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July 6, 2003, The Philippine Star, Philippine president says Communists trafficking drugs to fund rebellion, by Jaime Laude,
Communist New People's Army (NPA) guerrillas are now turning to drug trafficking to fund their rebellion, President Arroyo said yesterday.
"There is a strong link between terrorism and drug syndicates," Mrs Arroyo said in her weekly radio message. "The war against drugs is a war against terrorists and vice versa."
Mrs Arroyo said authorities have found marijuana plantations operated by the NPA but she didn't speculate whether the NPA is also involved in the more lucrative trade of peddling or manufacturing shabu [methamphetamine hydrochloride].
"Ever since the United States and the European Union condemned the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines)-NPA as terrorists, they found it difficult to get funds," she said. "Because of this, they were forced to look for other means, such as planting marijuana."
"Most likely, this (NPA) group is alarmed already because of our intensified campaign against illegal drugs and marijuana," Mrs Arroyo said.
Defence Secretary Angelo Reyes, on the other hand, confirmed the NPA has forged an alliance with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) separatist guerrillas.
But Reyes stressed the alliance was only "tactical" as high ranking officials of both groups could not come together because of "religious differences."
"They give advice, they share weapons, they have intelligence sharing. But we still believe that the strategic alliance involving the top honchos, is rather difficult because of their respective religious backgrounds," Reyes said.
Reyes said the Armed Forces has started redeploying troops in NPA-MILF infested areas as part of the new "war plan" devised by top national security officials in response to Mrs Arroyo's directive to counter the tactical alliance between two insurgent groups.
Mrs Arroyo also warned local officials against forging alliances with the NPA during the election period.
The president said she was aware of reports the certain local officials, particularly in "rebel infested" areas, were either consorting with or supporting the NPA by paying "revolutionary taxes" so they could campaign freely in rebel-controlled areas during elections.
"Alliances with the NPA are alliances with terrorists," Mrs Arroyo said, warning politicians not to pay "permit to campaign" fees which the rebels usually collect from candidates in some areas, and urged voters to reject such candidates.
"I want to remind our local officials that such permits (to campaign) are among the terrorist fund-raising activities of the NPA. We know that such permits have equivalent amounts that you have to pay or else something bad will happen to you," she said.
Mrs Arroyo said the NPA is also resorting to extortion, citing the recent torching of buses owned by companies that have refused to pay "revolutionary taxes" to the communist rebels. In recent days, two Baliwag Transit buses have been burnt by suspected NPA rebels in Nueva Ecija.
It has become harder for the rebels to raise funds from sympathizers abroad after the United States and the European Union put the NPA on their lists of foreign terrorist organizations last year, Mrs Arroyo said.
"We shall isolate them from the international community by exposing them for what they are -terrorists masquerading as revolutionaries," she said.
Counteractions
Following recent rebel attacks that killed 29 soldiers and militiamen along with a soldier's wife in remote villages, Mrs Arroyo ordered a "comprehensive counteraction" that will combine military, political and legal measures against the 34-year-old insurgency.
The presidential order came despite the announcement made by former justice secretary Silvestre Bello, the government's chief negotiator in peace talks with the communist rebels, that the two sides have agreed to resume peace talks stalled since 2001. No date has been set.
Mrs Arroyo ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to file criminal charges against communist leaders, accusing the insurgents of carrying out "treacherous attacks" despite efforts to revive peace talks.
NPA guerrillas on 26 June attacked a remote military outpost in Oras, Eastern Samar, leaving five soldiers, 11 militiamen and the wife of an Army corporal dead.
Thirteen soldiers were also killed and 10 others wounded in a gunbattle with NPA guerrillas in a remote town in Compostela Valley in Mindanao last 30 June.
Mrs Arroyo said security officials have been asked to study a re-deployment of troops to areas where the NPAs operate. Troops in recent months have been concentrated mostly in Mindanao, where they are battling MILF forces and the Abu Sayyaf bandit group.
"The NPA has been engaged in a spate of attacks in recent days in parts of the archipelago, during which many soldiers and civilians have been killed or injured," Mrs Arroyo said.
"We are combining military action with political and legal actions against these renewed threats," she said.
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