I have read the adversarial comment of MGen Domingo Tutaan, Jr against NTF ELCAC and this is in contrast to the stand of Col Ariel Querubin in fully supporting NTF ELCAC.
Both officers had served the military for more than 30 years and one of them had experienced the bitter horrors of war.
I observe that almost all retired officers strongly support NTF ELCAC just like COL QUERUBIN because it is their utmost desire to end the more than 50 years CPP-NPA-NDF insurgency. This had caused deaths of Tens of Thousand soldiers, who had left behind thousands of grieving widows and orphans.
Our hope, while in the active service, [is] that the communist insurgency movement end in the country. And NTF-ELCAC is the holistic strategy to totally defeat the CPP-NPA-NDF movement.
It is significant to us, retired officers and soldiers, the position of the Presidential candidates on NTF ELCAC.
If they are against it, the government might lose the momentum to finally defeat the communist insurgency movement, because the CPP-NPA-NDF would use the peace talks as a strategy to reorganize, rehabilitate and refurbish the weakened NPA armed group nationwide.
On my part in choosing the stand on NTF ELCAC, between a swivel chair, air-conditioned General [or] a Battle-scarred commander, I would prefer the latter.
Hence, my snappy salute to COL ARIEL QUERUBIN, a medal of valor awardee. ###
BGen Joselito Kakilala, (ret)
Former AFP Spokesperson, Commander,
CRSAFP and AFP Office of Strategic Studies
