The birth of Jesus is God's ultimate gift to mankind. Coming from a family of pastors and a servant of the church myself, one of my favorite Bible verses is John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only and one Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." Let us remember this as we celebrate the coming of our Savior.
I would also like to reference Vice President Sara Duterte's Christmas message of hope. She has exhorted the citizenry to remain resilient and unified despite the challenging times and regardless of differences in belief systems. Our shared dreams and aspirations for the nation bind us.
Amid the merry-making and feasting in all Christendom, may we become a source of joy, strength, and love this season. Maligayang Pasko po sa ating lahat!
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Maoist insurgency: What happens now?
Would the recent passing of the Communist Party of the Philippines — New People's Army or CPP-NPA founder Jose Maria "Joma" Sison signify the demise of one of the world's longest-running communist revolts? For the sake of lasting peace, stability, and prosperity in the country, I hope so.
I belong to the many disillusioned former members of Kabataang Makabayan, the CPP's underground youth arm that Joma co-founded in 1964. I was a vocal critic of the party leadership's dictatorial ways. Of course, I faced death threats upon leaving the organization. Thankfully, my mother was able to spirit me away to the United States, where I eventually earned my double degree in economics and political science.
Last year in New York, a group with ties to Joma labeled me a "war criminal" when I ran for an International Law Commission seat. Although my bid was unsuccessful, my conscience is clear. The CPP-NPA is the guilty party in perpetrating "crimes against humanity" and claiming the lives of countless Filipinos for more than five decades. The Norwegian government, which has facilitated the peace talks between the government and the communist movement since 2001, said the conflict has led to 40,000 deaths. Their repeated failed attempts to overthrow our democratically-elected government through extra-Constitutional, violent means have resulted in far-reaching political, social, and economic costs.
I have consistently urged communist insurgents to eschew the armed struggle in favor of the alternative parliamentary struggle. Over the years, the Philippine Left has fielded representatives in Congress and allowed members to serve the executive branch. With Sison's death, I hope the CPP-NPA would exhaustively reexamine its "avowed political goals," particularly in employing violence and illegal force. I am also keeping my fingers crossed that it paves the way for a genuine peace agreement with the government and ends this intergenerational armed conflict.
Achieving reforms through non-violence
I understand that the CPP-NPA continues to view the country as a neo-colonial, semi-feudal state. Indeed, there are still vestiges of American imperialism in our society. As a global hegemon, the United States has tried to impose economic, political, and military policies on our country to the detriment of our independence and sovereignty. But nationalists like the late Jovito Salonga have stood against this post-war superpower without resorting to extralegal means or committing acts that can be construed as terroristic. In 1991, the Salonga-led Philippine Senate voted to expel American military bases from our territory. It is a sterling triumph of Filipino nationalism.
Concerning land reform, the Department of Agrarian Reform continues to implement the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, which distributes lands and provides support services to poor Filipino farmers. From 2016 — 2021, the Duterte administration awarded some 516,000 hectares to 405,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries. In 2012, the Asian Development Bank rated the DAR-implemented Agrarian Reform Communities Project as successful in providing agricultural reforms, basic infrastructure, and support services to ARBs.
As a former street parliamentarian turned party-list congressman, I principally authored the Universal Health Care law. The UHC enabled the government's Covid-19 vaccination program, which inoculated and boosted millions of Filipinos. The law also provides a Covid-19 benefit package of up to P780,000 for critical pneumonia patients, free PCR tests for medical frontliners, maternal and newborn health benefits, free diagnostic tests, free dialysis up to three times a week, and free maintenance medicine for diabetic and hypertensive patients.
Further, I was a primary sponsor of the free irrigation services for up to five hectares of land for smallholder farmers, a national HIV and AIDS policy, a nationwide school feeding program for elementary pupils, and free tuition for public college and university students.
These are some reforms that our government has achieved through non-violent initiatives. One does not have to join the communist movement to effect social and political change. Likewise, being an activist and a law-abiding citizen is not mutually exclusive.
