ELIZAR Nabas, former Deputy Secretary of the Bohol Party Komite (NPA-BPK) surrendered to the government of Bohol. I got the chance to interview him together with three other interviewers. I highlighted interesting points from this interview in the following transcript, which is a translation of the original Bisaya:
Interviewer 1: I know that your decision is based on a sound principle. What made you change your mind?
Elizar: One is my sentiment with my children. Because of the sacrifices I encountered as an NPA, I don’t want my children to experience what I experienced.
Interviewer 1: But sir, you said for 16 years you had joined the movement. Why did you decide now?
Elizar: The time has not yet arrived.
Interviewer 1: So you mean your decision has something to do with a different administration now?
Elizar: I thought about this for a while. I was no longer active because I wanted to rest. I felt pity for my children. What will be their future? Ever since the father of governor Aris, he already established a brand. The way he calmed the insurgency was not through war, but diplomacy.
Interviewer 1: I appreciate your decision to think about your children. That is why you made this decision. We are hoping that you will be a vehicle to convey your message to others who are still with the movement. Rebellion should not be an option despite the hardship.
Elizar: A true NPA is practical. Because they are practical, they will observe how the government will treat me. If the government treats me well and my children will go to school through its help; if it governs well, they will see it. If they see these, they will surrender. No one wants to go to war.
Interviewer 2: Other people think if your decision entails security issues, if your former comrades know that you have surrendered. Any thoughts about this?
Elizar: Surrendering is a right. No one should infringe on it. I voluntarily surrendered to the government. They should respect my decision. What I am asking is that one who surrenders will not be used in the operation against other NPAs. This is because if one surrenders, his purpose is for peace. But he will not be peaceful if asked to pinpoint other NPAs.
Interviewer 3: Now that you are in the fold of the government which has helped you, how do you see your children in the future?
Elizar: They will have no reason to revolt. They will be professionals with a good life. There is no more reason to support the armed movement.
Interviewer 4: What is your parting message to the young so they will not go against the government?
Elizar: Our situation now is different compared to the time when we were young. In our time, one who strives to get a better would find it hard. Now, one who works hard to get better can already get what he wants. The government now has scholarships.
Interviewer 1: You are saying that poverty was one of the reasons you joined the movement?
Elizar: That is one. Another was my family encountered harassment and threats. Because of this, my mother who was nervous went sick. She transferred to another town to avoid the military. She developed ulcer and died because we didn’t have money to buy the medications. My father went to jail because of kaingin. Those led me to think about rebelling against the government.
Interviewer 1: In that situation, what can you advise to the government to avoid what you experienced?
Elizar: This will not be resolved by war because it will go down to perpetual revenge and hatred. What should be done: just like what the father of the governor and the current governor did. Their way to achieve peace was not through war. They used diplomacy. Because of the record of the Aumentado’s, we trusted them and were convinced.
