The many-headed hydra that is the CPLA

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

BAGUIO CITY – If the so-called Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CPLA) had earned a notorious reputation, it is because over the years, they have come to be known as human rights violators, “protector” of land squatters and speculators and being involved in illegal acts.

They have also been reported as having gotten millions of pesos under previous governments as “reconciliation money” for their so-called projects for their beneficiaries which those in the grassroots said, never reached them.

Some years ago, people were shocked in this summer capital when they paraded in full battle gear, an affront to government lawmen and peace-loving citizens.    

The city council as a result, made a resolution making the CPLA persona non grata in this summer capital.

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But then, on Sept. 13, they held another parade purportedly to celebrate the peace pact they had with the Cory Aquino administration which they claimed, was the basis for the creation of the Cordillera Administrative Region.

Baguio residents again made a howl showing their displeasure making Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong announce the city government did not sanction the parade in the city’s central business district.

Reports had it that it was held by an “ousted” CPLA faction of the Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army (CPLA) to commemorate what they called the 33th years of the “historic” Mount Data peace accord entered between the Philippine government under former President Corazon C. Aquino and former rebel priest and CPLA head Conrado Balweg.

Magalong claimed he was not aware having signed a permit for the conduct of the parade by the said group considering the CPLA armed group ceased to exist when it entered into a “closure agreement” with the Philippine government in July 2011.

Basing from a city hall report, Magalong said the local government will not allow such activities by the armed group considering that the city does not recognize the CPLA’s existence despite the claim of some CPLA combatants in some parts of the Cordillera that they were not part of the alleged closure agreement.

The city mayor said in the meantime, the city government will not recognize any activity of the CPLA in the city considering that as far as he knows, the group already entered into a closure agreement with the national government that should have resulted to the dissolution of the organization.

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According to him, if there are internal matters between the factions of the organization which have not been settled, then it is appropriate for them to settle their rifts without intruding into the jurisdiction of local governments that decided not to recognize them as they are trying to sow confusion for them to be able to pursue their interests using the group for their personal and political interests.

He said similar activities of the CPLA in the city will no longer push through in the future as the city government already made its firm position on the matter so there will be no suspicion the city government is playing favorites to a faction of the CPLA.

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In 1999, the city government declared some CPLA officials persona non grata in the city for their alleged involvement in alleged illegal activities to serve as warning to other officers and members not to be involved in alleged illegal activities that  affect the  image of the city.

Despite the previous condemnation done by the local government on the alleged illegal activities of the group in the city, there are still a number of people who reportedly still use the name of the organization to pursue their alleged clandestine activities for their own personal and political interests.

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Meanwhile, in Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela, another group of former CPLA members who have been integrated into the Philippine Army lauded creation of a body that will keep track of the progress made in the implementation of the peace agreements signed by the group and the national government.

Aside from the opportunity for them to become part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the CPLA has also been tapped by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) in creating the Joint Evaluation and Monitoring Committee (JEMC).

 “We were given a second chance. The AFP waived requirements for us such as age, height, marital status, among others. They embraced us wholeheartedly,” now Army Cpl. Revaliza Gulingan told Villam or Visaya Jr. of the Philippine News Agency last week.

Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr., who led a program to commemorate the signing of the peace pact in Camp Gamu, said this mechanism “will serve as the venue wherein the parties can jointly develop comprehensive and sustainable programs to help transform former combatants, their families, and communities.”

 “It is the ultimate desire of the President (Duterte) and to fulfill the government's obligations to all signed peace agreements, and to ensure that the people will benefit from it," he was quoted as saying.

"Because the government has a mandate to take care of the general welfare of the people, we have to look for ways to help them.”

The PNA report said “Galvez led the wreath-laying to honor Army soldiers killed in the line of duty and the unveiling of the marker to memorialize the contribution of the CPLA fighters who fought side-by-side with government forces against the communists for 33 years.”

He said he will propose a concept similar to the Inter-Cabinet Cluster Mechanism on Normalization being implemented for decommissioned Moro Islamic Liberation Front members, wherein key government agencies are pooling their expertise and resources to help the former combatants and their families reintegrate to mainstream society as peaceful and productive civilians.

“We will look at the welfare not only of the former combatants but also their families and their communities,” he said.

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Galvez said the special intervention will include “unreached former members, widowers and next of kin of martyred former members.”

The funds for the initiative will be lodged with the government’s Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan or PAMANA, which is the national government's convergence program that extends development interventions to isolated, hard-to-reach and conflict-affected communities, to ensure they are not left behind in the development process.

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Galvez noted that the peace process in the provinces of Kalinga, Abra, Apayao, Ifugao, Benguet, and Mountain Province will enhance the approaches and strategies that are in line with the implementation of Executive Order 70, the President's whole-of-nation approach, with local counterparts.

Joining Galvez during the ceremonies were Maj. Gen. Pablo M. Lorenzo, 5th Infantry Division commander, and Brig. Gen. Bismarck D. Soliba, who is recognized as the most active senior military officer from the Cordillera, as well as World War II veterans.

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Militant groups like the Cordillera Peoples Alliance are now saying it seems the CPLA is still being pampered by the government which doesn’t know or pretending not to know their notorious past.

They are saying they should not be treated like they are heroes considering the many crimes they have committed.

This many headed hydra that is the CPLA, they say, should be confined to the dustbin of history so it cannot rear its ugly head.