NPA attacks worry peace group

NAGA CITY—Church-led peace advocates in Masbate are worried that the recent attacks by communist rebels against government troops in the island-province may push back to square one efforts to achieve peace there.

“We are alarmed and saddened by the recent attacks and acts of violence, which are insurgency-related,” said Judge Igmedio Emilio Camposano, spokesperson of Masbate Advocates for Peace (MAP).

Established last year, the MAP is a Church-led group of volunteers from various sectors, including business, youth, academe, and people’s organizations, that seeks to end electoral and political violence in Masbate.

On August 14, New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas raided the municipal police station of Mobo and ambushed police and Army reinforcements. One soldier was killed, while three other soldiers and seven policemen were wounded.

“We suspect that the recent attacks have something to do with the current peace negotiation between the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA-National Democratic Front) and the government. Each of the parties is trying to show force so their bargaining power amid the peace talks will increase,” said Camposano, presiding judge of the municipal trial court of Aroroy-Baleno in Masbate.

The NPA is the armed wing of the CPP, whose political arm, the NDF, has been involved in peace negotiations with the government since February.

Camposano said the attacks could have also been launched in retaliation for the capture of top NPA leaders. “But whatever the case is, the attacks surely brought us to square one in our efforts to achieve peace in our province.”

He said the problem of political violence had been interrelated with those of insurgency and poverty in Masbate, noting that after each election, the motives for violent acts would shift from political to insurgency-related.

“It is easy to arm poor people, whose votes are also easy to buy,” Camposano said.

As part of MAP efforts to wage peace, the group has sought the participation of those involved in the armed struggle in localized peace talks that it would initiate.