The government's anti-insurgency campaign is at its terminal stage, Senator Ronald ‘’Bato’’ dela Rosa said Saturday, Sept. 24.
Dela Rosa underscored this following a ruling by a Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) that rejected a Department of Justice (DOJ) petition seeking a declaration by the court that the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) are terrorist organizations.
Asked during a DWIZ radio interview Saturray whether the NPA is still a threat, Dela Rosa replied that the communists are weakening but their legal fronts have the chance to recover.
He cited a Philippine Army report that there are only four NPA rebels in Davao Oriental. ‘’ Malapit ng matapos. (It is about to end). Kaya peaceful na (That's why it is peaceful),’’ he added.
‘’But hanggang andyan pa legal front nila lalo na Makabayan bloc in Congress legal silang makapagrecruit ng tao (Until such time they have a legal front, particularly the Makabayan bloc in Congress) makapaghikayat na umakyat sa bundok (It can influence recruits to go to the mountains), tignan mo nag Kabataan Party-list nung hinanap ng magulang ang anak, nagsurface sa Kamara hawak ng kabataan (Look at the Kabataan Party-list..the recruits were being searched by their parents only to be seen in Congress {during a hearing} as they are controlled by Kabataan,’’ Dela Rosa said.
Dela Rosa emphasized that people could not easily be fooled ..’’that these people are fooling us".
‘’They are using the democracy to destroy democracy. They are using the government to destroy the government. sa Kabataan (to the youth), they are using academic freedom to destroy the academic freedom.
Even if the communists say they are legal, dela Rosa recalled Jose Ma. Sison, founder of the CPP, had said that the CPP, NPA and the National Democratic Front (NDF) are ‘’cooperating with one another to grab power from the government, from democracy to communism,’’ Dela Rosa added.