Expose pols aiding the enemy—Gonzales

DEFENSE Secretary Norberto Gonzales directed the Armed Forces of the Philippines to expose politicians providing aid to the New People’s Army by paying the latter permit-to-campaign and permit-to-win taxes this election season.

Gonzales yesterday said he told officers of the Southern Luzon Command in his recent visit to Camp Nakar, Quezon to expose politicians who are helping the enemy, particularly those who do so willingly.

Gonzales said the Solcom officers reported to him that there were “politicians of national prominence” who were “friendly to the rebels” and were “readily submitting” to the latter’s extortion activities.

The defense chief quoted Solcom officers as reporting to him that NPA military offensives and non-violent activities had steadily declined in Solcom’s area of responsibility but the rebels’ election-related extortion activities remained particularly in Southern Tagalog.

“I was informed NPA (election-related) extortion activities even broadened in Quezon where there are politicians of national prominence who are friendly to the rebels and readily submit to their extortion,” Gonzales said.

In contrast, Gonzales said, there are also politicians resisting the rebels’ extortion like the governor of Mindoro who is supporting the military in its fight against the NPA.

According to the defense chief, the rebels’ extortion racket in Batangas is suspended after soldiers captured three key NPA “tax” collectors in the province last January 13.

He said Solcom officers are talking to election candidates telling them not to fear the NPA and assuring them of military protection as needed.

Gonzales has also recently disclosed that NPA guerillas are serving as goons to some politicians running in the May election.

‘Soldiers involved in election cheating will face dismissal’

SOLDIERS, particularly officers, who will be caught involved in cheating in the coming election will be dealt with accordingly, including facing dismissal from service.

Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales gave this stern warning in his command visit Friday to the Southern Luzon Command in Camp Nakar, Lucena City even as he emphasized that the country’s Armed Forces should do their poll duties in May.

“There will be no military officers engaged in partisan politics or coercing others for the benefit of some politicians,” Gonzales emphasized, noting that the military establishment must gain the respect and trust of the people in the forthcoming election after being involved in controversies in previous polls.
Gonzales said the military should be in the election because it cannot extricate itself from past poll controversies by “shying away” from its Constitutionally-mandated electoral duties.

“We will be there. We will do our duty. But we will be truly non-partisan,” he declared. “Our people will love you for that.”

“Our role during election is to safeguard its sanctity. Not to engage in partisan politics.  Not to engage in cheating,” he added. “Politicians come and go, but the Armed Forces will stay.”

Gonzales urged the military to protect candidates from extortion activities of the New People’s Army, to intercept moneys for vote-buying and to disarm and drive away armed supporters of candidates.

“Private armed groups and underworld characters employed by politicians must be identified by the intelligence community, disarmed, disbanded and banished. Use the media in exposing them,” the defense chief said.

He noted that there are now many NPAs “moonlighting as goons of politicians.”
“Next time I come here, I want you to have a list of all private armed groups in your area,” Gonzales told the officers of Solcom.
Gonzales reiterated that he had put the AFP at the full disposal of the Commission on Elections because he wanted to prove that it is the true guardian of the country’s democracy.

“We will help COMELEC do its job. This is crucial in regaining our credibility during elections.” he said.

Don’t cheat in the election– Gonzales to AFP

“THE role of the Armed Forces in the May election is to safeguard its sanctity. Not to engage in partisan politics.  More so, not to engage in cheating.”

Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales gave this guidance yesterday to the top brass of the defense department and of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, including AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Victor Ibrado, in his closing remarks in the department wide annual performance meeting.

Gonzales warned that any elements of the military who will be caught engaged in partisan politics, more so in cheating in the 2010 elections, will be dealt with accordingly, including facing dismissal from service.

The defense chief emphasized to the military officers the need for the AFP to regain the people’s respect and trust in its professionalism. He said this is the reason he had put the AFP at the full disposal of the Commission on Elections.

“In the coming election, we will be there. We will be performing our job. I want us to prove that the AFP is the true guardian of our democracy,” Gonzales explained.

“We will help COMELEC do its job. This is crucial in regaining our credibility during elections,” he added.

“Our people will love you for that. Politicians come and go, but the AFP will stay,” Gonzales said.

NDCC moves to avert water crisis in the face of El Nino

THE National Disaster Coordinating Council is now undertaking measures to avert a water crisis in Metro Manila and mitigate other effects of a long spell of El Nino in the country, Defense Secretary and NDCC Chair Norberto Gonzales bared yesterday.

Gonzales made the announcement as he inspected in the first hour of Wednesday the ongoing repair of water pipes along EDSA in Pasay City by the Metro-Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System.

Gonzales conducted the midnight inspection to ensure that MWSS was working 24 hours daily repairing all damaged water pipes in Metro Manila as part of government quick response to this year’s El Nino which PAG-ASA and the Department of Science and Technology have forecasted as worse than in previous years.

Gonzales convened the NDCC Monday and Tuesday to discuss the new El Nino and the preparations being undertaken by various government agencies in response to the latest calamity to hit the country.

The disaster body noted that the EL Nino had been upon the country already, affecting many provinces, including Capiz, the rest of Panay and Samar where rainfall had been below normal for the last three months. The drought is forecasted to last up to May or even July.

The Department of Agriculture is expecting around 50 provinces to be affected by the dry spell, resulting in about P3 billion total losses in the farming sector.

The National Water Resource Board reported in the meeting a “radical reduction” in the water level of Angat Dam, one of the main sources of water supply for Metro Manila, as well as Bulacan and Pampanga. This prompted the NDCC chair to stress the need to conserve the water supply of Metro Manila and of the entire country.

Thirty percent of the capital region’s water supply goes to waste leaking through damaged pipes, according to the MWSS.
The NDCC is drawing up a set of recommendations for meeting the problem to be presented to President Arroyo soonest.

EDITORIAL – The largest illegal armed group

As usual the cops are slow in solving the daring assassination of Daram town Mayor Benito Astorga. They might have an easier time now that a group has claimed responsibility for the killing: the New People’s Army.

A statement purportedly from the NPA command in Samar said Astorga was executed for supporting the military’s anti-communist campaign. There has been no denial from communist leaders so the admission could be true. And it should remind authorities of the serious threat posed to peaceful elections by the nation’s largest illegal armed group, the NPA.

Already the hooligans masquerading as insurgents have started extorting “campaign fees” from potential candidates for local posts. Those who reject NPA demands could suffer the fate of Astorga and be accused of committing crimes against the people. Even some NPA members who are disillusioned by the group’s extortion and banditry and try to rejoin the social mainstream are executed, with the hit being blamed on the government.

NPA extortion has been one of the biggest disincentives to investments in the countryside, and one of the major hindrances to economic development. Businessmen have found their farms, factories, trucks and buses torched after they refused to cough up “revolutionary taxes.” Rural folk cannot be connected to the rest of the country because NPA bandits keep blowing up the cell sites of telecommunications companies that refuse to pay protection money. NPA banditry has been a major factor in the continued impoverishment of the people whose cause communist leaders claim to champion.

Now the bandits are out to subvert the people’s will in the coming elections. Authorities must see to it that the elections will not turn into a fund-raising activity for the communists, whose foreign funding sources have dried up after the NPA and the Communist Party of the Philippines were included by the United States in its list of international terrorist organizations. The communists have protested their inclusion in that list. But what the NPA did to Astorga was a terrorist act, meant to undermine democracy. Authorities must stop these armed thugs from further acts of terrorism.

(The Philippine Star) Updated January 31, 2007 12:00 AM

DND, AFP eager to dismantle private armies

GOVERNMENT security forces are fired up to start an all out campaign to dismantle private armed groups and eliminate loose firearms to help safeguard the sanctity of the 2010 elections.

Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales, who has put the Armed Forces of the Philippines at the full disposal of the Commission on Elections, said Friday the campaign will begin as soon as the poll body gives the order.

Gonzales made the announcement in Davao City during the rare and historic gathering of the Catholic, Protestant and Muslim religious leaders of Mindanao, together with the entire leadership of the AFP to tackle the issues of private armed groups, loose firearms and the 2010 elections.

Saying he was “very disturbed about the future of the nation,” Gonzales appealed to the military and faith community leaders to work together in eliminating private armies and loose firearms. He said he worked at bringing together the two institutions during the 38th Bishops-Ulama Conference General Assembly because they are the “two most important institutions in the country in protecting democracy and triggering societal change.”

The BUC assembly was convened by Davao Archbishop Fernando Capalla, Bishop Hilario Gomez, Jr. of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines and Dr. Hamid Barra of the Ulama League of the Philippines. Other Catholic leaders who attended the affair were: CBCP President Nereo Odchimar (Tandag), Archbishops Antonio Ledesma (Cagayan de Oro), Romulo Valles (Zamboanga) and Orlando Quevedo (Cotabato), and Bishops Juan de Dios Pueblos (Butuan), Elenito Galido (Iligan), Patricio Alo (Mati), and Honesto Pacana (Malaybalay). Bishops Wilfredo Manlapaz (Tagum), Emmanuel Canjar (Pagadian) and Martin Jumoad (Basilan) sent their representatives.

The assembly was also attended by AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Victor Ibrado who brought with him all his deputy chiefs of staff and other officers of the unified command, the chiefs of the three major military services and all area commanders nationwide down to division commanders.

Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa was represented by PNP Chief Supt. Jaime Milla while Comelec Commissioner Elias Yusoph represented Chairman Jose Melo. The rest of the leadership of the defense establishment were also in the gathering.

“The AFP does not need to wait for the recommendations from the Presidential Commission on Private Armed Groups before proceeding with the campaign,” Gonzales stressed. The commission was recently created to investigate the existence of private armies and make a recommendation in four month’s time how to dismantle them.

Gonzales said government security forces need not even be distracted by detractors from cracking down on private armed groups and loose firearms.

Gonzales asked the bishops and the ulamas to help the military in convincing people with loose firearms to surrender them to government even as he committed the service of the military to providing security to the faith community leaders.

Gonzales said the faith community leaders could also use the pulpits in helping raise the consciousness of the people about the urgent need to eliminate private armies and loose firearms so as to generate popular support for the campaign.

The BUC leaders promised to convene their respective groups to come up with concrete ways how they can help in the campaign.

Comelec has recently deputized the AFP, by virtue of Resolution no. 8741 promulgated on January 6, for the purpose of ensuring free, orderly, honest, peaceful and credible conduct of the May 2010 automated elections.

Among other things, the Comelec resolution is employing the AFP to “look into the existence” of armed groups and “prevent (them) from committing acts of terrorism” in connection with the 2010 elections.

The AFP will prove detractors wrong—Gonzales

“OUR armed forces will come out clean and more loved and respected by our people because of the role they will play in the 2010 elections just as they have been doing so in Maguindanao.”

With that statement, Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales yesterday reaffirmed his full confidence in the professionalism of the military and reiterated his full support for a new Memorandum of Agreement between the defense-military establishment and the Commission on Elections.

“We have decided to put the the AFP at the full disposal of the Comelec because we want the poll body to accomplish its job in 2010,” Gonzales said, pointing out that the poll body had always employed the AFP in the past, particularly in election hot spots.

Gonzales said the decision in 2007 to limit the role of the military in electoral exercises because of the 2004 controversy “strengthened rather than erased doubts” on the integrity and non-partisanship of the military. “We want to correct that.”

Gonzales emphasized that the role of the AFP in elections will be defined by the Comelec. “It will really be up to the Comelec. Our armed forces will follow the orders of the poll body.”

The defense chief also clarified that the new MOA was yet being drafted. “There are no details yet.”

Gonzales added that the AFP would probably have a major role only in known election hot spots where the police would need the military’s support.

“Beyond helping Comelec ensure that the 2010 elections would be credible and reflective of the true will of our people, we want to show that the AFP is the true guardian of our democracy,” Gonzales explained.

“For the longest time, the communists and their allies have been casting doubts on the integrity and professionalism of our armed forces. We will prove them wrong in May, “ Gonzales declared.

Gonzales reiterated the need to confiscate loose firearms and dismantle private armed groups to check their impact on elections.

He said this was the only way the nation could give meaning to the deaths of those slaughtered in Maguindanao. “If we become successful in this campaign, then the victims of the Maguindanao massacre will have not died in vain.”