Duterte likens communist rebels to biblical serpent

Masked protesters from the outlawed “Kabataang Makabayan,” Patriotic Youths group march during a rally to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, near the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila, Philippines on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared that communist guerrillas waging a decades-long rebellion are terrorists, in a move jeopardizing the resumption of peace talks with the insurgents. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

DAVAO CITY — President Rodrigo Duterte has likened communist rebels to the serpent in the biblical garden of Eden that tempted Adam and Eve into committing the original sin.

Mr. Duterte said everything was good in paradise before the snake came and enticed Eve to eat the apple together with Adam.

“So now there was malice,” the President said in a speech before at least 500 “lumad” (indigenous) leaders who gathered here on Friday for the 16th anniversary of the Supreme Tribal Council for Peace.

“That’s what communism is,” Mr. Duterte added.

Political officers

He said like the biblical snake, communists would send “political officers” into villages and convince the people to support them.

“The political officers talk well, explaining that ‘Duterte is corrupt,’ ‘that he spends government money over this and that,’” and some people actually believed them, he said.

The President said he believed that the lumad were inherently peaceful as they decided long ago to stay away from trouble when nonlumad came in and started occupying their lands.

“You went away because you were avoiding a fight. That’s the truth about your ancestors,” he said.

But today, many lumad, according to Mr. Duterte, have been lured into communism because of false promises by the New People’s Army (NPA), armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

Unlike in the past, when most NPA guerrillas and supporters were Christians, the lumad make up the bulk of the rebels’ mass base these days, according to Mr. Duterte.

“Almost 60 percent (of supporters are) lumad, the women included,” he said.

Stunned

“So I was stunned. Who could solve this? Me? The military? Who else? Nobody but you,” the President said.

He then asked the audience what their lives were before the communists came into their communities.

“Is it better or not? If compared to your lives today [after supporting the communists], did you fear [the government before]?” the President said.

He said he was certain that the lives of the lumad were better before they supported the NPA.

“Your lives now are in disarray. So who could solve it? Only you,” Mr. Duterte said.

Mr. Duterte said the communist ideology did not provide anything good to the lumad. But he said the government could bring them good things. —ALLAN NAWAL