47 years of insurgency, 47 years of suffering

The 47 years of existence of the New People’s Army has brought nothing but misery and suffering not only to our society but more so to our countrymen, particularly to the families of the victims of this group’s purges, killing sprees and massacres, including the soldiers and policemen the rebels killed in their raids, ambuscades and land-mine attacks, not to mention the other illegal activities that burden the populace.

We hope they will soon realize that their struggle through violence will never succeed. They should remember the lesson of the victorious 1986 Edsa Revolution, where the people fought for democracy through peaceful means. The people’s rejection of violence was very evident then, but still the NPA rebels have chosen to close their eyes to this fact. Their lofty ambition to topple the government can never happen as the people won’t allow it.

There is no doubt their organization is fast becoming irrelevant. They have been reduced into a band of criminals riding on issues that serve only them, but not the Filipinos they claim to be fighting for.

—ERLYN S. MAGANTO, [email protected]