Palace: Erap government struck deal with ABB

MANILA, Philippines - The Aquino administration is pursuing an agreement the government forged with the communist breakaway group Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB) during the term of former President Joseph Estrada in December 2000, a Malacañang official said yesterday.

This was Malacañang’s explanation for the grant of P31 million for livelihood and other aid to communities where former insurgents and their families live.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the government is “committed to the five negotiating tables that are pursuing a just and lasting peace,” which include the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-ABB, a breakaway group of the communist insurgents.

“The RPMP (Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas)-RPA-ABB signed an agreement with the government last Dec. 6, 2000 under the Estrada administration,” Valte said in defending the “reintegration and development fund” for the RPA-ABB.

Valte said this binds the government – now under the Aquino administration – to “commit fund releases for reintegration and development to establish, operate, and support livelihood projects, housing assistance.”

This also includes “education and training, primary health care, agriculture and irrigation facilities, farm-to-market roads, microfinance, among others,” Valte said.

“The funds will be released to the local government units (LGUs) in areas that will be identified for community development and livelihood assistance,” she said.

Estrada, however, denied having signed such an agreement with the ABB during his term. He challenged Malacañang to present proof that the P31-million fund that the Aquino administration gave to the RPMP-RPA-ABB was his idea.

“No. We have no agreement. There is no such thing as that. It is not our brainchild. I challenge them to present proof if they have any,” Estrada said.

Valte said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is supporting the peace initiatives with the ABB.

“The AFP, through Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, commander of the AFP’s 3rd Infantry Division, has expressed its support for the peace process with the RPMP-RPA-ABB, as it impacts on security concerns on the ground,” she said.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP) led by Secretary Teresita Deles, however, denied insinuations that the P31 million was payoff to the ABB, or that OPAPP gave the ABB such amount.

“There is no truth to that report. OPAPP never gave P31 million to the ABB,” Undersecretary Luisito Montalbo said.

Montalbo pointed out that it was a fund from Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA), a government program and framework for peace and development in conflict-affected areas.

“The use of ABB alone to refer to the group that signed the peace agreement with the government in 2000, as reported by a media network yesterday afternoon, is likewise misleading. We are dealing with the RPMP-RPA-ABB, the three groups who banded together to break away from the NPA (New People’s Army), and chose to return to the fold of the law and join mainstream society,” Montalbo explained.

Montalbo said the information on the P31-million fund quoted in news reports is from the PAMANA website.

“OPAPP is very transparent in its disbursement of funds,” Montalbo stressed.

“The PAMANA website clearly states that the P31 million is for community development and livelihood projects for three peace and development community sites in Negros Island where there are members of the RPMP-RPA-ABB,” he said.

Montalbo said the government has been conducting socio-economic profiling of members of the RPMP-RPA-ABB to determine appropriate livelihood and other development interventions for their communities.

“It is part of PAMANA’s funds for 2011 amounting to P568 million, and were provided for conflict-affected communities who find it more difficult compared to other communities to jumpstart their development,” he added.

“The funds are granted for implementation of peace and development projects to LGUs or regional implementing agencies such as DSWD for implementation. Other beneficiary communities from Luzon, Mindanao and other parts of Visayas can also be found in the same website where the information on the P31-million fund for Negros Island was seen,” Montalbo said.

Montalbo cited that the series of profiling held last month in Negros and Panay Islands for the former combatants belonging to the Tabara-Paduano Group (TPG) of the RPMP-RPA-ABB is almost finished.

“A total of 495 TPG members were profiled on Oct. 20-30. Negros Occidental accounted for 358 members, while Negros Oriental and Panay Island (Iloilo, Antique and Aklan) have 50 and 87 members profiled,” Montalbo said.

Montalbo stressed that the profiling will guide the government in creating peace and development communities that will serve as resettlement sites for TPG members.

“This is fully supported by the local chief executives, civil society organizations and the local AFP and Philippine National Police (PNP) commands,” Montalbo said.

Delon Porcalla, Philippine Star