(Eagle News) — The Philippine National Police has launched the Global Coalition of Lingkod Bayan Advocacy Support Groups and Force Multipliers as part of its efforts to intensify the campaign against the country’s long-lasting communist insurgency.
Participating in the launch, the PNP said, were 11 international and local organizations: Kabataan Kontra Droga At Terorismo (KKDAT), National Coalition of Information Technology Advocates for Change (NCITAC), Joint Industrial Peace Concerns Office/Alliance for Industrial Peace Program (JIPCO/AIPP), KALIGKASAN, International And Local Help Desk, Global Peace Community Relations, Anti-Crime Community and Emergency Response Team (ACCERT), Association of Chiefs of Police of the Philippines Inc.; Affiliated NGOs (ACPPIAN), Foreign National Keepers Network (FNKN), Project JUANA, among others.
In launching the initiative, Eleazar noted that the use of firepower alone was “not the ultimate solution to end this problem.”
“What is needed is to present a better ideology to deny them the opportunity to recruit and eventually win the hearts and mind not only of the members of the CPP-NPA but also of those who are included in their support system in the grassroots,” Eleazar said.
The PNP said the coalition was capable of “providing proactive leadership, direction and guidance to all government and multi-sectoral efforts aimed at helping build a strong collaborative partnership with the community in support to the ongoing campaign” not only against the communist insurgency but also in the campaign against illegal drugs, extremist terrorism and in disaster mitigation.
According to Eleazar, these strategic measures, along with other projects and programs meant to improve the lives of the Filipino people, are proof of the whole-of-government approach.
President Rodrigo Duterte was keynote speaker at the launch of the coalition in Camp Crame.
Also present during the activity were Interior Secretary Eduardo Aňo, Senator Bong Go, Chief Implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19 Carlito Galvez, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon and Technical Education Skills and Development Authority director-general Isidro S Lapeña.