Armed struggle not means to attain positive change, peace

SENATOR CHRISTOPHER  “Bong” Go defended on Tuesday President Rodrigo Duterte’s statements denying the government is red-tagging Makabayan bloc organizations, saying the President is privy to information about Leftist groups given his experiences as a former mayor of Davao City.   

“Maraming alam si Pangulong Duterte, dati siyang mayor ng Davao City. Kami po, magkasama kami for the past 22 years. Talagang alam namin kung sino ang talagang may linya — sa Left (President Duterte knows a lot; he’s a former mayor of Davao City. We have been together for the past 22 years. We really know who has a link to the Left.),” Go said during an ambush interview after leading the distribution of emergency assistance to fire victims in Quezon City.

He added that Duterte is telling the truth, saying, “kung ano po ang sinabi ni Pangulong Duterte, totoo po ‘yun. Witness po s’ya sa mga bagay na ‘yan. ‘Wag na po tayong magmaang-maangan pa (Whatever President Duterte says is the truth. He has witnessed those things. We should not pretend to be ignorant.)

During his weekly Talk to the People address on Monday, Duterte denied the government is red-tagging Makabayan bloc organizations but, instead, is identifying these groups and their dynamics with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

The President said he trusts the military’s assertion that the groups are mere fronts of the CPP.

"We are not red-tagging you. We are identifying you as members in a grand conspiracy comprising all the legal fronts that you have organized headed by NDF (National Democratic Front) and Communist Party of the Philippines," Duterte said

Denouncing their acts, Duterte added that the movement is only bent on destroying the country’s democratic institutions.

"May mga ilang tao na nanggaling sa inyong kampo na (There are some people who came from your camp who) openly attacked you, not only criticized, for your sheer brutality in this communal war," Duterte said.

The chief executive also warned the Lumads should they continue to pursue their ties with the rebel group.

Meanwhile, Go said that he personally does not want to see Filipinos killing each other, adding that an armed struggle is not the solution to achieving lasting peace.

“Ako naman, personally ayokong nagkakapatayan ang Pilipino laban sa kapwa Pilipino, nasasaktan po ako (I personally don’t want Filipinos killing each other),” he said.