Byline: JACK TURQUEZA

BANGUED, Abra -- President Arroyo reiterated her administration's commitment to end all types of rebellion in the country before she bows out of office in 2010.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive was elated by a report that the Armed Forces of the Philippines

"I am also happy, and I congratulate our soldiers and the policemen for drastically reducing insurgency in the Cordillera over the years," Arroyo said.

She noted that in the whole Cordillera, there are only six insurgent fronts left, but still having strong influence in 45 barangays.

She said, however, that she was more concerned about a report that Abra accounts for most rebel-infested, greatly influenced barangays in the region.

At the conclusion the other day of a two-day local peace and security assembly (LPSA) held at the provincial capitol here, President Arroyo urged all stakeholders to hold open dialogues and talks in places where everyone could cooperate to attain peace.

"Poverty is the root cause of rebellion. But rebellion also causes more hardship to our people. Insurgency feeds on poverty," the President said.

In the efforts to defeat all forms of rebellion in the country, the Chief Executive announced two approaches. She described her formula as "hard power and soft power."

The hard power is the use of force to end insurgency. This is the military response to the problem.

"We have strengthened the AFP and PNP (Philippine National Police) in order to reach the goal of providing lasting peace and progress in all corners of our archipelago. Under the Philippine Defense Reform Act and the PNP modernization program our soldiers and policemen are now fully prepared to fight the rebels on all fronts," Arroyo said.

She admitted, however, that the government will never win the war against insurgents if it employs military weapons alone. The "soft part of the strategy" can be used to defeat rebellion.

"The most effective way (to win this fight) is for all stakeholders to join forces and unite in all confidence-building measures. This (formula) has been tested as effective in the provinces previously infested with rebels, but which are now progressive," Arroyo said.

The Chief Executive is also open to a proposal of the LPSA on the granting of amnesty to rebels.

"Everybody is welcome," she said. "But to those who do not participate, to those who refuse our overtures (amnesty grant), we have to use the hard power," Arroyo warned.

The President announced that the Department of Budget and Management has allocated R250 million for the social integration program for rebel returnees.

Every rebel returnee who goes back to mainstream society is given money to start a new life.

She said that the mid-term objectives of her administration are food on the table and the granting of livelihood projects to rebel returnees. This is, she said, the soft side of the solution to insurgency.

Meanwhile, the President expressed concern about the spiraling prices of prime commodities. She said the increased prices have been causing strains on poor people, including the indigent residents of this province.

"We aim to prevent these strains on individuals and their families from becoming a crisis by taking decisive actions. On the rice issue, we came out with a three-phase action plan to ensure that rice supply remains stable," she said.

"Sad to say, we have caught several NFA officials conniving with traders, and they converted NFA rice, supposedly for the poor, into the commercial variety which well-off people often buy," she added.