EDITORIAL AFP uses child soldiers?

On May 22, newspapers all over the world carried a story saying UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had urged the UN Security Council to consider taking tough measures against countries and insurgent groups that recruit and use child soldiers.

The Philippines was one of the countries named as a violator of the UN ban against child recruitment for wartime service. Ban’s report did not only cite rebels in the Philippines that persist in using child soldiers. It also said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines itself had done this reprehensible practice in “isolated incidents.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs, the other day, issued a press release saying that the report of AFP’s “isolated incidents” of using children was found to be false—by the AFP itself. Responding to the allegation contained in the UN Secretary-General’s report, the AFP investigated its own people and found them innocent. Mr. Ban Ki-moon’s bad report about the AFP was found to be false.

This is the full text of the DFA release titled “RP cited by UN Body for Steps in Addressing Children in Armed Conflict”:

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday that the latest Annual Report of the Secretary-General to the UN Security Council on Children and Armed Conflict cited the Philippines for its progress openness in addressing the issue on children in armed conflict (CIAC) issued on May 20.

The report particularly cited the signing of a Plan of Action between the United Nations and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict Radhika Coomaraswamy highlighted the importance of bringing to fruition the full implementation of the action plan signed by the UN with the MILF. He also commended the Philippine Government for its openness in making the undertaking possible.

According to the DFA, the Philippines reassured the UN Security Council of its commitment to the promotion and protection of the rights of children in discussions with the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC).

Meanwhile, the Philippine Inter-Agency Committee on Children in Armed Conflict, chaired by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), and its Sub-committee on Children Affected by Armed Conflict and Displacement, chaired by the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), continue to explore ways of improving the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism provided for the Security Council resolutions, as well as facilitate processes that respond to the recommendations presented in the UN Secretary General’s report on children and armed conflict.

The Annual Report listed the most persistent violators for recruiting and using children in armed conflict for the first time. The MILF, the Abu Sayyaf, and the New People’s Army (NPA) were among the state and non-state parties named for committing grave violations against children that includes recruitment, killing, abduction and sexual violence.

“Isolated incidents committed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines [AFP] were also cited in the Annual Report. In response, the allegations were investigated and verified by the AFP and found to be false. Its comments have been submitted to the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict.”
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Soldiering as a job

Leftists, rebels and all kinds of anti-government people will, of course, insist that it’s true that the AFP does use kids to achieve its aims.

We can imagine soldiers asking a peasant boy—or even scaring him into being cooperative—where his elder brother, father and uncles are. This boy’s relatives just happen to be suspected members of the New People’s Army or a Moro Islamic Liberation Front band.

But we don’t think the AFP has become as desperately in need of fighters as the rebel groups are.

There are many Filipinos who want to and do join the military for patriotic reasons.

And there are even more Filipinos who want to be in the armed services because being a soldier is a job—with which one can feed and support one’s family.

But these soldiers are made to remember the core values of the AFP every day. They make a commitment daily to serve God, Country and People. They risk their lives in battle to save their own children from having to fight as a combatant for a living. After a while, each of these soldiers also turns into a patriot.

Only in the Philippines–and other feudal climes

They are right—the ambassadors of the USA, China, Japan and the EU countries did something improper when they visited the future president Noynoy Aquino in his Times St. residence.

Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr., JC de los Reyes and others who have criticized the ambassadors of countries that are also our leading sources of investment and aid should not have “preempted the process” of proclaiming the duly elected president of the Philippines. That is a function of the Congress of the Philippines, acting as the National Board of Canvassers.

The visits only proclaimed the Philippines as the same old happy colony and us Filipinos as the same laughing “natives” in loincloth.

We don’t agree with those who say these ambassadors were trying to coerce us Pinoys into accepting an Aquino 2 presidency.

No, they did so only because they know that the easygoing Filipinos don’t really mind breaches of diplomatic protocol. They know we love feudal ceremonies and fiestas. Their visits to Noynoy were a good-natured bit of play-acting. The Magi visiting the Star of the East. Ambassadors bringing gifts and good tidings. –Manila Times