The cause-oriented and militant group known as HUMABOL or Hugpong sa Mag-uumang Bol-anon and its affiliate groups of farmers are turning to the mass media to intensify their objection to the presence of government soldiers in their barangays. This was the gist of Lt. Col. Julius Tomines' report during the Peace and Order Council Meeting in Catigbian last Wednesday. In Brgy. Bongbong, Trinidad for example, the Bongbong Farmers Association (BFA) were complaining that soldiers have pitched camp at the Barangay Hall contrary to the provisions of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

In Brgy Pangpang, Ubay, a barangay kagawad who is also the president of the Pangpang Farmers and Fishermen Organization (PAFFO) have complained against the involvement of soldiers of the 2nd SF Battalion who are also members of the Countryside Development Program-Purok Power Movement (CDP-PPM) Team in helping solve their land problem with the Kintanars. This is not something new because both groups have always been on the opposite side of every issue. The HUMABOL have always viewed the soldiers as abusive instruments of an oppressive government and is trying to demolish their organization. On the other hand, the soldiers have always been wary of the HUMABOL and its affiliate farmer organizations because of their political views that are leaning towards the leftist ideology that seeks to wrest power from the duly constituted authority.

Let's look at the issues objectively in the light of the antecedents and present realities. It is not a kept secret that in the past, one of the effective recruiters of the local communists and their armed component – the New People's Army (NPA)- in Bohol as in other provinces were the abusive soldiers who thought at that time that that the only way to suppress insurgency was by the use of arms, force and intimidation. Body count was their measure of success. To them the more dead enemy body counted after any operation means a successful campaign forgetting that every dead enemy was a dead Filipino who had families who could be driven to become another enemy. In Bohol, one AFP battalion that was assigned here was referred to by the people as the ‘peste-7 battalion' because of their abuses that drove many to the fold of the local communists. On the other hand, it was also no secret that the HUMABOL was the creation of the National Democratic Front (NDF) - the legal front that espoused the leftist ideology of the local communist movement. It follows that their affiliates also espoused the same ideology that had for their ultimate goal the wresting of power held by the duly constituted authority. The NDF also espoused armed revolution to attain their goal. This is the reason why the NPA was organized to face the military might of the government. Ever since I can recall, the AFP and the NDF never saw eye-to-eye with each other even if they sometimes faced each other in negotiating table.

But things have changed in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The Bohol experience in counter-insurgency has changed the military doctrine of waging war against the local communist movement. Bohol's experience under the leadership of then Gov. Erico B. Aumentado proved that might was not always right. It was understanding the root cause of insurgency and the convergence of efforts that could spell the bringing back of peaceful life by the communities. It was shown by the Bohol experience that insurgency is not a military problem alone but more of a political and socio-economic problem. It was the absence of government programs and services in far-flung barangays and lack of infrastructure that drove the people to the lap of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA).

It was the realization that insurgency was a problem happening and occurring in the very backyard of local governments and so therefore any campaign to address it should be local government-led. Since the root cause of the problem was traced basically to poverty, it was poverty reduction efforts that should be lead the campaign to address it. Any other measure must be supportive to it including measures to be employed by the military. As results have proven, there can be no argument or doubt as to the effectiveness of the shift in strategy of addressing insurgency. By February 10, 2010, Bohol was declared an NPA-free province. Records at the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) will also show that complaints of abuses against human rights violation by our soldiers have been reduced to zero except of course for the trumped-up charges to “keep the fire burning among the comrades.” Now let's see the basis of BFA's and PAFFO's complaint against the presence of the soldiers in their barangays. It is true that under the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) the principles of which have been adopted by the Philippines Constitution as part of the law of the land (Art 2, Sec. 2, Philippine Constitution) and for which the Philippines is bound to respect and observe, the military may not hold camp in places near schools and other institutions that are prohibited from being military object. Let us however understand that IHL is also referred to as the law on armed conflict whether international or non-international.

It is therefore our belief that since we are not in armed conflict as the NPAs are no longer in Bohol, and that the purpose of the holding of camp by the soldiers in the Barangay Hall was duly concurred and approved by the Barangay, it should not cause undue alarm to the BFA. In the first place the presence of the soldiers is part of a new poverty reduction program adopted by the Chatto administration now popularly called CDP-PPM. The soldiers are therefore there as partners of the civilian government in pursuing poverty reduction efforts. They are not there as combatants but as socio-economic partners. Any firearms that they bring is part of their uniform as soldiers and not to intimidate or harass people.

The same is true with the case in Brgy. Pangpang, Ubay. The presence of the soldiers there is as partners and members of the iPro-Team that has been tasked by the provincial government to help solve the long standing problem of the PAFFO members on the Kintanar property that they are now tilling but has not been awarded to them even with the land reform program of government being implemented by the Department of Agrarian Reform. The best way to solving conflict and any misunderstanding is still a sincere and honest to goodness dialogue and that is what we recommend to anyone working with the people. Farmers' organizations allied with HUMABOL should not be quick to ascribe bad intention to the soldiers who are working under CDP-PPM. Soldiers should not also be onion-skinned to manifestations of dislike from these farmer's organizations. The best way to show and prove good intention is through sincere dialogue. We cannot talk behind each other's back and hope all problems will just disappear. We have to reach out even to our enemies.