NDF/NDF-Panay: A massacre and not an encounter took place in Antique

Posted to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines Website (Aug 17): A massacre and not an encounter took place in Antique 

Press Statement
August 15, 2018

NO ENCOUNTER took place at Atabay, San Jose, Antique at midnight on August 15, 2018. It was A MASSACRE planned and executed by the criminal and fascist 301st Bde, 61st IB, Antique PMF and San Jose PNP. More blood is on the hands of the fascist mercenary military and police in Panay.

The brutal massacre of our education and propaganda staff has just reached the office of the CPP and NDF-Panay. They are legitimate personnel of the office of the CPP and NDF in Panay, they are NOT ARMED AND NON-COMBATANTS. They have been conducting researches and investigations concerning the situation of the people in different areas of Panay, not for the purpose of fighting nor to launch tactical offensives but in order to deeply and concretely study the problems and concerns of the masses in the region.

The comrades visited Antique in order to investigate problems brought forward by the people in the province such as demolition, concerns of poor and small fisherfolks, the poverty of workers and sacadas, soaring prices of commodities and expenditures while their income and sources of living decrease and dwindle.

Ka Dudi (Felix Salditos), Ka Ipoy (Eldie Labinghisa), Ka Elton (Peter Mecinas), Ka Liway (Karen Ceralvo) and Ka Mayang (Liezl Bandiola) were veterans and responsible cadres of the Party and the revolution. They gave their ripest and most productive years of their lives to the utmost service to the people and for the advancement of the revolutionary struggle in Panay. It is rather hard to accept that in one fell swoop the revolutionary movement has lost comrades full of ability, talent, intelligence and most assiduous.

Ka Bebe (Jason Talibo) and Ka Jason Sanchez were there to provide technical services to the comrades in order to facilitate their research and study of the conditions of the most backward province in Panay.

The fascist military and police are LIARS, cowards and desperate.

The first lie was that the comrades were allegedly armed and the first to fire. The truth is that the comrades were UNARMED and it was the mercenary troops who fired, sustained their fire and ceased firing when they were sure that all the comrades were dead inside the house.

Most of the blood found were inside the house showing that the comrades were not in firing position but rather the fascist criminals rushed unto the unarmed sleeping comrades and fired upon them.

The second lie was, after nine hours, they showed media and the public the alleged firearms of the people they massacred. The truth is that they planted a few arms (a grenade, a .38 revolver, one KG-9, an M203 grenade but no rifle) that even media has cited that such number could hardly sustain a 30-minute gunfight. Such that at the press conference PRO6’s Supt Bulalacao added an M14 to their planted firearms and the alibi that the one who got away took off with the M203 rifle. However, one can easily see through the yarn.

The third lie was that they intended to serve the warrant of arrest to two comrades. The truth is that their intention was to KILL anyone who was in the house. If their intention was to serve the warrant, why execute it in the middle of the night, under cover of darkness? And to think that 61st IB’s Col and to think that Magbalot and Antique PNP chief Mark Darroca had a hundred men deployed just to capture two personalities.

The fourth lie was the pronouncement of Magbalot and Bulalacao that the comrades were members of RTIG or regional taxation implementing group and were at the place in order to conduct extortion activities. The truth is that the comrades were staff personnel of the CPP and NDF for education, propaganda and research. It is such a bore and a broken record of the oft-repeated enemy claim that the NPA resort to extortion because they are starving. And adding the absurd claim that the NPA was planning to attack the San Jose PNP station.

Duterte’s fascist mercenaries have nothing to brag about in the massacre of unarmed comrades. They should be ashamed of their cowardly and desperate murder of people who could not fight back. This is their retaliation to the military actions of the NPA the past months where the 61st IB and CAFGU suffered casualties. In desperation they pounce upon the unarmed, like the more than 20,000 civilians they have murdered in the name of Tokhang.

True to the orders of their blood-thirsty commander in chief, they have violated with intent and cowardice the rules of war in the Geneva Conventions and CARHRIHL on the prohibition of violence against civilians and unarmed persons. These agreements were signed by the government of the Philippines in 1949, 1977 and the CARHRIHL on August 7, 1998. This just shows the mercenary, cowardly and terrorist orientation of the military and police under their number one terrorist commander.

On the contrary, unlike the fascist troops who conceal their casualties we are proudest to acknowledge and claim Ka Dudi, Ipoy, Elton, Liway, Mayang, Bebe and Jason. We boast of them as among the best sons and daughters of our motherland. We are proud of their productive work and contribution to revolutionary education, propaganda, culture and research. They were smart and diligent comrades who shared their learning and knowledge to the younger generation of revolutionaries. They gave color, music, energy and life to revolutionary propaganda and culture for the exploited and oppressed, for genuine freedom, justice and peace.

Our grief will not end in merely shedding tears. What our revolutionary martyrs would have wanted is to show our grief transformed into courage by bravely raising our fists and shouting out loud to carry on the revolutionary struggle! We salute you beloved comrades!

The blood on the fascists’ hands will never be forgotten.

Concha Araneta
Spokesperson
NDF-Panay
15 August 2018

https://www.ndfp.org/a-massacre-and-not-an-encounter-took-place-in-antique/