On the Designation of the CPP-NPA as a Terrorist Group and Its Reported Call to Resume Peace Talks

More at: https://pinglacson.net/2020/12/28/on-the-designation-of-the-cpp-npa-as-a-terrorist-group-and-its-reported-call-to-resume-peace-talks/

It is called resource denial operations and rightly so, in order to tighten the noose on the financial and logistical needs of the CPP-NPA.

That being said, the non-traditional left-hand/right-hand approach must still be applied by welcoming back to the fold their members, making sure that they will be treated justly and ensuring their personal safety - the same way the earlier surrenderees who appeared before our Senate red-tagging hearings a few weeks ago are being treated.

Having the momentum with the series of successful operations against the CPP-NPA who are now officially a "designated terrorist group" by virtue of the authority vested by the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 upon the Anti-Terrorism Council, I doubt if the security sector will recommend the resumption of centralized peace talks to the President, more so after they validated the information that after all, peace talks are just part and parcel of their long-drawn strategy to consolidate their forces and stop the momentum gained by the security forces.

While we should not give up on peace, we should learn from the experiences of the past. It is better to have localized peace efforts, with guidance and support from the national government.