The "Ping and Pong" tandem at the House is surely one of the most comical groups there is in Philippine politics right now.
Senator Panfilo Ping Lacson wants the Aquino administration to wage war against the MILF by suspending the talks and engaging elements involved in the killing of the 19 soldiers in Basilan. Ping even told Aquino to do "an Erap", by mobilizing all armed troops and attack the biggest armed forces apart from the AFP.
His counterpart at the House, former AFP chief of staff and senator Pong Biazon concurs, saying that it is time to wage war against the insurgents.
How stupid these Ping Pong characters in the House are. I am not surprised why we are in a rut.
I think Noynoy is not the suicidal type. He's not the type of leader who will head towards unchartered waters without thinking of the lasting consequences of such acts.
When Erap's minions occupied MILF camps, he did so within a few weeks. Unknown to him, the MILF purposely left their camps to shift tactics--from regular army formations to guerilla. Had the war lasted, it could have been disastrous for the Philippine government because of the expected casualties such a mindless enterprise would have entailed.
Besides, what happened to Erap shortly afterwards? Erap was ousted. He spent a fraction of the treasury to fund his war machine, which affected the economy. The economy fell, and many people blamed Erap for the direct effects of war---untold death, misery, and poverty.
Erap's political capital was also spent, to a point where most of his supporters shifted allegiance because of the amount of flak he got from the people. He eventually got isolated. When his isolation was complete, Erap got a taste of what no other Philippine Leader experienced in their careers---a humiliating exit.
A war against Muslim insurgents would amount to nothing. Fact is, it would further enflame the region with calls of separatism.
A further escalation of conflict would realize the dream of pan-Asiatic Islamic terrorists---transform Mindanao into a regional battlefield, like what the US did to Afghanistan and Iraq.
A war will worsen the state of affairs of the Philippines. With an underperforming economy, a breakout of war would deeply affect the economy.
Likewise, it would also break the focus of this government. The Aquino administration is concentrating on the anti-graft and corruption fight. Don't tell me Mr. Senator and Mr. Congressman that you want nothing more than divert the attention or path of this government?
A war would surely divert the attention of this administration. Instead of firming up cases against grafters, most certainly, against the Arroyos, what would happen in case war breaks out, is that all resources of government would be mobilize to strike the enemy. It would also create chaos within the Aquino organisation in such a very high level that it would not be able to concentrate on more pressing and more major issues of repairing the problems caused by the 9-year old rule of the Arroyos.
The time is not ripe for war. The Aquino administration is in the right path. It is transfiguring the bureaucracy. It is concentrating on correcting the monumental errors within the superstructure. It is repairing even the political system.
A war would just create more problems and would just divert the attention of this government. Instead of fighting drug lords, smugglers, jueteng lords, and big-time economic saboteurs, the Aquino administration will be constrained to spend public money fighting an enemy whose mission is to prolong the conflict so that they achieve what their ancestors longed for--a truly independent Bangsamoro republic.
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