in the country. The DILG chief with the help of barangay officials, the government’s goal to wipeout insurgency within two years would be realistic.

“The proposal of Secretary Puno is as Jurassic and time warp as the Marcos militarist approach to communist insurgency in the country. The anti-insurgency campaign was blown up by Malacañang because it believes it is an effective diversionary tactic to cover up President Arroyo’s super crimes against the Filipino people like election fraud, corruption, puppetry and mass murder of people,” Pamalakaya said. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 07:35 | link | comments |

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