ABB used as hired guns, leftist groups say

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III was ill-advised in earmarking P31 million for the Alex Boncayao Brigade because the members of the breakaway communist group had become guns for hire for the elite and politicians, leftist lawmakers said Tuesday.

“From being ideologues under the Communist Party of the Philippines, the ABB broke away and became mercenaries, hired goons and guns for hire,” Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño said.

“Reports reaching my office show the ABB members are the ones harassing the workers and farmers, activists and sympathizers of the New People’s Army, the arch-rival of the ABB.”

Casiño said the group’s members were being hired by hacienda owners and politicians in Negros to be security aides, and to intimidate workers and farm workers demanding land reform and just wages.

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio questioned the sincerity of presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles when she said the rebel group would disband, and that the P31 million was earmarked for livelihood projects and housing in three communities.

“The P31 million earmarked for the ABB is nothing but a dole that does not answer the root cause of insurgency,” Tinio said.

He also questioned Deles’ capability to distribute P329 million in Pamana funds to 981 communist-affected villages.

“The P329 million has become Deles’ one big pork barrel because the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process is a policy office, not an implementing agency,” Tinio said.

Tinio, who first questioned the P31-million allocation, said the P329 million in Pamana funds for peace would not guarantee that the 42-year-old armed conflict would be solved.

“Deles would hand over a total of P329 million to certain armed groups without addressing the substantial issues, and she is just creating and empowering monsters in the making,” Tinio told the Manila Standard.

Deles has earmarked P189 million for rebel groups as of September 2011.

Casiño said Deles was using the small pockets of armed groups against the NPA.

“Let us face it, the NPAs are operating and based nationwide and the government is not sincere in addressing its demands for a genuine land reform program, just wages, job security, a nationalized economy, and human rights protection,” Casiño said

“So at the same time that it makes it appear they are working on attaining peace, they are hiring private armies like the ABB to fight those that advocate genuine economic and land reforms.”

But Deles said the government was bent on attaining peace within the term of President Aquino.

“We did not want to pass on the unfinished business to the next administration,” she said. –Manila Standard Today