Presidential aspirant and labor leader Leody de Guzman said he plans to end the decades-long insurgency problem in the country by meeting the demands of the New People’s Army (NPA), specifically on land reform and social injustices.
“My solution is to address the demands of the NPA which are stipulated in their documents. I believe that their demands are just, specifically on land reform,” he said in Filipino during the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas presidential forum.
De Guzman mentioned how the past presidents failed to implement the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform in the country, then reiterated his promise to push for a genuine agrarian reform program.
At the same time, De Guzman said the NPA is fighting the government due to the social injustices where the rich are favored while the poor are subject to oppression.
“As long as we tolerate this justice system, we cannot stop the people from taking up arms. That’s why in my view, if we give what they are asking for, the NPA will no longer have reasons to rebel against the government,” he said.
Beyond the problem in land reform and social justice, De Guzman said the urge of the communist rebels to go against the government is rooted on the “historical problem” which was left unresolved up until today.
“Their rebellion has deep roots. They fight the government because of historical problems. That’s why we need to address it. Once we are ablet o address it, they will automatically drop their arms,” he said.
De Guzman also nixed the mandatory military service which was earlier proposed by vice presidential aspirant and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
He explained the Philippines is not like South Korea which is “at war” with North Korea.
“I do not favor wars or the use of guns. No one wins in any war. Only the capitalists who produces weapons and ammunitions wins in that situation,” he said.
De Guzman said the government should focus on the fight against poverty and climate change. “That’s what we need to do and we should not instill a mind that is for violence. That is not effective.”
Further, De Guzman said he would only encourage businessmen who treat their employees as “partners” to uphold his “labor first policy.”
“I don’t expect capitalists who take advantage of their workers to uphold this policy,” he said, then vowed to provide “huge funds” to support the micro, small and medium enterprises so the government could strengthen local industries.
This would prevent importation and it would likewise boost exportation of local products, he said.