Communist groups would soon be ‘exterminated’: PCOO chief

Andanar, during the Lions Clubs International (LCI) Multiple District 301 37th anniversary and 38th induction ceremony on Saturday, said that among others, the whole-of-nation approach to address insurgency in the country has been effective in helping the country attain peace. (PCOO file photo)

MANILA — It won’t be long before armed communist conflict will be wiped out, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar said, stressing that the Duterte administration has taken significant strides in addressing insurgency.

Andanar, during the Lions Clubs International (LCI) Multiple District 301 37th anniversary and 38th induction ceremony on Saturday, said that among others, the whole-of-nation approach to address insurgency in the country has been effective in helping the country attain peace.

“The so-called communist groups of the New People’s Army and the National Democratic Front would soon enough be either exterminated or re-introduced into the body politic,” Andanar said, speaking on behalf of the President.

Andanar said the local communist groups’ attempts to overthrow the government are only “fueled by vested financial interests.”

On the other hand, the PCOO chief also cited how the President’s socioeconomic reforms cleansed the bureaucracy from corruption.

Through the Cabinet Officers for Regional Development and Security (CORDS), Andanar said government’s projects in each region are being facilitated and closely monitored by Cabinet executives to ensure their effective, transparent, and swift delivery.

“The past three years have progressed from dysfunctional lethargy towards a landscape of substantial successful changes. We are today an investment field in several areas of productive endeavors: expansive infrastructure, agriculture, technology, culture, tourism, exports, transport, services,” Andanar said.

“A massive reformation and restructuring of our bureaucracy is an intensive work in progressive simultaneous phases within the offices and desks that are prone to corrupt practices,” he added.

Andanar proclaimed that foreign relations have reached “the level of true independence” under the current administration.

He said “the general environment of peace is maintained with comfortable success.”

Andanar, meanwhile, urged Lions Clubs International to rally behind the President for “change and national salvation.”

“Imagine the volume of your Lions’ roars that would resound across the war zones, in the battles against the evils of illegal toxic drugs, corruption, and criminality. He urged you during his inaugural, and urges you again today to join this crusade. Rally behind the President’s battle cry, become a formidable assurance for our people who need to be protected against these pernicious evils,” Andanar said.

“This is a commitment every true-blooded lion must make for the organization, the country, and the people.

It begins and continues as a call and a creed that demands fortitude,” he added.

The LCI is a global service organization founded in 1949, which engages in voluntary community services in various fields, to address humanitarian needs and promote peace. The LCI Multiple Districts 301 currently has 14,729 members from key districts of Makati, Pasay, Paranaque, Calabarzon, Bicol, Marinduque, and Palawan.