CPP/NDF: Worsening crisis, a favorable condition to revolt to achieve genuine peace and development

Posted to the CPP Website (Jan 18): Worsening crisis, a favorable condition to revolt to achieve genuine peace and development

Frank Fernandez
Spokesperson
NDF Negros Island Chapter

At the onset of 2008 until now, the CENTCOM-AFP Visayas and the 3rd ID Phil Army has made Negros a priority area for their counter-revolutionary campaign. If we are to base on their press statements and media interviews on their political and military accomplishments, the NPA forces are described to be fast dwindling and the Negros revolutionary movement as weakening. However the truth speaks otherwise because every year the revolutionary forces accumulate strength. Furthermore every year, more and more AFP and PNP troops including the para-military are added for deployment in Negros. In the midst of the militarization of the countrysides, urban communities, school campuses in Negros island , fascist crimes are also on the rise along with human rights violations committed by members of the reactionary army and police.

The failures of Oplan Bayanihan in suppressing the revolutionary movement is also the same with the failures of Oplan Bantay Laya 1 and 2 of the Macapagal-Arroyo regime, Oplan Makabayan of the Estrada Regime, Oplan Lambat Bitag 1,2,3 and 4 of the Aquino and Ramos regime and Oplan Mamamayan of the Marcos regime. Their repeated failures are not in the forms of the president in power and the changing of “Oplans” of the AFP, but on the essence of the bases and nature of the wars of the AFP and the PNP as pro-imperialists and pro big landlords and compradors and being anti-people, anti development and anti- Peace for the perpetuation of the oppressive semi-colonial and semi-feudal system of the Philippines.

NDF-Negros strongly condemns the combined elements of the intelligence units of the Phil Army and the PNP-Negros Oriental under the operational control of Col. Patrimonio of the 302nd Bde. Phil Army in the arrest of an innocent civilian mistaken to be Filemon Mendres allegedly considered as the number 6 most wanted NPA commander last December 25, 2012 in Brgy Tubod, Manjuyod, Negros Oriental.

Col, Patrimonio and his men including the PNP in Negros should be ashamed when they boast of “big accomplishment” that resulted to the weakening of the revolutionary movement. They should also stop the physical and mental torture of the innocent victim they forced to admit to be “Filemon Mendres”. We challenge Maj. Gen. Jose Mabanta of the 3rd ID Infentry Division, Phil Army to order Col. Patrimonio and the provincial commander of Negros Oriental to immediately release the innocent arrested, make a public apology and penalized the responsible officials of the Phil Army.

The failure of the intelligence units and strike operations of the Phil Army and the PNP is just a result of their desperate acts to recover from their disgrace and demoralization of the Phil Army units under the operational control of the 302nd Brigade, Phil Army. They cannot accept their failures last of the December 13, 2012 encounter between the the combined forces of the Scout Ranger unit and the 11th IB in Sitio Mapaho-paho, San Agustin, Isabela. Despite the superiority of their forces and firepower and training, they were routed by a platoon size guerrilla force of the NPA, that according to the statement of the Leonardo Panaligan Command- Central Negros, enemy forces suffered 3 KIA, 2 missing, more than 4 wounded on the side of the AFP. The NPA confiscated 2 highpowered firearms, excluding 1 that was damaged, and other military logestics. On the part of Col. Patrimonio, beside his share on the P5.5 million bounty for the head of Felimon Mendres, he tried to make a sensational operation in order not to jeopardize his promotion for a higher position on 2013.

Col Patrimonio was more desperate on the latest case of the arrest of an innocent civilian. This only expose the true nature of the AFP and PNP as fascist instruments of the local exploiting class and imperialist power and also depicts the nature of Oplan Bayanihan of the US –Aquino regime which is anti-people, anti-development and anti-Peace.

Cols Patrimonio and Lactao of the 303rd Bde Phil Army and Gov. Alfredo Maranon Jr demonstrate the true image of the ruling state of the big compradors and landlords that is primarily represented by the Aquino regime. After the encounter between the units of the AFP and the NPA, they went to San Agustin, Isabela and further sow fascist terror and psy-war against the people thru CMO related activities. The high officials of the military and civilian government collaborated with one another to cover up their fascist crimes against the indigenous people (tumandok). The fascists insist that they didn’t commit human rights violations despite the insistence of the indigenous people, victims and the local barangay captain on the threats and intimidations , forced labor, torture and illegal arrest of 19 members of the local indigenous people. Later they were force to release 11 of those arrested, however because of the arrogance of the said military officials and the governor , 8 of the arrested innocents remain in jail and were slapped with fabricated cases and perjurious evidences.

The worsening fascist brutality and intensification of the counter revolutionary campaign of the AFP and the PNP is but a reflection of the aggravating crisis of the economic and political of the backward semi-feudal Philippines, that is now being shaken by the policies of the “neo-liberal” and the so called “war against terror” of US imperialism that is obediently followed by President Aquino.
Under the Aquino regime, national patrimony and sovereignty , and all sectors of the economy and market were put under the control and domination of the foreign capitalists in collaboration of the big compradors and landlord and bureaucrat officials to accumulate big profits and kick-backs. If these pests are happy when they say that the economy is improving, this only mean that under the Aquino administration, the imperialist policies were implemented more swiftly to include the economic and political programs for the country.

On the other hand, the concentration of the wealth and resources of the country is now just limited to a few foreign capitalists and local ruling class that resulted to the worsening poverty and hunger of the majority of the people. The unrestricted and aggressive mining operations, agri-business and eco-tourism ventures in the countrysides also aggravate the ejection of national minorities in their ancestral domain and the poor peasants from their land even if they are CLOA holders, fisherfolks have also lost their fishing grounds. Workers are also suffering because of low wages and lack of benefits, more and more laborers are losing their jobs as small and medium enterprises and even the big manufacturing sector close down their operations or were absorbed by bigger business monopolies.

The urban poor cannot escape the cruelty of the “neo-liberal” policy. Local government units (LGU)has forcefully demolished urban poor communities to give way to the business interest of foreign capitalists and their local partners-business groups like the Sy, Ayala, Gokongwei, Pangilinan, Razon, Cojuangco, Lopez, Aboitiz and others. Because of the lack of funds and the big loans of the reactionary government, the payment of loans is pass over to the people thru the collection of all kinds of high taxes. On the other hand the reactionary government condones big capitalists, oil cartels and local big business by collecting only a small percentage on their taxes despite their big profits incurred on the prices of their goods and services that further worsen the sufferings of the people.
In order to diffuse or soften the explosion of the social crisis, the government has become a big labor recruitment agency in order to absorbed a small portion of jobless professionals, skilled and semi-skilled workforce and there is the much bigger percentage of the labor force that is being exported to other countries that need their skills. The reactionary government answers the peasants and national minorities with the 4 Ps program and other “relief only livelihood projects” in coordination with the military offensives of the AFP and PNP in order to terrorize the people not to launch legal or illegal, armed and unarmed mass struggles.

In order to give the big foreign investors a peaceful business environment, the AFP and PNP launch sustained and large military operations against the CPP-NPA and other revolutionary forces in order to crush them according to the schedule of the Aquino government’s Oplan Bayanihan in three years. Alongside with this scheme the Aquino government tries to trick the CPP-NPA and NDFP to enter into a trap by entering into a peacetalk that is based on an unprincipled reactionary constitution of the GRP and also promote localized peace talks that is aimed to weaken and the surrender of the revolutionary forces.

Because the Aquino reactionary government is in no position to solve the basic needs of implementing genuine agrarian reform and nationalist industrialization and in going against the intervention of US imperialism in the internal affairs of the country, the economic and political crisis is bound to worsen even more. This enflames the people’s anger and restiveness against the US-Aquino government and demand for the fundamental changes in Philippine society.

The revolutionary forces in Negros have long been tempered by the valuable lessons from the negative and positive experiences in confronting the brutal and intensified military offensives in 2008-2012. Their revolutionary stand has become firmed and determined to exploit the favorable situation to fulfill the essential requisites in strengthening the revolutionary forces and contribute to the advance of the armed struggle to strategic stalemate, in a just and protracted peoples war and until the victory of the democratic revolution of the people for national freedom and democracy.

http://www.philippinerevolution.net/statements/worsening-crisis-a-favorable-condition-to-revolt-to-achieve-genuine-peace-and-development