SHOW OF FORCE: Philippine troops followed by snipers marching in an armed forces anniversary parade in Quezon city last Friday. -- PHOTO: AP

In a candid assessment of the fallout from coup attempts and insurgency, the chief-of-staff of the armed forces, General Hermogenes Esperon, who is due to retire in February, said he was making a 'call for urgency' to end both problems.

'We cannot let our troops be demoralised when they see how rogue members attempt to grab power for themselves and topple our democratic way of life,' he told the Manila Overseas Press Club recently.

His comments came a fortnight after 50 members of the armed forces and their civilian supporters commandeered a hotel in Manila's financial district to try to spark a popular uprising against President Gloria Arroyo.

Gen Esperon stressed there were 'no new faces' with links to the military in that incident, and its leaders had been involved in previous mutiny and coup attempts.

President Arroyo has put down three rebellion attempts by renegade elements in the military, which has hardened perceptions that the Philippines is a political tinderbox.

Gen Esperon said: 'In the end, there is not much difference between insurgents and military adventurists: They both seek to destroy our democratic way of life, cloaking their motives with social, economic and political issues.'

As for the communist New People's Army (NPA), recent arrests of some of its commanders had diminished its ability to launch 'quality armed engagements' at a time when its ranks are being thinned.

Gen Esperon said that process is likely to be accelerated by a planned presidential amnesty for NPA fighters.

Terms have yet to be released, though it will likely be tied to livelihood programmes for rebels who turn in their weapons.

In one of Asia's last communist insurgencies, Maoist-inspired NPA rebels have been fighting government forces for almost 40 years.

The conflict has killed around 40,000 people and badly hobbled rural development in parts of the country.

While the NPA has been defeated in many parts of the country, successive governments have failed to eradicate them by military means or to broker peace with the rebels.

Even so, their numbers are dwindling rapidly, according to the military. The latest estimates put the NPA's strength at 6,000 fighters, half its force of six years ago.

The figures project the NPA will be left with around 3,000 fighters by the end of 2009.

Despite the drop, Gen Esperon said: 'While our economy is on an upsurge, the insurgency hinders us from realising our full potential.'

President Arroyo, who is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, has vowed that the NPA will largely be defeated by the time her term ends in 2010.

For Professor Rommel Banlaoi, an expert on the insurgency, that is a tall order. 'There needs to be economic and political solutions to the armed communist rebellion, and that could take years to realise,' he said.

While some NPA fighters may take advantage of the amnesty, he believes the movement's ideologues will continue to find willing recruits among the disaffected in impoverished villages.

He said: 'I certainly do not think the NPA's leadership will accept an amnesty proposal. They believe they are waging a legitimate armed struggle.'

amcindoe@yahoo.com