"If they continue in their wish to overthrow the government, how can I be on their side?"
This was the answer by presidential aspirant Ferdinand ‘’Bongbong’’ R. Marcos Jr. to a query during a media interview on whether he may want to be a ’kakampi’’ (ally) of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New Democratic Front-New People’s Army (CPP-NDF-NPA).
Marcos said the ideology that they are espousing has no support from other countries who were the its basic proponents such as Russia and China.
The son of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos said he tends to be on the conservative side and ‘’if you are part of the State, you can’t take many risks because if affects millions and millions of people.’’
‘’Kailangan maingat (One has to be careful),’’ he added as he rolled off his answers on the decades-old insurgency problem during the ‘’Point of Order’ media forum conducted by QC Congressman Benjie Defensor and Congresswoman Lucy Torres.
‘’This kind of revolutionary notion is not really to the benefit of the people. There was maybe a time in our history that was the best answer do to things,’’ he said.
‘’I do not agree with their method,’ he added.
Marcos also all praise for the anti-communist policy of the Duterte administration which had created the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), saying the policy has helped because of its ‘’rebel returnee program.’’
The ELCAC policy also involved a barangay development plan.
It has made a good headway, Marcos, a former Ilocos Norte governor, said.
The NTF-ELCAC was given by Congress a P17.8 billion budget, a compromise between the Senate approved appropriation of P4 billion and the Executive branch’s original outlay of P28 billion.