RTF-ELCAC heightens legal fight vs insurgency

By Jennifer P. Rendon

How does one solve the problem of insurgency?

It involves a multi-pronged approach, the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC 6) believes.

And by holistic, the government and all stakeholders must step up its legal battle against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in Western Visayas.

In a conference held at the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) headquarters recently, the RTF-ELCAC 6’s Joint Focused Legal Action Team (JFLAT) emphasized that the legal battle of proscribing the CPP-NPA and their allied groups as terrorists will degrade their capabilities and actions.

JFLAT is a legal action team formed by the Legal Cooperation and Peace, Law Enforcement and Development Support (PLEDS) Cluster of the RTF-ELCAC 6 that aims to add teeth to the government’s campaign against the communist group.

The JFLAT has underscored that by strengthening the legal move, “it will give life to the Anti-Terror Law and help the government win the war on terrorism with minimal loss of life.”

Major Eric Vinoya, commander of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division, presided over the conference.

Vinoya, also the co-chairman of PLEDS cluster, encouraged all members of JFLAT to always remain a step ahead of the enemies through legal actions.

“Let us continue to surprise the CPP-NPA and its allied organizations with our legal efforts. Let us keep them guessing and when we hit them hard with the long arm of the law, let us ensure that they would not even know what struck them,” he said.

The conference also had in attendance Brigadier General Rolando Miranda, Western Visayas police chief; Prosecutor II Flosemer Chris Gonzales, LCC/JFLAT 6 chairperson and Spokesperson of RTF-ELCAC 6; and other members of the legal team.