Monday, April 29, 2019

Army claims foiling NPA Labor Day attack in Batangas

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Apr 30, 2019): Army claims foiling NPA Labor Day attack in Batangas

LAGUNA, Philippines – The Philippine Army claimed thwarting a planned attack by the New People’s Army (NPA) in Batangas in time for the Labor Day celebration.

As of Tuesday, government soldiers were still pursuing a band of NPA rebels, who escaped following an encounter in San Juan, Batangas on Monday morning.

The firefight that happened at around 6:30 a.m. in Sitio Maquitib in Barangay Quipot lasted some 20 minutes. During the clash, a soldier was hurt and a female NPA fighter was captured, the military said.


Captain Patrick Jay Retumban, spokesperson of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, on Tuesday, refused to disclose the identity of the captured NPA fighter but disclosed that she is the wife of a certain Jethro, an NPA leader in Batangas.

“She is still undergoing debriefing,” Retumban said in a phone interview.

In a statement, Army officials said the rebels were planning to carry out an act of “atrocity in Batangas as part of the Left’s nationwide coordinated anti-government action” on May 1, based on intelligence gathered prior to Monday’s encounter, said 1st Infantry Battalion commander Lt. Col. Jonathan Manio.

The Army however did not disclose details on the alleged NPA attack or what is the target of the rebel attack.

Soldiers recovered an M653 carbine, a .45 caliber gun, and an improvised explosive device in the encounter site. Manio said additional forces were sent to San Juan to pursue the rebels.

Last week, 11 NPA fighters from Southern Luzon surrendered in Cavinti, Laguna. The government also awarded grants to 20 rebel returnees who surrendered to the military early this year.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1111976/army-claims-foiling-npa-labor-day-attack-in-batangas

Military says it has captured female NPA member after firefight in Batangas

From GMA News (Apr 30, 2019): Military says it has captured female NPA member after firefight in Batangas

A female member of the New People's Army (NPA) was captured by the military in San Juan, Batangas following an encounter on Monday.

Brigadier General Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., commander of the Philippine Army's 202nd Infantry Brigade, on Tuesday said the military operation at Maquitib in Barangay Quipot preempted an atrocity in Region IV-A which the communist rebels were supposedly planning to conduct on May 1, Labor Day.

The military said the female communist could be the wife of alias Jethro who is the leader of the NPA remnants in the province.

According to the military, one soldier was wounded during the 20-minute firefight while "many other terrorists are believed to have died" after the encounter.

Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Manio, commander of the 1st Infantry Battalion, said the operation against the communists was conducted after a reliable source bared that NPA members will cause hostility in Batangas as part of the "left’s nationwide coordinated anti-government actions to commemorate Labor Day."

Security forces were able to recover one M653 rifle, one caliber .45 pistol, improvised explosive device, ammunition, other war materiel as well as documents with high-intelligence value.

Meanwhile, the captured NPA member will undergo custodial debriefing while appropriate charges are being prepared to be filed against her in court.

"The fact that the female NPA member was unharmed is a clear manifestation of your soldiers’ professionalism and adherence to internationally accepted conventions as well as rules of engagements," said Major General Rhoderick Parayno, commander of the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/692826/military-says-it-has-captured-female-npa-member-after-firefight-in-batangas/story/

AFP-CRS: Soldiers, cops, civilians recognized in campaign versus ASG bandits

Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Command (AFP-CRS) Facebook page (Apr 29, 2019): Soldiers, cops, civilians recognized in campaign versus ASG bandits

The Western Mindanao Command has honored 17 soldiers, 2 policemen and 5 civilians for their contribution in the campaign against Abu Sayyaf bandits at JTF-Sulu Headquarters in Camp General Teodulfu Bautista, Busbus, Jolo, Sulu.

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AFP-CRS: Tired of NPA Life

Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Command (AFP-CRS) Facebook page (Apr 29, 2019): Tired of NPA Life

After realizing that a life underground had no future for them, 50 Indigenous People who were former members and supporters of CPP-NPA-NDF brought their firearms and surrendered to 3rd Special Forces Battalion.

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CPP/NDF-EV: The AFP and its master Duterte are a fascist fake news factory spreading counter-revolutionary lies in Eastern Visayas

NDF-Eastern Visayas propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Apr 26, 2019): The AFP and its master Duterte are a fascist fake news factory spreading counter-revolutionary lies in Eastern Visayas

KARLOS MANUEL
NPA-EASTERN VISAYAS (EFREN MARTIRES COMMAND)
NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY
APRIL 28, 2019

The Efren Martires Command of the New People’s Army today exposed the swathe of lies spread by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Duterte regime regarding the NPA in the region, particularly the 9-year old boy in Northern Samar whose death the AFP blamed on Red fighters. “The AFP is indeed a fake news factory churning out lie after lie against perceived enemies of the Durerte regime, as part of the terrorist Rodrigo Duterte’s plot of establishing a fascist dictatorship and consolidate his hold on the reactionary government.”

EMC spokesperson Karlos Manuel cited reports from residents in Brgy. San Miguel that it was a drunk soldier of the 20th Infantry Battalion-Philippine Army who lobbed a grenade into the village and killed Armando Jay Raymunde, 9-years old, last April 17. “And then the AFP spared no expense in their all-out psychological warfare against the NPA by pinning the boy’s death on Red fighters, using public funds to spread this ‘fake news’ through the Philippine News Agency and social media,” added Manuel.

“Such violence is unsurprising as several days after, suspected state agents kill barangay captain Apolinario “Pining” Lebico, who has long called for the pull-out of the troops in their community.”

Manuel further added, “In a vain attempt to cover up their crimes, the AFP methodically spreads counter-revolutionary black propaganda on all fronts, especially through Duterte’s paid trolls on social media.” He warned of a fake Facebook account by the name “Karlos Manuel” which has been misrepresenting the Efren Martires Command and ironically spreading propaganda to dissuade the youth from joining the NPA. “Even the official Facebook account of National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas media officer Roy Santos has been harassed by trolls whose accounts are connected to official pages of the AFP and the Philippine National Police units.

“The Duterte regime has long been in the business of fake news and misrepresentation. Last March, a fake spokesperson of the Sergio Lobina Command gave an interview on Bombo Radyo Tacloban in the aftermath of the Motiong ambush by the NPA. We have reason to believe state agents are behind this imposter.”

Manuel called on the people to unite and expose the vicious lies of the AFP and the US-Duterte regime by promptly reporting through mass media the human rights violations made against them. “The victims must actively spread word of the daily killings, threats, harassments and CARHRIHL violations committed by AFP troops, most recently by the 20th IB in Brgy. San Miguel and 46th IB in Brgy. Beri, Calbiga, Samar. They must encourage all peace-loving people, especially human rights defenders, lawyers, and church people to join the broad united front that will oust the dictator Duterte and end his tyranny and warmongering on the people once and for all,” he ended.#

https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statement/the-afp-and-its-master-duterte-are-a-fascist-fake-news-factory-spreading-counter-revolutionary-lies-in-eastern-visayas/

CPP/NDF-EV: NDF-EV condemns Duterte death squads for murder of two Samar barangay chairpersons, urges the people to stand up and fight for their rights

NDF-Eastern Visayas propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Apr 26, 2019): NDF-EV condemns Duterte death squads for murder of two Samar barangay chairpersons, urges the people to stand up and fight for their rights

FR. SANTIAGO “KA SANNY” SALAS
SPOKESPERSON | NDF-EV
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT OF THE PHILIPPINES
APRIL 27, 2019

The National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas (NDF-EV) today accused the death squads of the Duterte regime as behind the murder of two barangay chairpersons in Western and Northern Samar. It noted that the killings were committed by motorcycle-riding assassins and occurred in areas where the New People’s Army had launched guerrilla offensives.

NDF-EV spokesperson Fr. Santiago “Ka Sanny” Salas said, “Initial reports have reached the People’s Democratic Government that on April 24, assassins on three motorcycles arrived around 9 p.m at Barangay Beri, Calbiga, which was celebrating its fiesta. They proceeded to the house of Barangay Chairperson Wilmar Calutan and shot him dead. It is known that after the April 23 NPA ambush on 46th IB troops, the soldiers had been calling on the barangay chairperson to come to a certain place, but he had refused out of fear for his life. Meanwhile, visitors from other barrios attending the fiesta had been told by soldiers to go away because they will be ‘butchering someone.’

“Meanwhile, riding in tandem assassins shot and killed Barangay Chairperson Apolinario Lebico and his companion who were on their way home to Barangay San Miguel, Las Navas Northern Samar. Two Army soldiers were recently killed in a tactical offensive by the NPA.”

Fr. Salas added that those murdered were local government officials. “The Duterte regime last week convened the National Task Force (NTF) ‘to end insurgency’ wherein the civilian government is compelled to be subordinated under the military’s counterinsurgency” campaign Oplan Kapayapaan. The killings of Calutan and Lebico are meant to send a chilling effect to those perceived as uncooperative with the military, against militarization or else unable to stem the influence of the NPA in their area.”

The NDF-EV spokesperson said the killings violate the CARHRIHL, human rights and international humanitarian law and even the 1987 constitution. “International humanitarian law protects civilians in times of war. Meanwhile, even the 1987 constitution asserts civilian supremacy over the military. Thus, the NTF is certainly an illegal and oppressive instrument.

“The killings also show the Duterte government is intent on dominating the May 13 elections to ensure the winning of his own men as well as allies. Duterte intends to railroad federalism as a vehicle towards an outright fascist dictatorship. If not, Duterte can very well declare martial and install a full-blown fascist dictatorship.”

The NDF-EV spokesperson said the people must stand up and fight for their rights. “The Samar killings portend the worsening of human rights violations, increasingly repressive measures and the rise of a reign of terror such as during the Arroyo regime’s Palparan solution in Samar in 2005. The people must stand up and fight for their rights because this is a matter of democracy against dictatorship and one-man rule. They must persevere in building the broadest unity to isolate and weaken the Duterte regime. Thos who value human rights and a just and lasting peace must unite to stop the Duterte murder machine in its tracks in Samar. The New People’s Army must step up its tactical offensives and punish the worst human rights violators and plunderers. Through armed and unarmed means, the people must unite and struggle against the Duterte regime and onwards to national and social liberation.”#

https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statement/ndf-ev-condemns-duterte-death-squads-for-murder-of-two-samar-barangay-chairpersons-urges-the-people-to-stand-up-and-fight-for-their-rights/

CPP/NPA-Western Samar: On the April 23 ambush by the NPA on the 46th IB

NPA-Western Samar propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Apr 26, 2019): On the April 23 ambush by the NPA on the 46th IB

NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY
NPA-WESTERN SAMAR (ARNULFO ORTIZ COMMAND)
APRIL 26, 2019

The Arnulfo Ortiz Command of the New People’s Army in Western Samar successfully ambushed a unit of the Charlie Company under the 46th IB of the Philippine Army last April 23 in Calbiga town. The soldiers were patrolling before returning to Barangay Buluan when they were hit with a command detonated explosive at around 3:40 a.m. between Barangay Beri and Barangay Buluan. Six enemy soldiers were immediately killed in action while nine others were wounded in action. The NPA confiscated a K3 light machine gun, one R4 rifle, one .45 pistol, 500 bullets and three box magazines for the K3, other military equipment and documents of high intelligence value.

The tactical offensive is the NPA’s response to the many complaints made by the peasant masses over the military’s so-called peace and development team (PDT) operations that are essentially combat-intelligence-psywar operations. These include violations made only these April, such as illegal searches of the peasants’ houses, threats and Red-tagging of innocent civilians, encamping inside the barrios, and investigating and accusing civilians of being NPA supporters.

https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statement/on-the-april-23-ambush-by-the-npa-on-the-46th-ib/

NDF/Sison: On the May 13, 2019 elections in the Philippines

Jose Maria Sison interview posted to the National Democratic Front Philippines (NDFP or NDF) Website (Apr 30, 2019): On the May 13, 2019 elections in the Philippines

Interview with Prof Jose Maria Sison
NDFP Chief Political Consultant

RM 1: The senatorial race in the May 13, 2019 elections in the Philippines is of crucial importance because if Duterte’s candidates in Hugpong ng Pagbabago and PDP-Laban win in an overwhelming way, Duterte will have complete control of the government and will have two-thirds vote in the Senate to push his federalism project. What are the chances of Duterte’s candidates and the opposition candidates in Otso Deretso, Labor Win, Makabayan, People’s Choice and Catholic Vote?


People crowd at a school entrance yard to vote -Photo: REUTERS

JMS: If the elections are clean and honest, the senatorial candidates of Duterte will surely lose because they are discredited by their own gross crimes as well as by those of the Duterte regime.

Many of the candidates are notorious plunderers like Marcos, Estrada, Revilla, Enrile and Bong Go and butchers like Enrile as martial law administrator of Marcos and Bato de la Rosa as the chief butcher in the infamous Oplan Tokhang. The Duterte slate stinks because of the shady track record of the candidates. It is so bad in contrast to the clean and brilliant record of the opposition candidates.

The broad masses of the people detest the Duterte regime for the soaring prices of basic commodities and the rise of mass unemployment and poverty. The Duterte candidates are seen as stooges of a tyrant, puppet of China, mass murderer, supreme protector of drug lords, plunderer, incorrigible liar, antagonist of the Christian churches and women and generator of inflation.

RM 2: Because he will surely lose in the senatorial race in the elections if these would be clean and honest, what do we expect from Duterte? Will he rig the elections? Why?

JMS: Duterte has total control of the Commission on Elections and the military and police personnel who will be deputized for election duties, especially in Mindanao, which is under martial law, and in the other areas designated as trouble spots by the Comelec, the military and the police.

Duterte is well-known to have a sly criminal mind. He will certainly use his power over the Comelec and the armed services to rig the elections, especially because he wants to increase his despotic powers and prolong his stay in power by railroading charter change to a bogus federalism.

He is mortally afraid that the moment he steps down from power, he is liable for criminal prosecution by the International Criminal Court and for punitive actions by the Filipino people and their revolutionary forces. Thus, he is driven like crazy to prolong his stay in power and gain more powers to oppress and exploit the people.

Even before the elections, the rigging has started. The whole of Mindanao and the so-called trouble spots are already under martial rule, the public school teachers and people from various walks of life are being red-tagged for the purpose of mass intimidation and extrajudicial killings. Opposition candidates are at a huge disadvantage.

RM 3: In view of Duterte’s control of Comelec and the armed services to be deputized for the elections and his determination to rig the elections because of his fear of prosecution, why should the opposition candidates still run for the Senate?

JMS: They need to run in order to arouse, organize and mobilize the people for realizing the real majority vote and, when and if elections prove to be rigged, there will be clear ground for the people to take offense and rise up to oust Duterte in the same manner that they rose up after Marcos cheated in the 1986 elections.

Remember that before the 1986 elections there were the huge electoral rallies of the Aquino slate and the mass protest actions of BAYAN. These forces eventually conjoined with the mass following of the Catholic and other Christian churches and those military and police officers who turned against Marcos in order to oust him after he cheated in the elections.

RM 4: Duterte has excelled at fabricating poll surveys and fake news, dominating the print and electronic media with paid ads and payola for broadcasters and columnists and most important of all Duterte has succeeded in causing mass intimidation through red-tagging and mass murders in Oplan Tokhang and Oplan Kapayapaan in the short span of three years.

In the case of Marcos, he had stimulated and collected the people’s wrath for at least 14 years before he could be ousted. Under these circumstances, are the opposition forces strengthening themselves and building a broad united front in order to make huge rallies before election day and then to oust Duterte after he cheats in May?

JMS: I presume that the opposition forces are doing their best in order to strengthen themselves and to build a broad united front. There are less than two weeks before May 13 for the opposition to show the huge electoral rallies of the opposition candidates as well as the protest rallies of the progressive organizations. We hope these will still arise before election day.

But even if these do not materialize, it is still important for the opposition to do the best possible now so that in the long run when Duterte continues to abuse the people and violate their national and democratic rights, and to amass power and wealth, the people would be in a position to rise up with the intensity and magnitude of mass actions against Marcos in 1986.

There are certain factors that can run counter to the building of the broad united front. The climate of mass intimidation due to widespread red-tagging and actual murders of social activists might have a dampening effect on certain sections of the population.

There are also anti-Duterte reactionaries who are at the same time more anticommunist and more pro-imperialist than they are anti-Duterte. These are the same elements that would be vulnerable to Duterte’s false assurances that he would step down in 2022 or as soon as his bogus federalism is ratified.

RM 5: Of course, it is well-known that you do not depend entirely on elections and legal mass actions within the ruling system, especially because rascals like Duterte have overwhelming advantages in terms of power and control over the armed forces and most owners of mass media. In the meantime, what can the people do to assert themselves against an imminent rise of outright fascist dictatorship?

JMS: The people should never give up the legal mass struggles no matter how much are the mass intimidation, red-tagging and actual murders committed by the Duterte regime against them. By asserting and exerting their democratic rights to speak out and assemble and to create the broadest possible united front, the people themselves make it counterproductive for Duterte to insist on his regime of tyranny, treason, mass murder and plunder.

In the meantime, while all efforts are being exerted to develop the legal democratic struggle against the Duterte regime, the revolutionary forces of the Filipino people are also developing and advancing the people’s democratic revolution through protracted people’s war. If Duterte rigs the elections, he will certainly use his fake electoral victory to suppress the people further and try to go on a killing rampage against the national and democratic forces.

But the revolutionary forces of the people are invincible because their cause is just. They are deeply rooted among the toiling masses nationwide and can at will launch tactical offensives by surprise against the weakest points of the counterrevolutionary regime. As Duterte brutally attacks the legal democratic forces, he unwittingly incites the mass activists to join the armed revolution as Marcos did previously in the 1970s and 1980s. The growth of the armed revolution is the surest guarantee that the people’s resistance will continue and the Duterte regime will come to an end.###

https://www.ndfp.org/on-the-may-13-2019-elections-in-the-philippines/

MILF: P100K Goodwill Cash, livelihood will be given to each decommissioned MILF fighter

Posted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Website (Apr 28, 2019): P100K Goodwill Cash, livelihood will be given to each decommissioned MILF fighter


Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao—Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Thursday that the government will need P1.2 billion as “goodwill” cash aid to some 12,000 combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who will be decommissioned as part of the normalization process in areas under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

In a report posted online by Mindanao Inquirer, Galvez said that each decommissioned MILF fighter would be receiving P100,000 in cash once the foreign-led Independent Decommissioning Body (IDB) had validated their identities.

Galvez also told the Inquirer in a text message that, “There is no provision in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro [CAB] that surrendered firearms will be remunerated but as a goodwill of the government … the immediate cash of P25,000 and initial livelihood cash support of P75,000 will be given [to each decommissioned MILF member].”

He said the fund would be sourced from the 2019 budget of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, now known as Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity or OPAPRU.

Scholarships and skills training would also be provided to the decommissioned MILF fighters and their families to help them become competitive and productive members of mainstream society, Galvez added.

Under the Annex on Normalization of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the decommissioning of MILF fighters and the surrender of their weapons were spelled out by phase but subject to the conditions set forth in the peace agreement.

The peace agreement provides for a political track, which was completed with the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law and the creation of the BARMM; and the normalization track, which includes the dismantling of private armed groups, as well as the transformation of several MILF camps into “progressive and resilient communities,” the Mindanao Inquirer report said.

http://www.luwaran.com/news/article/1788/p100k-goodwill-cash--livelihood-will-be-given-to-each-decommissioned-milf-fighter

Troops sent to defuse tension in Sultan Kudarat barangay

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Apr 28, 2019): Troops sent to defuse tension in Sultan Kudarat barangay

PALIMBANG, Sultan Kudarat – Security forces have been dispatched to secure Barangay Molon here following reports that the village is being terrorized by a private armed group led by a former village chairman.



Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat (WIKIPEDIA / MANILA BULLETIN)

Vice Mayor Amil Pangansayan said Mayor Haron Sabiwang had dispatched policemen and Marines to the village whose residents had been terrified by the atrocities committed by the group led by former barangay chairman Kalid Kalaing, reportedly a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Molon Barangay Chairman Salik Adam said Kalaing’s group was responsible for the killing of 15-year-old Mojahid Sangayin who was waylaid by the suspects at the boundary of Molon and Barangay Ned Lake Sebu last month.

The group was also blamed for the attack on a detachment of militiamen in the village early this month.

Adam said the group, numbering at least 20, was also responsible for a spate of robberies and looting incidents in the village.

The village officials had asked the MILF-Coordinating Committee for the Cessation of Hostilities to defuse the tension in the area which had displaced hundreds of villagers.

The Maoist Guerrillas of the Philippines Are Now Pointing Their Guns at China

From The News Lens (Apr 29. 2019): The Maoist Guerrillas of the Philippines Are Now Pointing Their Guns at China

The Maoist Guerrillas of the Philippines Are Now Pointing Their Guns at China


Why you need to know

The New People's Army and affiliated communist groups in the Philippines have no love for the modern-day Chinese Communist Party.


Filipino communist guerrillas of the New People’s Army (NPA) have been around for five decades, a feat that was marked with the group’s 50th anniversary March 29. The date itself mirrors the founding of the HUKBALAHAP, the old guerrilla army that confronted the Japanese occupation of the country during World War II. The new iteration of freedom fighters have identified an additional enemy: Chinese encroachment.

The NPA is led by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), whose ideological standpoint is firmly Marxist-Leninist-Maoist. Maoist China had a more lasting impact on the modern generation of activists from the 1970s. Many had gone to China to see first-hand the socialist practices at work. Edgar Jopson, a key figure of the anti-martial law uprisings of the 1970s, was one such individual enamored with what he saw in Beijing which contributed to him adopting communist ideals and subsequently joining the NPA.

Nowadays, it seems the guerrillas have their guns firmly pointed at China – along with President Rodrigo Duterte’s government whom, they say, is collaborating with Beijing by giving up territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea while allowing a massive influx of Chinese businesses and workers. The rebels say he not only bows down to U.S. imperialist interests but now to Chinese territory grabbing and interventionism.


Credit: Reuters / TPGPhilippines President Rodrigo Duterte (R) welcomes Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a state visit to Manila in December 2018.

It may seem hard to imagine how a group founded on something so closely identified with China now bears a desire to repel any Chinese incursions. To them and for many others, China has come a long way from the beacon of working-class socialism it once portrayed itself as to the world.

‘Capitalist roaders’

Professor Sarah Raymundo of the Center for International Studies at the University of the Philippines says that China owes much of its current superpower status to the socialist principles it demonstrated during the era of Mao Zedong. At the same time, its military and economic encroachment in the Asia-Pacific especially region betrays its ‘proletarian’ ethics of serving the oppressed.

“If it were not for the period in which the socialist revolution in China was able to establish independence and assert the right to self-determination from imperialist incursions, it would have not been the economic giant or the imperialist that it is now,” Raymundo told The News Lens.

But was this the intention of Mao all along? To shape the already enormous country into a political juggernaut for the region, exporting not only its goods and services but its doctrines as well? Raymundo argues that there is a fundamental divergence from Maoism in China that has been going on for decades, signified in many ways by the tragic Tiannamen Square massacre in 1989.

“The Tiannamen Square massacre was a student-led protest movement against the Communist Party of China that had by that time embraced capitalism and the state fascism that goes with it. They were protesting the betrayal of communism. They were against the forced capitalist opening up of the global economy that will not benefit the majority.”

She harkens back to Mao’s identification of “capitalist roaders” in the Chinese Communist Party during the Cultural Revolution. These were individuals in key positions who, intentionally or unwittingly, made steps for a return to the capitalist model even while retaining a proletarian moniker.

“The Communist Party was sabotaged from within by capitalist roaders. Thus, what was developed during the revolution – independent and self-determining economy, a capacitated and huge labor force, conditions for industrialization, among others – were then diverted and offered to the altar of capitalism.”

This is a particular kind of capitalism whose aggression she noted is well on its way towards militarism versus its neighboring countries as is often seen throughout history.

Recently, former President and now Speaker of the House Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo reiterated her position to “welcome without restriction” the influx of Chinese investments.

At the same time, Filipinos have felt cheated by the massive inflow of the Chinese workers into the job economy while many are either struggling domestically or looking abroad for opportunities. Duterte had already submitted that Chinese nationals should be left free to work here, even if their numbers are so high, almost nearing the population of Filipino migrants in Hong Kong and China.

It makes sense, then, why the NPA would observe Maoist thought while wholly rejecting China and its close ties with the Philippine government. This was fundamentally a different framework of a nation and ideology that had taught them so much.


Credit: AP / TPGMembers of various revolutionary organizations under the banner of the Communist Party of the Philippines mark the 48th anniversary of the New People's Army on March 29, 2017.

No signs of stopping

At the turn of the new year, all ceasefires and intentions for peace negotiations between the revolutionaries and the Philippine government had gone up in smoke. The Armed Forces of the Philippines, or AFP, chided the NPA’s 50 years as a “total failure.” They said that in the last year alone, 11,000 guerrilla fighters had surrendered and re-integrated into society after becoming disillusioned with the struggle and seeing the error of their ways.

Last month, former AFP General and now secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government Eduardo Ano declared that the CPP-NPA will be crushed within two years. This came after Duterte had terminated the appointment of any new peace negotiators, effectively putting another nail in the coffin for any talks between the two parties to resume.

Maybelle Guerrero, an NPA combatant who also works with the CPP’s information bureau, hit back at the AFP’s belittlement of their struggle. She said: “Failure is not being able to resolve 50 years of legitimate demands, 50 years of reasons for continuing a revolutionary war and 50 years of bigotry, fascism and ignorance towards the grievances of the masses.”

According to Guerrero, the main goals of the CPP-NPA still are relatively unchanged after 50 years of struggle. They maintain that their mission still rings true for the country’s oppressed. “The NPA remains geared towards developing the people's war from the current middle phase of the strategic defensive to the advanced phase, by waging extensive and intensive guerrilla warfare, mobilizing and arming the masses in their numbers, carrying out widespread land reform and building the units of the people's government across the nation,” Guerrero said.

On the question of China’s involvement, she said: “It is unfortunate that the government’s friendship with China serves as an additional burden for ordinary Filipinos. However, at the same time, we stand ready to receive the inevitable increase in the ranks of people who have lost faith in the exploitative system of Philippine society and seek the revolution as their new home.”

The involvement of foreign superpowers in the domestic counter-insurgency frameworks of the military is not something new, according to Guerrero. While, at the moment, they have not seen any direct indication of China doing this, the United States has long been a proponent of developing military strategies and methods for the AFP.

“We have long foreseen the possibility that U.S. troops will be increasingly involved in counter-guerrilla ground operations,” Guerrero said. “Their advisers have long been stationed in AFP camps, often directing operations and handling drone surveillance. Special units of the AFP such as the Light Reaction Regimen and the 1st Brigade Combat Team are under direct operational control (OpCon) of the U.S. military.”

Boldly, she also declares that given a situation of “all-out involvement” in suppressing the Filipino struggle or invading the country, the NPA stands ready to “mount a strong national war” – whether it involve the aggression of the U.S. or the relative new dominion of China.

Brown like Mao

The NPA often marks its anniversary by celebrating in the countryside with locals who are supportive or, at the very least, curious about them. In addition, supporters from different backgrounds, young and old, rich and poor would flock to the guerrilla zones to express solidarity. Sometimes, attendees may come as guests but end up deciding to stay as part of the regular guerrilla army right then and there.

Joseph, a young man in his mid-20s whose name has been changed to protect his identity, is one such person who seems intent on a one-way ticket to the rebel territories. Joseph comes from a low-income family and was able to study in a university but did not finish. He says that growing up, his entire family never saw the NPA as terrorists or bandits. “Yes, they had dangerous occupations, but it was always somehow the military who brought the most danger to our town,” he recalls. “The NPAs were usually just very polite and humble, or ready to help out if you asked. Rarely did we see [or] notice anything unsavory.”

It will be Joseph’s first time to celebrate the NPA anniversary with the guerrillas themselves, and he has no plans of going any time soon.


Credit: Reuters / TPGMembers of the New People's Army march during graduation from their military training in their jungle hideout in Lianga, Mindanao in March 2004.

Joseph had brought his sentiments from his childhood and has since become more politicized from his teenage years. “It seems like there aren’t many ways for people to rid themselves of the bondage of Philippine society but to wage revolution,” he says. “Many Filipinos are willing to help each other out through churches, charities or others but ultimately, the country’s fate will be decided by a people’s war.”

Like many young people throughout the history of left-wing movements in the Philippines, he himself has become familiar with the teachings of Mao Zedong, most notably the principle of “serve the people.” This, to him, is the essence of revolutionary struggles should boil down to.

Within the guerrilla army, Guerrero explains that “Maoism is part of the everyday life. The NPA's ‘3-8’ or ‘Three Main Rules of Discipline’ and ‘Eight Points of Attention,’ largely drawn from Mao's teachings, are our standard of proper conduct within the army and in its relations with the masses. It is a Maoist hallmark that the NPA is inextricably linked with the masses as they follow the mass line principle of relying on and trusting the masses as the shapers of history. Every day or as often as we can, NPA fighters conduct CSC or criticism and self-criticism sessions, which is also a characteristic Maoist practice.”

The NPA has been known to openly attack various types of corporate endeavors – mining and logging activities, for example – that may impinge on the guerrilla areas or be destructive towards nearby villages. It seems that if Chinese influence and economic aspirations in the country grows, they will have to contend with the likes of Joseph, Maybelle and thousands more – the newer Philippine Red Guards who adhere to Maoist thought, not to the man or the country he hailed from.

SOLCOM: From a Better Perspective, a Better Future.

Posted to the Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM) Facebook page (Apr 25, 2019): From a Better Perspective, a Better Future.

In a gesture of trust, Dumagat Tribal Chieftains witnessed the return to the mainstream society of eleven members of their tribes who were deceived by the CPP NPA NDF into joining their fifty year old "revolution".

The returnee were received through a simple ceremony by the commanders of SOLCOM, LTGEN GILBERT I GAPAY AFP, 2ID MGEN RHODERICK M PARAYNO AFP and RD PRO4A PBGEN EDWARD E CARRANZA PNP.

The ceremony, which was also the culmination of Indigenous People Summit as part of the Regional Task Force to End Local Communists Armed Conflict RTFELCAC of the 202nd Infantry Brigade under BGEN ARNULFO MARCELO M BURGOS JR AFP, also witnessed the awarding of government initial grants worth Php 65,000.00 each to 20 former rebels enrolled in the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) by USec Reynaldo B Mapagu, Chairman of Task Force Balik Loob DND.

The Dumagat Tribal Chieftains acknowledged the efforts of the government in truly helping indigenous people. The Summit gave the twenty three Tribal Leaders better perspectives on the real situation of their ancestral lands and their people. They were able to see, aboard military helicopters and through the presentations and consultations, a bigger and better perspective of their lands, the government projects and other projects and activities inside and immediate vicinities that is affecting their lives. The experience made them realized that all the agitations from the lies and deceptions of the CPP NPA NDF are just meant to deceive their people into joining the terrorists. A mistake which had brought more pain, deaths and destruction to their tribes.

The Oath of Allegiance by the recent returnees was administered by Sec Jose Maria Nicomedes F Hernandez, the Chairman RTF ELCAC and the Presidential Adviser for Southern Tagalog. He emphasized on his remarks the importance of convergence in attaining the goal of ending local communist insurgency.

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SOLCOM: Indigenous People Go Airborne Over Ancestral Lands

Posted to the Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM) Facebook page (Apr 25, 2019): Indigenous People Go Airborne Over Ancestral Lands

PRESS RELEASE (edited)

Authenticated by: CPT PATRICK JAY M RETUMBAN (INF) PA
Chief, 2DPAO, 2ID, PA
Date: April 24, 2019

Indigenous People Goes Airborne Over Ancestral Lands

In an effort to present wider and better perspectives, Twenty-three tribal leaders of Quezon Province’s Dumagat Tribe flew over their ancestral lands using military helicopters on Tuesday.

The activity was part of the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF ELCAC) 4A’s Indigenous People’s Summit by the Army’s 202nd Infantry Brigade to present them the actual situation in order to insulate the Dumagat Tribe from NPA terrorists who uses half-truths for deception and manipulation that leads to misplaced agitations.

According to Solomon Borres, one of the chieftains who attended the summit, the chieftains felt assured that the integrity of their domain’s natural resources is being preserved despite the ongoing development programs in their locality. A far truth from what the legal fronts of the CPP NPA NDF are saying.

During the closing ceremony of the IP Summit held on Wednesday at Cavinti, Laguna, the Tribal Chieftains witnessed the surrender of eleven NPA fighters who turned-over three firearms to the Commanders of the AFP’s Southern Luzon Command and 2nd Infantry Division as well as the Regional Director of Police Regional Office 4A.

It was followed by the awarding of government grants worth Php65,000.00 each – the first of the more than Php700,000.00 worth of benefits – to 20 former rebels who were enrolled by the military in the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).

In his remarks, Brigadier General Arnulfo Marcelo B Burgos Jr, the military commander who has operational jurisdiction over Region 4A, said that since the maiden implementation of E-CLIP in Luzon and Visayas last August 14, 2018 wherein 13 former NPAs were formally welcomed to mainstream society by Sec Eduardo Año and Sec Delfin Lorenzana during a ceremony in Tanauan City, Batangas, “a total of 111 former NPA fighters and supporters have turned-over 62 firearms to the government, a clear indication that the government is winning the campaign against insurgency” in this part of the country.

On March 29, the during the communist terrorists 50th founding anniversary, 45 Dumagat rebels returned to mainstream society turning over 25 firearms to joint PNP and AFP forces.

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NOLCOM: NOLCOM inspects ongoing construction of fisherman's shelter project in Mavulis Island, Batanes

Posted to the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) Facebook page (Apr 24, 2019): NOLCOM inspects ongoing construction of fisherman's shelter project in Mavulis Island, Batanes

PRESS RELEASE
Authenticated by: MAJ ERICSON C BULOSAN (INF) PA
Chief, Public Information Office, NOLCOM, AFP

Date: April 25, 2019


NOLCOM INSPECTS ONGOING CONSTRUCTION OF FISHERMAN’S SHELTER PROJECT IN MAVULIS ISLAND, BATANES

Camp Aquino, Tarlac City – Troops of the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) inspected Thursday, April 19, 2019 the ongoing construction of a one-storey fisherman’s shelter in the northernmost uninhabited island of Batanes.

NOLCOM Commander Lieutenant General Emmanuel Salamat said that this project aims to provide shelter for local fishermen in the area and establish partnership contributing to the well-being and protection of our fisherfolks as well as the protection of our marine resources in the area.

“Turning this project into a reality is not easy particularly in dealing natural obstacles, from the coordination and the ship-to-shore unloading of materials but through the commitment and dedication of our troops together with our stakeholders, we would be able to establish this facility for our local fishermen,” he shared.

The construction of the project started last year wherein, the Armed Forces and other volunteers experienced difficult execution of tasks due to inclement weather and distance of the island to Itbayat’s main island.

But this year, NOLCOM in partnership with the local government and other partners from private sector are keen to complete and unlock the achievement of the project.

As of now, Engineering units from the Army and Navy including Marines are deployed in Mavulis Island to construct and finish the said facility.

According to the Naval Combat Engineering Brigade and 522 Philippine Army Engineering Brigade, the shelter is to be finished on May 17, 2019.

Once completed, it will feature one barracks-type common room that can accommodate 16 persons, Dining Area, Kitchen, Living room or Lounge and Comfort Room.

In an interview, Philippine Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade Jec Palomado shared that the facility is with electrical connections and in addition, One Meralco will install solar power for the facility.

“It will also have some appliances and other amenities that will depend on the provision of our stakeholders,” Palomado said.

“We also have this dual purpose area that might be used as fish dryer or helipad for much better transportation,” he added.

Furthermore, to provide a concrete guide for the fishermen, the Philippine Coast Guard installed a lighthouse in the island that has self-contained solar constructed on June 2017.

The fisherman’s shelter facility will also serve as a safe haven for our fisherfolks, especially during bad weather.

NOLCOM extends gratitude and recognizes the active participation of the local government and community of Batanes and other stakeholders for their significant contribution in maritime protection as well as extending support to the fishermen.

The Command started its maritime awareness and initiatives on Mavulis Island in 2016 when it hoisted a Philippine flag to proclaim sovereignty. They also assured to continue to do its mandate of protecting the people and securing the national territory within its area of operation.



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WESCOM: WESCOM Commander awards medals

Posted to the Western Command (WESCOM) Facebook page (Apr 29, 2019): WESCOM Commander awards medals

IN PHOTOS: #TeamWESCOM led by VADM RENE V MEDINA AFP, Commander, Western Command honored our gallant troops with Military Merit Medal and KIG Campaign Ribbon and Medal during the Flag Raising Ceremony, today, 29 April 2019 at Headquarters Western Command.

The awards were a distinction of our troops who showed gallantry in guarding our sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea particularly in Kalayaan Island Group.

Mabuhay ang Sundalong Pilipino!
#OneWESCOM

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WESTMINCOM: Marine troops facilitate the settlement of clan dispute in Sulu

Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Apr 29, 2019): Marine troops facilitate the settlement of clan dispute in Sulu



Troops of the Marine Battalion Landing Team-3 facilitated the settlement of the clan dispute in Barangay Seit Higad, Panamao, Sulu yesterday, April 28.



The warring families of the said barangay finally came up with a peaceful resolution to their differences.

The successful rido settlement and peace covenant signing were facilitated by the marine troops in partnership with Tumikhang Sama Sama, Inc. and the local government of Panamao.

“We all desire for a peaceful and tranquil living. Eradicating the culture of violence among the people is tantamount to peace and development in the communities,” said Lieutenant General Arnel Dela Vega.

WESTMINCOM: Feuding families peacefully settle disputes in Lanao del Sur

Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Apr 29, 2019): Feuding families peacefully settle disputes in Lanao del Sur



Troops of the 6th Infantry (Redskin) Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel Clairemont Pinpin in coordination with the local government of Balabagan and the Philippine National Police successfully facilitated the rido settlement between two warring families in Balabagan, Lanao del Sur.



The ceremony was held at the Municipal Hall of said municipality on Saturday, April 27.

The Jamison and Magaluyan families finally settled their years-long dispute after series of negotiations.

“As public servant, you should be fair in serving the people, Muslims and Christians will have the same weight in my shoulder as far as peace is concern,” Balabagan mayor said.

The 6th Infantry Battalion through the Bravo Company under the leadership of 1st Lieutenant Elvis Dela Cruz facilitated the settlement and emphasized that armed and violent conflicts injure not only the economic and social life of the community but the precious human lives are being sacrificed as well. Also, it is a hindrance to the political and spiritual development of the community.

WESTMINCOM: MBLT-3 holds Peace Covenant Signing

Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Website (Apr 29, 2019): MBLT-3 holds Peace Covenant Signing



After the series of peace covenant signing in the different cities and municipalities in Western and Central Mindanao, Marine Battalion Landing Team-3 also held one in Kalingalan Caluang, Sulu.



All the aspirants of the different local government positions signed in the peace covenant.



A very historic event happened this afternoon at the Headquarters, Marine Battalion Landing Team-3 in Barangay Seit Poblacion, Panamao, Sulu wherein all the aspirants of Kalingalan Caluang for the upcoming 2019 Midterm Elections met in a neutral ground for a noble purpose that is the formal signing of Peace Covenant.



The activity was done purposely to ensure that the midterm elections would be credible, honest, orderly and peaceful.

“I personally commend the troops of all the Joint Task Forces for your efforts that goes with our intent to accomplish our mission and purpose of having a credible, orderly, peaceful and honest 2019 midterm elections,” said LtGen Arnel Dela Vega.

EASTMINCOM: Communities Surrender 22 High Powered Fire Arms of NPAs Pulang Bagani Company

Posted to the Eastern Mindanao Command (EASTMINCOM) Website (Apr 29, 2019): Communities Surrender 22 High Powered Fire Arms of NPAs Pulang Bagani Company



NSFA, Panacan, Davao City - A community effort led to the retrieval of twenty-two high-powered Fire Arms from a CPP-NPA Terrorist Group (CNTG) Pulang Bagani Company that is being monitored in the tri-boundary of Davao City, Davao Del Norte, and Bukidnon by the personnel of the Philippine Army Intelligence and 1003rd Infantry Brigade under Col. Nolasco Mempin.

This result came after the surrender of three of its members on April 26, 2019, at Naval Station Felix Apolinario Panacan, Davao City.

Twelve (11 M16 and one M14 rifle) of the total twenty-two firearms were retrieved dawn of April 29, 2019, after the government troops acted on the revelation of the community in a Sitio on the northern boundary of Davao City and Davao del Norte, which the CPP-NPA Terrorist Group entrusted the firearms.

Initially, three firearms which were safely kept in an arms cache in a Sitio on the boundary of Davao City and Bukidnon were also retrieved in the afternoon of April 27, 2019, following the revelation of the community there at.

The afternoon of April 28, 2019, a follow-up operation led to the retrieval of another seven firearms in an arms cache in the same Sitio on the boundary of Davao City and Davao del Norte.

These successive retrieval efforts led to the retrieval of 15 M16 rifles, three M14 rifles, two Garand rifle, one M2 Carbine, and one Ultimax Light Machine Gun.

Meanwhile, Lt. General Felimon T. Santos Jr., Commander of Eastern Mindanao Command attributed the retrieval to the continuing snowball of surrender brought about by the peace initiatives of the Local Government Units, the Enhanced Local Integration Program, and the pressure of the communities as more and more are declaring the CNTG as persona non grata.

"The peace initiatives of our Local Government Units send a goodwill message to our lost brothers that indeed, the government is still the best ally. This is further being bolstered by the successful implementation of E-CLIP which allows the reformation of Former Rebels and their eventual integration to the mainstream society," he said.

"With all these concerted efforts of the different peace stakeholders, the declaration of communities to the CNTG as persona non grata, which restricted them to recruit, made the NPA's strength going down from the point of equilibrium, where there is a significant decline in the number of CNTG members and that their firearms are more than their manpower. This makes them resort on arms stashing to secure it," Lt. Gen. Santos added.

Lt. Gen. Santos Jr. further called those who are still in the armed group to surrender and avail the government's programs.

Source: Public Information Office, Eastern Mindanao Command, AFP

https://www.eastmincomafp.com.ph/2019/04/communities-surrender-22-high-powered.html

Former spokesman of rights group Karapatan arrested in Davao City

From Rappler (Apr 29, 2019): Former spokesman of rights group Karapatan arrested in Davao City

Kelly Delgado is allegedly found in possession of shabu, according to Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang, whose assassination was allegedly plotted by Delgado 9 years ago

IN CUSTODY. Kelly Delgado is arrested at a joint police and military checkpoint in Lasang, Davao City, on April 27, 2019. Photo courtesy of Task Force Davao

IN CUSTODY. Kelly Delgado is arrested at a joint police and military checkpoint in Lasang, Davao City, on April 27, 2019. Photo courtesy of Task Force Davao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Military authorities on Monday, April 29, confirmed that the former secretary-general of human rights group Karapatan in southern Mindanao was arrested over alleged illegal drug possesion here on Saturday.

Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang, deputy chief of Task Force Davao, told Rappler that Kelly Delgado was passing through the joint police and military checkpoint in Sitio Licanan in Barangay Lasang, Bunawan district, here at around 6:30 am Saturday, April 27, when he was frisked and was found to be in possession of suspected shabu.
Cabangbang said the checkpoint was manned by soldiers under Staff Sergeant Marlon Enga and the Bunawan police under Police Major Noel Villahermosa.

“While conducting joint checkpoint operations at Sitio Licanan, Barangay Lasang, Bunawan District, Davao City, apprehended a certain Mr Kelly Muñez Delgado, 39 years old, single, a resident of the IFI Compound, F Torres St, Barangay 9-A, Davao City,” a spot report on the arrest said.

Allegedly seized from Delgado, who was driving a car, was a heat-sealed plastic sachet containing more or less 0.62 grams of suspected shabu with a street value of P9,300 and a tooter.

Cabangbang said the soldiers and policemen manning the checkpoint decided to frisk Delgado because "he was acting suspiciously."

"It's as if he was high on drugs," he added.

Cabangbang said Delgado was immediately turned over to the custody of the Bunawan police station.

“The transfer of custody was witnessed by Ms Grace Molina of Infinite Radio and Kagawad Rey Joven of Barangay Lasang,” he added.

Rappler contacted Karapatan for reaction, but has not received any response as of posting.

While serving as Karapatan secretary-general in 2010, Delgado was accused by the military of plotting the assassination of Cabangbang, who was then spokesperson of the Eastern Mindanao Command.

The military cited a witness who claimed that Delgado wanted Cabangbang dead over the abduction of Rebelyn Pitao, daughter of Leoncio Pitao, in March 2009. Rebelyn eventually surfaced dead.

Delgado laughed off the claims then as baseless.


https://www.rappler.com/nation/229300-former-spokesman-karapatan-arrested-davao-city-checkpoint-april-2019

ISIS chief Baghdadi appears for first time in 5 years – propaganda video

From Rappler (Apr 30), 2019): ISIS chief Baghdadi appears for first time in 5 years – propaganda video

It is unclear when the footage was filmed, but the man said to be Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi refers in the past tense to the months-long fight for Baghouz, ISIS's final bastion in eastern Syria, which ended in March

ISIS CHIEF. In this undated and unlocated tv grab taken from a video released by Al-Furqan media, the chief of the Islamic State group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appears for the first time in 5 years in a propaganda video. AFP PHOTO / SOURCE / AL-FURQAN

ISIS CHIEF. In this undated and unlocated tv grab taken from a video released by Al-Furqan media, the chief of the Islamic State group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi appears for the first time in 5 years in a propaganda video. AFP PHOTO / SOURCE / AL-FURQAN
BAGHDAD, Iraq – The elusive chief of the Islamic State (IS, formerly known as ISIS or the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq) group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has purportedly appeared for the first time in 5 years in a propaganda video released Monday, April 29, by the jihadist organization.

It is unclear when the footage was filmed, but the man said to be Baghdadi referred in the past tense to the months-long fight for Baghouz, ISIS's final bastion in eastern Syria, which ended last month.

"The battle for Baghouz is over," the man said, sitting cross-legged on a cushion and addressing 3 men whose faces have been blurred.

But he insisted that ISIS's operations against the West were part of a "long battle," and that ISIS would "take revenge" on members who had been killed.

"There will be more to come after this battle," he said.

Baghdadi, 47, had a long gray beard that appeared dyed with henna and spoke slowly, often pausing for several seconds in the middle of his sentences.

He appeared for the first and last time in public in Mosul in 2014, where he declared an Islamic "caliphate" in the swathes of territory ISIS then held in Syria and Iraq.

He was reported killed or injured multiple times since then.

His last voice recording to his supporters was released in August, 8 months after Iraq announced it had defeated ISIS and as US-backed forces closed in next door in Syria.

https://www.rappler.com/world/regions/middle-east/229305-isis-chief-baghdadi-propaganda-video-april-29-2019