NEWS RELEASE
Youth groups fear that RPA-ABB “peace bribe” will lead to Iloilo City militarization

Progressive youth groups Anakbayan-Panay and League of Filipino Students-Panay today assailed the Aquino government’s giving of a P31 million peace bribe” to the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB), saying this will only lead to the intensified militarization.

Anakbayan-Panay Regional Spokesperson Eric Alip said that the funds given to the RPA-ABB for bogus peace talks is being used by the group to gain a foothold in urban poor communities in Iloilo City and surrounding municipalities, sowing fear, criminality and terror upon civilian communities.

“If the Aquino government is sincere in defeating corruption and poverty to achieve a just and lasting peace, then it should resume the peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and agree on the country’s socio-economic reforms rather than coddling the RPA-ABB gangster clique,” said Alip.

The Anakbayan spokesperson said that the first step to the resumption of peace talks is for Aquino to immediately release NDFP peace negotiators and consultants who are detained on trumped up cases. The Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) signed by the Philippine government and the NDFP states that these people must not be arrested.

“The RPA-ABB is not a legitimate beneficiary of peace funds because it surrendered to the government years ago and is now used by the Armed Forces of the Philippines as special CAFGU in its counterinsurgency operations. It is also used by despotic hacienderos like Danding Cojuangco as goons,” said LFS-Panay Regional Spokesperson JC Alejandro.

Alejandro said that more than giving funds to criminal gangster factions like the RPA-ABB, the Aquino government must address the roots of armed conflict in the country like landlessness, high cost of education, chronic unemployment, extreme hunger, poverty, exploitation, and oppression.

Reference:
JC ALEJANDRO
LFS-Panay Regional Spokesperson
09298834757