3rd ID commander Major General Eric Vinoya. CDN Digital photo | Florence Baesa
DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental—The commander of the 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division of the Philippine Army, Major General Eric Vinoya, slammed the Apolinario Gatmaitan Command (AGC) of the New People’s Army (NPA) for criticizing the Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) in Negros Occidental.
In a press statement earlier, Juanito Magbanua, spokesperson of the AGC-NPA disapproved the localized peace talks.
Vinoya, in a statement, said Magbanua needs to know more about the ELCAC and the localized peace talks.
Vinoya said it clearly shows Magbanua’s “ignorance” about the real purpose of ELCAC and the localized peace talks.
“He is unaware that his comrades, family, relatives, and even he, can benefit from these drives that aim to address the root causes of insurgency,” Vinoya added.
According to Vinoya the actions of Magbanua always contradicts the voice of the oppressed. It is a confirmation of being anti-people, anti-peace and anti-development.
“Are you in hallucinations or maybe in a total naïve of the situation to assert very dumbly about the real situation on the ground?” Vinoya asked.
The commander of the Philippine Army in Negros IsIand explained that condemning and rejecting people’s drive for peace and progress is equivalent to hampering their desire for peaceful and progressive community.
Under the ELCAC, the government agencies converge their efforts to address the root causes of the insurgency problem in conflict-affected and vulnerable communities by bringing government services and programs closer to the people.
“Is there anything wrong with that? If it is wrong with you, then, you are not for peace and development,” Vinoya said.
The AGC-NPA in Negros Island decried the P87 million budget of the Negros Occidental Provincial Government as peace and order fund, saying it is allocated for intelligence and psywar operations.
“Intelligence funds does not go through audit, really it is a means for plunderers in government and the AFP/PNP to coverup the real situation of the people and corrupt the people’s coffers,” Magbanua said in a statement last February 24, 2020.
“With this purpose, instead of allotting the money for basic social services, it will only intensify widespread terror among the people, worsen human rights abuses and add to the burdens of the broad masses of the people,” he added.
The statement said that Magbanua believes the so-called peace effort is futile and a waste of money and time saying further that it does not solve the root causes of poverty, joblessness, high prices of basic commodities and low wages; and does not implement genuine land reform and national industrialization. /bmjo