IN
line with its expansion and intensification thrust, the CPP/NPA/NDF espouses a norm that serves as a basis in luring would-be assets of the underground organisation. It takes on progressive targets - the youth sector in particular who are prone to adventurism and comprises 75-80 percent of Filipinos.
Whereas, the military said that the CPP has been taking advantage of this children's weaknesses. It added that the minors are being exploited because they are being used as combatants and are therefore deprived of having a normal life as youths. In reality, the NPA's are using these minors as front liners to stengthen their dwindling forces in different areas of the country.
The CPP also claims that as an organization of "professionals, committed, iron-willed and disciplined revolutionaries", they are armed with the revolutionary theory of Marxism-Lennism-Mao Tse-Tung's thought and recruiting progressive-oriented individuals within the 13-35 age brackets will ensure them of winning the war. Once inbdoctrinated, the new recruits will form part of the hundred-percent hard-core communists who are characterized by "absolute devotion to the cause; frank, faithful and active; looking upon the interest of the revolution as their way of life and subordinating their personal interest to those of the revolution and party.
On the other hand, the recruitment scheme of minors by the NPAs as combatants highlights the CPPs violation of Protocol 1, Article 77, Section 2 and Protocol 11, Article 4, Section 3c of the geneva Convention, which states that children under 15 years of age cannot participate in armed hostilities and must not be recruited as combatants.
The NPA also claims that it has already established and fortified 128 guerilla fronts, 50% of which possesses company strength and actively e4ngaged in the guerilla warfare. The distribution of guerilla fronts covers some 2,400 barrios and a significant portion of some 700 to 800 municipalities and cities and covers more than 90% of the provinces nationwide.
However, the NPA declaration is baseless but rather a ploy to project an image of strength and to deceive the people especially the lower class by fabricating such information. Complementing its effort, they continue to conduct hostile and terrorist action against civilian s and government forces.
At present, more and more sectors reiterated their call to the CPP/NPA to refrain from using minors as combatants because the effects of violence on children who are expose to and are victims of hostilities develop a pessimistic outlook in life. They are more likely to be depressed and have a higher level of hopelessness and develop a notion that violence is normal and are more likely to use weapons against others and continue the cycle of violence.