Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin wants peace talks between the government and the communist rebels done on the local level after the government panel and the communist National Democratic Front (NDF) failed in their peace talks in The Netherlands.
Gazmin wants military commanders to hold peace talks with the New People鈥檚 Army (NPA) in their respective areas of operation so soldiers and rebels will not fight.
On paper, Gazmin鈥檚 order looks good.
Who doesn鈥檛 want peace?
The NPAs, who apparently have the upperhand in the battle against the military, are expected not to ambush soldiers and attack their camps.
On the other hand, soldiers will just stay in their barracks and do marching drills inside their camps because their foes have become their friends.
But Gazmin鈥檚 peace initiative would not make the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) look good as a fighting organization.
It would make the AFP look like an organization of cowards.
While the NPAs collected 鈥渞evolutionary taxes鈥� from citizens, soldiers would look the other way.
The soldiers would say 鈥渢hat鈥檚 not our job, that鈥檚 the job of the police,鈥� when they鈥檙e asked why they just stand aside while the NPAs engage in extortion.
And so the police would be left alone to go after the NPAs.
Anyway, the Philippine National Police has its own fighting units鈥攖he elite Special Action Force (SAF) and the Regional Public Safety Battalions (RPSB) in different regions.
But members of the SAF and the RPSBs are no match to the communist rebels because they are se帽oritos or spoiled brats.
Police commandos do not want to fight. All they have in mind is how to make delihensiya or extort from citizens who commit small infractions of the law.
After all, SAF and RPSB commandos are still cops, aren鈥檛 they?
* * *
Many years ago, three members of the SAF were assigned to me as bodyguards following reports that some individuals whose toes I had stepped on were planning to 鈥渢each me a lesson.鈥�
I noticed a few times, when I had meetings in restaurants, how my police bodyguards helped themselves to the 鈥渟pecialties of the house鈥� and gorged without asking permission from me.
At first I didn鈥檛 mind since I thought they were that deprived because of poverty, but I had to put my foot down when it became their habit.
And then one day, I overheard them talking among themselves while waiting for me.
鈥淭he allowance we鈥檙e receiving from this man (me鈥擱T) can鈥檛 support our vices. If we were outside, we would be earning much, much more from civilians,鈥� one of them said.
鈥�(Name of businessman), to whom I was assigned before, gave me a lot more. This guy (me again) is a tightwad,鈥� butted the second one.
鈥淢y supervisor doesn鈥檛 believe that this man (me again) has not set aside an amount for him. He thinks I鈥檓 keeping the money intended for him,鈥� said the third.
I happily let all three go.