I note with extreme concern the armed encounter in Negros Occidental on May 16 which claimed the lives of five members of the NPA, one of which was UP Cebu alumnus Vince Francis Dingding. Just a few weeks after the brutal killings of 19 individuals in Negros, the military is again implicated in a bloody operation, this time one that has displaced 64 families.
Too many lives have been claimed by this war, many of whom are civilians and bright, idealistic youths who simply want to fight for a better future. Attempting to end an insurgency through bloodshed is a strategy doomed to failure. President Marcos Jr. must assert civilian control of the military and push for peace negotiations with the CPP-NPA. Peace talks will not be easy, but with political will on both sides, it is not inevitable they will fail. We must give peace a chance, for the alternative is an endless cycle of violence that will merely end with the military hegemony supplanting civilian control.
(),
, 2009-2015
’ 2023