Babe's Eye View article

While news coverage about the arrest of communist leader Jose Ma. Sison was not particularly prominent in the United States, nonetheless a number of wire agencies still carried the story. No doubt the arrest of Sison gives the government the opportunity to show that it is in control of the situation, and that it has been right all along in pursuing the case against the exiled communist leader.

Sison was arrested by the Netherlands police on charges that he ordered the killings of former communist leaders Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara. A lot of people say that Sison's arrest in the Netherlands seems to be an ironic twist considering that he went there to seek refuge, probably hoping that in time he would be given political asylum, but his repeated requests were rejected.

The 68-year-old Sison is in the European Union's list of terrorists. Leftists naturally denounced the arrest and accused the Netherlands government of conniving with the Arroyo administration to harass and blackmail Sison. Some even warned that the arrest could lead to an "all-out war" and set back peace negotiation efforts—already protracted as it is, stalled since 2004.

No doubt, everyone wants lasting peace, not only in Mindanao, but especially, in areas in the countryside that are still ravaged by terrorists and insurgents. But let me just point out that the process of negotiating peace has been going on for so many decades, and experience shows that rebel groups have often used ceasefires and periods of negotiation to quietly regroup and recruit.

Just take a look at what's been happening in Mindanao—as soon as government forges a peace pact with some rebel group, a breakaway faction emerges, giving their own demands and conditions, carrying out bombings and other attacks to get some attention. The communist insurgency has been going on for close to four decades, with numerous attempts at peace negotiations over the years, yet to this day, we are still nowhere.

There is no question, the biggest threat in this country continues to be the terrorists particularly, the New People's Army because of its widespread geographical presence. While the Abu Sayyaf and other Muslim rebel groups have been staging spectacular offensives, the NPA has been conducting its operations insidiously. We must not forget that they have only one objective, and that is to topple the government—a fact that they have not exactly been hiding or denying.

Last year, I had an interview with GMA at Malacañang's Music Room—after the discovery of a February 2006 plot to topple the Arroyo administration—and she said it was about time we finished the communist threat and "go for the jugular" since they are the ones driving all the unrest that has been happening in the country. There were intelligence reports indicating connivance between leftists, rightists and even some members of the military. Fortunately, it looks like military adventurism is slowly losing its appeal, especially among junior officers who now recognize the futility of staging coups and other destabilization attempts.

As it is, there is a renewed surge of commitment and dedication among soldiers, especially with the ongoing offensive against the Abu Sayyaf and MILF renegades in Sulu and Basilan. The appointment of Gilbert Teodoro as new Defense Secretary has absolutely given our troops the kind of motivation they need to go after these terrorists. Gilbert has the kind of grit and decisiveness that military men respect, particularly his unrelenting stance to make those barbarians become answerable for their atrocities, especially those responsible for the beheading of the Marines last July.

The fight against the Abu Sayyaf is "non-negotiable," as new Army chief Alexander Yano told his troops. Hopefully this time, we will not do things the "urong-sulong" way—where we attack the enemy only to retreat just when we have the upper hand because some noisy group is more concerned with the rights of criminals rather than the plight of victims and the sacrifices of our troops.

In a country like the Philippines where perception is 90 percent of the game, Sison's arrest may well be the final blow that could break the backbone of the communist insurgency. Government is still offering the hand of peace to whoever wants to return to the fold of the law, rightly assessing that there are those who are tired of fighting and just want to lead normal lives—and these people must not be displaced just because the NDF leadership is inclined to discontinue peace negotiations.

While everyone wants to achieve lasting peace and see the insurgency problem finally come to an end, this cannot be possible without making those responsible for crimes and atrocities become accountable. GMA was right when she said there must be punitive action against those who will continue to maim and kill.

Terrorists and criminals must not be allowed to hide under the cloak of ideology to justify breaking the law. There can never be true peace without justice—justice for the victims of assassinations, victims of bombings, kidnap victims, the soldiers who gave up their lives, and justice for their grieving widows and orphaned children. Government must show that it is serious in the pursuit of lasting peace—but it must solely negotiate from a position of strength.