Rebels striking strategic alliances with politicians

Rey Anthony Chiu 

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, January 30, 2013 (PIA) –The communist insurgents operating in Central Visayas have veered from their strategic direction of generating logistics and financial support from collecting permit to campaign fees. 

According to Task Group SugBohol (TGSugBohol) report, the absence of armed components, push the rebels to shift direction: instead they are now negotiating for alliances from politicians seeking elective posts in 2013. 

Army Colonel Dino Dolina of Task Group SugBohol (TGSugbohol) bared this during the Regional Peace and Order Council meeting held at the posh Bohol Tropics Resort here, January 30. 

In their assessment of the current peace and order situation region and using military intelligence data and allied reports, TG SugBohol said the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front-New People’s Army (CNN) in Cebu and Bohol have refrained from collecting Permit to Campaign (PTC) and Permit to Win (PTW) fees in the absence of armed components. 

Military sources said the standard operating procedure for the rebels is to create high profile incidents involving a show of armed force, and as usual, the objective is to sow fear and project the picture that they are in control. 

But with the failure of generating the arms and the show of force, they could hardly exact the fees to raise funds for their operations, a military intelligence operative at the Special Forces camp in Bilar, Bohol said. 

Absent the fear factor, they have to resort to other means to advance their strategic goals, he explained. 

On this, Col. Dolina said in the absence of armed components, they have negotiated for alliances with politicians seeking office in 2013. 

To those politicians who are gullible enough to take the bait, Col. Dolina warns, these planned alliances are not just limited to short tactical victories in the May 2013 elections. 

He said these alliances also extend with the CNN goal of achieving strategic stalemate in 2015. 

For this, a relative lull may have been experienced in the region but military authorities also told council members gathered at the Sandugo Ballroom of the resort that the relative peace and order in Cebui and Bohol can’t be taken for granted. 

With the monthly army reports indicating that there is noticeable movement especially in the insurgents organizing white area committees, the military further said they [rebels] “always incorporate in their intention of organizing their mass base, the recruitment for its armed components from all sectoral organizing activities.” 

Dolina added that the upcoming May 2013 election has given the CNN perfect cover to revive and reorganize their dormant organizations not only in urban centers but also in the rural areas. (30/sjp)