Facebook activism means fewer rebels - govt negotiator

Philippine leftist rebels find themselves painted into a corner of dwindling recruitment as youths in search of identity now choose to vent online rather than take up arms against the state, according to the government's chief peace negotiator Alex Padilla. Padilla credits the Internet with helping to steer university students away from the insurgents, claiming that the insurgents are now forced to fill their ranks with unschooled dropouts. Convinced that the rebels would sign a peace settlement within 18 months, President Benigno Aquino resumed peace talks with the National Democratic Front (NDF) in Norway this year. "There has been a dearth of youthful ideologues actually being brought up. They have been unable to harness their proteges among the younger groups," Padilla said, noting that most rebels leaders are over 70. "They are now recruiting not students from the university as before but out-of-school youth," said Padilla, who put the rebels' popular support at no more than three million out of the national population of about 94 million. Padilla claimed that the youth’s rising fascination with the Internet and its social networking sites has cut into possible youth forays into Maoist doctrine. "I think Facebook has played a role because I think the interests of the youth now are far different from (those of) 30 years ago, when there were less avenues for engaging other people." Left on its own, spurned by youth preoccupied with cyber-pursuits, and shunted aside by continued national economic growth, the 42-year-old rebellion will eventually die a natural death, Padilla said in an Armed Forces of the Philippines press release. With an eye towards the prevention of further bloodletting, the government believes that the process is best served by redoubled efforts at negotiating lasting peace. Military statistics show that the insurgency still claims hundreds of lives every year. "There is reason to hope for a possible end, but at the same time we are realistic," Padilla said. After 24 years of on-again-off-again peace talks, Padilla said that they are giving themselves three years to sign a peace agreement with the recalcitrant rebels. "If we are unable to meet this time frame we don't want to negotiate for another 24 years," he said. — HS/TJD, GMA News