ISABELA. In a move tantamount to a declaration of war, President Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday committed billions of pesos in funds to fight the 37-year-old communist insurgency with guns and development projects.

Malacañang officials indicated their timetable called for defeating the insurgency in the “critical areas” in one to two years.

The earlier military timetable for stamping out the insurgency within 10 years was “too long,” Ms Arroyo said in a visit to Isabela province, where she held the first of four meetings with regional leaders to discuss so-called “mega-development plans.”

With revenue surpluses as funding sources, Ms Arroyo committed P1 billion to finance military and police operations against the communist New People’s Army and P75 billion to spark investment and development in the next three years in North Luzon, where the insurgency remains a major headache.

Ms Arroyo said that while the government was determined to carry out its anti-poverty program, “the fight against the Left remains the glue that binds.”

The President announced the steps needed to be taken overcome what her administration considers to be its number one enemy.

“We need to buy and we will buy surplus Hueys and other attack helicopters and control aircraft on soft terms. I am instructing (Budget) Secretary (Rolando) Andaya to release P1 billion to the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to finance operations versus the NPA,” Ms Arroyo said in her opening statement at the first Cabinet and regional development council meeting for the North Luzon Area.

She said she had instructed national security officials to work with the Department of Budget and Management “on selected hardware and fundings aside from the P5 billion per year (for) modernization.”

“That will give [us] a decisive edge against the NPA,” the President said.

“These are investments that will yield peace dividends to the economy,” she declared.

Ms Arroyo slammed the “opposition Left,” for “internationalizing its campaign against the government and using the issue of human rights to “demonize our administration” before the international community.