Peace adviser: Good peacemaking needs good military intelligence

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos-Deles said “good military intelligence" is essential in carrying out “good peacemaking." Deles mentioned this in a speech delivered on Friday during the launching of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) guidebook on “Human Rights-Based Intelligence Operations: Rules of Behavior and Rules of Engagement." “We need good intelligence to know with whom we are talking with across the negotiating table, to understand their motivations, to be aware of the levels of their organization, to know the range of possible pushes-and-pulls that may be used to gain better outcomes on the table," Deles said. Deles stressed that good military intelligence is important particularly in peace negotiations “to anticipate the possible effects on the ground of agreements made on the table, to imagine the most desirable scenarios to work towards and the worst ones that must be avoided." “Good military intelligence is needed to help ensure that the right building blocks are put into place so that post-conflict situations don’t deteriorate into chaos and new forms of disorder and unpeace," she stated. The peace adviser said that good intelligence work and peacemaking do not involve taking shortcuts to achieve “lasting good to the community at large." Deles added that peace efforts must always be for the common good and welfare of the people, especially the most vulnerable members of the society. She congratulated the AFP for producing a human rights-based intelligence operations guidebook. “The title of the guidebook alone speaks of the milestone changes that are happening within the AFP and the security sector in general in line with President Aquino’s call for reform and national transformation as the nation embarks on the straight and righteous path – and daang matuwid," Deles said. Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chair Loretta Ann Rosales, who was also present during the book launch, said the “book is a timely and relevant effort amid reports of human rights violations in the AFP." While intelligence work is at all times very risky, Deles said it can be a “very positive force if used at the right reasons and right methodology." “Human rights should inform the behavior of each intelligence personnel," Rosales added, emphasizing that human rights-based intelligence work should also focus on the successful prosecution of HR violators. “The CHR is the AFP’s strategic partner in this mission. Our institutional partnership can be served by creating feedback loops between military intelligence personnel and human rights investigators," she stated. The human rights-based intelligence operations guidebook is anchored on the AFP’s new Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) “Bayanihan," which endeavors to “win the peace instead of merely defeating armed threat groups" and calls for a “multi-stakeholder and whole-of-nation approach to attain lasting peace and security." The book launch was also attended by Department of National Defense (DND) Sec. Cesar Garcia, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Ricardo David Jr., and Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence MGen. Francisco Cruz, Jr., among others. – VVP, GMANews.TV