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A lawmaker is pushing a bill to integrate members of the New
People’s Army (NPA) into the military and national police.
Administration Rep. Jose Solis of the 2nd
District of Sorsogon said House Bill 3545, which he authored, will
help put an end to what is considered the longest communist
insurgency in Asia.
The Bicolano legislator stressed the communist
insurgency “has stunted our economic growth and has claimed the
lives of many soldiers and civilians alike.”
He argued that every effort to find a solution
to the insurgency has to be exhausted as the war waged by the
Communist Party of the Philippines, with the NPA as its military
arm, continuously threatens the country’s peace and stability.
“Enough of war. The time has come to open the
window for reconciliation and solidarity by means of integration,”
he said.
Solis believes that with the passage of such
bill into law, communist rebels could be convinced to surrender
their arms and serve the government.
In the said bill, Solis took note of about 1,500
vacancies in the national police and another 1,500 in the military,
which can be allocated to qualified NPA surrenderees. However, the
training programs for the surrenderees have to conform with existing
laws, rules, regulations and procedures.
He added that since the government
successfully integrated former rebels of the Moro National
Liberation Front into the military, he sees no reason why it
cannot successfully integrate communist rebels into the military
and police force.
-- Jomar Canlas
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