SO IT SEEMS
Florencio Ranido
With the termination of the ceasefire with the communist rebels with-out cause on orders of President Rodrigo Duterte, the next thing people expect is all-out war against the New People’s Army terrorists.
The government’s lifting of the tigil putokan or ceasefire against the communist rebels over the weekend was spurred by the announcement of Jorge Madlos, alias “Ka Oris”, spokesman of the national command operation of the communists’ rebels unilateral ceasefire forged by the government and Communist Party of the Philippines-National De-mocratic Front-NPA and the government panels in Oslo Norway early last year.
But even before Ka Oris’ announcement, NPA terrorists attacked military stations in Makilala and Matalam in North Cota-bato, Manay in Davao Oriental and Malaybalay City, Bukidnon in which at least six soldiers were killed.
In this corner we have long been advocating all-out war against the communist terrorists until no one is left standing.
The only problem is the Armed Forces of the Philippines, whose primary task is suppression of invasion and rebellion has an additional task—to assist the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the war on drugs with President’s Duterte’s relief of the Philippine National Police in the anti-illegal drug campaign following the kidnapping for ransom of South Korean nationals by rogue policemen.
With their additional responsibility imposed on them by the President last week soldiers will have their hands full, unless some members of other branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines are deployed temporarily to beef up the PDEA and the military in the drug war.
This is probably the reason behind President Duterte’s plan to revive the Philippine Constabulary which for so long was part of the four branches of the AFP, the three others being the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force.
In those days the PC served as the national police as back then the police composition was localized, hence there were municipal and city policemen all appointed by the mayor. The PC was abolished by then Presi-dent Ferdinand Marcos following FM’s declaration of Martial Law in September 1972. In those days there was a PC headquarter in every province usually located in the provincial capital.
The doing away with the PC was gradual; first it was combined with the police and the force was called PC-INP (Philippine Constabulary-Integrated National Police).
In our view, suppres-sion of the communists and Moro rebels and running after drug dealers and users are equally important for national security.
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US President Ronald Trump’s executive order barring citizens of seven predominantly Islamic countries which include —Syria, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen to keep out Muslim terrorists from the United States, as well as requiring legal and permanent residents or green card holders to undergo re-screening before they can return to the US has sparked protests in various parts in “the land of the free and home of the brave” not only from green card holders but from foreign nationals who have become American citizens.
And undoubtedly, among the protesters are Filipinos who have long been living in the US. Among Asians, Filipinos comprise the majority of immigrants in California and southern states of the Union like Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas, to name a few.
During my nearly five years of stay in the golden state that is California, it is easy to tell that a house is owned and occupied by Pinoys if it is fenced with con-crete blocks.
As we all know too well, a Filipino family does not feel safe from burglars and terrorists if their house is not fenced, preferably with concrete blocks, hence hollow block-making is a thriving business enterprise in our country.
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In sports, a boxing analyst has warned fighting senator Manny Pacquiao from getting careless and lack of preparations when he faces an unbeaten fighter from Australia in April.
Recah Trinidad, a sports columnist, said Pacquiao, holder of nine world championships in eight weight divisions and the reigning World Boxing Organization (HBO) welterweight king could be in trouble if he comes in half-prepared for the battle against Jeff Horn who specializes in conquering southpaws. Well-known international referee Bruce MacTavish, a New Zealander who has long been residing in Pampanga was the referee in Horn’s last fight which he won by stoppage.
MacTavish said Horn with his plodding style would be lucky to last four rounds with Pacquiao. But Horn’s trainer Glenn Rushton claims he has the perfect game plan to beat the fighting senator from Sarangani province.
However, Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s long-time coach and trainer said critics “blab and blab until they get slugged in the mouth.”
In his more than two decades in the beak-busting game, the 38-year-old legislator has suffered only two knockouts, first in the early stage of his fighting career in Cagayan de Oro City when a local fighter stopped him by knockout, and the second time when Pacman was hit in the jaw by four-time rival Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico.
On the other hand, Pacquiao’s about 50 victories were mostly by knockouts.
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