CPP/NDF-EV: Rumors over the Abu Sayyaf in EV part of AFP’s conditioning of the public for the Balikatan

National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines Website (May 1): Rumors over the Abu Sayyaf in EV part of AFP’s conditioning of the public for the Balikatan

Fr. Santiago “Ka Sanny” Salas, Spokesperson
NDFP Eastern Visayas (Region VIII)

1 May 2017

The National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas today said the Armed Forces of the Philippines is conditioning the public to uncritically accept the US Balikatan military exercises by saying the Abu Sayyaf is in Eastern Visayas. “The NDF-EV reassures the public the that areas under the People’s Democratic Government and the watch of the New People’s Army have so far found zero presence of the Abu Sayyaf,” said NDF-EV spokesperson Fr. Santiago “Ka Sanny” Salas. “We believe the 8th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army is fabricating and hyping reports saying the ports need to be guarded and the Abu Sayyaf have been sighted in Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and Southern Leyte.

“The said provinces have ever-vigilant revolutionary mass bases and platoons and companies of the New People’s Army, thus the NDF-EV believes the presence of the Abu Sayyaf is highly improbable.”

Fr. Salas also said the only ones who would benefit from talk about the Abu Sayyaf in EV would be the US and the AFP. “These bandits would be incredibly stupid to be in Eastern Visayas where it would be more disadvantageous than advantageous for them in many ways. It would be absurd for the Abu Sayyaf to travel a great distance from its home base in Mindanao toward a region it has never before been, and where the NPA is hostile to and effectively crushes counterrevolutionary and bad elements. Only the US and AFP troops stand to benefit most from keeping the people in a state of fear and uncertainty and thus condition their acceptance of the Balikatan war exercises in the region. Moreover, the Abu Sayyaf is a worn-out bogey for increasing US military intervention and troop presence in the Philippines.

“It serves as the cover story to US meddling in the Balikatan and the ASEAN summit, as well as the burning issues in the internal affairs of the Philippines, especially the NDFP-GRP peace talks and the disputes in the South China Sea related to the US-China inter-imperialist rivalry.”

The NDF-EV spokesperson added the only way the Abu Sayyaf is in the region would be if it is with the AFP. “The US Central Intelligence Agency and the AFP made the Abu Sayyaf in the 1990s to divide the Bangsamoro armed struggle for self-determination. Afterwards, their monster furthered its criminal career into piracy and kidnapping for ransom. But it has long been known the AFP and the Abu Sayyaf remain strange bedfellows. Let us remember the lesson of history about the 8th ID’s very own division commander Gen. Romeo Dominguez in 2001, who was sent to the region from Mindanao because of the raging scandal over his widely believed pay-off by the Abu Sayyaf.

“The NDF-EV thus cautions the people to regard the tale of the Abu Sayyaf in Eastern Visayas as very tall indeed. They must expose and oppose this and other sideshows to the trampling of national soveignty and independence through the Balikatan. They must strengthen their anti-imperialist solidarity, assert national sovereignty and independence, stand for the NDFP-GRP peace talks against the sabotage of the US imperialist and its stooges, and march against the Balikatan to demand the ending of US military intervention in the Philippines.”

https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statements/20170501-rumors-over-the-abu-sayyaf-in-ev-part-of-afps-conditioning-of-the-public-for-the-balikatan