San Fernando City, La Union (10 October) -- The recent attack by the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels on a priority government airport project in Silay City in the Province of Negros Oriental after its Japanese and South Korean contractors refused rebels’ demand for “protection money”, has once more exposed the true color of the NPA as gangster and economic saboteurs who are number one barriers to growth and progress especially in rural and underdeveloped areas of the country.

Another report from Mindanao yesterday said that suspected NPA members also torched in Mati, Davao Oriental a cellphone tower owned by Globe Communications , their favorite target.

The NPA likes to attack soft targets owned by those who refuse to give in to their favorite fund-raising activity: extortion.

Is this how communist rebels intend to help the poor? The under construction international airport attacked by the NPA is one of the major infrastructure commitments of President Arroyo in her SONA, intended to boost trade, tourism and economic development in Western Visayas. The P5-Billion project is funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and subcontracted to a Korean Company.

Former communist leader and now head of the Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy, Pastor Alcover, Jr. condemned the attacks as he said, “how can these communists claim to protect the poor and complain noisily about human rights violations, when they are the very same elements who are victimizing the under privileged and are prime violators of human rights?”

Actually, “its insurgency that breeds poverty and not vice-versa, “Alcover added.

As the administration vehemently condemns the latest act of terrorism which clearly justifies the Government’s strong and relentless campaign against the NPA, the public is urged to cooperate as terror acts will only affect the economy negatively and embolden political destabilization that will hurt the country and destroy the gains that has already been achieved.

The editorial of the recent Philippine Star issue aptly described the NPA as, “a communist movement in this country is not an insurgency but the largest armed criminal organization, supported by duplicatous politicians who are using taxpayers’ money to hold back development and prevent security forces from doing their job. This crime organization is led by people who are begging the world’s most liberal country for lifetime welfare privileges and asylum. They cannot be expected to care if the country they do no longer call their own is destroyed by their hooligans.”

The continued threat of these terrorists should move legislators to swiftly act on the pending anti-terror bill as this will complement and greatly augment the Government’s unrelenting anti-terrorism campaign.