Fundamental problems linger

FIVE rebels were killed in an encounter in Bohol last May 25. Three were young - aged 18, 20 and 22. Of course, it's appalling that the New People's Army (NPA) would recruit young persons, including teenagers. But beyond that, we have to ask ourselves if all of us are not to blame: the NPA and the cause-oriented front organizations for the actual recruitment, the parents for not being there for their children, the government for failing to provide relevant and affordable education, and the rest of us for not demanding that the government do more to safeguard the future of Filipino kids.

NPA commander Romeo Nabas was killed in the same encounter. According to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA), Nabas, who was born in 1968, joined the revolutionary movement in 1984 and became a member of the party the following year. That makes Nabas 16 to 17 years old when he joined the CPP-NPA. So, obviously, some things haven't changed since the 1980s. Slain rebel NPA Junrey (or Jhon Rey) Bucar left his home in Bilar at the age of 15 - around 2016 - to work as a laborer at a construction site (The Bohol Chronicle, May 31, 2021). His family says they didn't know that he had joined the NPA because he kept sending money! The poor mother blamed the NPA for destroying her son's dreams - but honestly, what dream was there to destroy? There seems to have been no meaningful contact between the boy and his family since he left. At 15, he was supposed to be in high school; not working at a construction site in the city. At 15, he was supposed to be under the supervision of his parents and teachers; not a foreman.