Wednesday, May 1, 2019

US Navy's warning to China in sea row ups ante

From the Straits Times (May 1, 2019): US Navy's warning to China in sea row ups ante

A Chinese Coast Guard vessel manoeuvring to block a Philippine government supply ship at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea in 2014. A 2018 US report noted that the PLA Navy, the China Coast Guard an

A Chinese Coast Guard vessel manoeuvring to block a Philippine government supply ship at the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands, in the South China Sea in 2014. A 2018 US report noted that the PLA Navy, the China Coast Guard and maritime militia "sometimes conduct coordinated patrols".PHOTO: REUTERS

Questions arise over how it will implement new policy against Beijing's maritime militia

A US Navy warning to China that it will treat Beijing's maritime militia the same way it treats Chinese naval vessels has upped the ante in the South China Sea and raised questions on how the new policy will work out in practice.

Beijing's use of non-military vessels has been a worry for claimants to islands in the South China Sea.

China is known to deploy vessels that look like fishing trawlers but are actually part of its maritime militia, operating in a so-called "grey zone" and likely reporting to Chinese navy commanders. This fleet has been strengthened since around 2015, analysts say.


A US Department of Defence report last year noted that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, the China Coast Guard and the maritime militia "sometimes conduct coordinated patrols", and together form the "largest maritime force in the Indo-Pacific".

The issue is how official naval forces, including and most importantly those of the United States, should react if China uses ostensibly civilian vessels to push its claims in the South China Sea. Already, such vessels have engaged in confrontations, blocking or ramming other countries' boats.

The US has a mutual defence treaty with the Philippines, which has been feeling the pressure from China's maritime militia.

Since early March, Chinese fishing vessels have been operating near two Philippine-held features in the disputed Spratly Islands, as tensions ran high over the more than 200 Chinese ships near Thitu Island, which the Philippines calls Pag-asa. Last month, American and Philippine forces conducted, apparently for the first time, a joint exercise in seizing an island back from an occupying force, the Philippines' GMA News reported.

"If the US is going to support its ally and help deter this kind of predatory grey-zone operation, then it must signal that any maritime force used for what amounts to gunboat diplomacy will be treated like the naval forces they are pretending to be," Dr Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at the Hudson Institute, told The Straits Times.

The issue was apparently raised at a January meeting between US chief of naval operations John Richardson and his Chinese counterpart Shen Jinlong, commander of the PLA Navy.

The Financial Times over the weekend quoted Admiral Richardson as saying in an interview that he had told Vice-Admiral Shen China's maritime militia and coast guard would be treated as China's navy.

"I made it very clear that the US Navy will not be coerced and will continue to conduct routine and lawful operations around the world, in order to protect the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of sea and airspace guaranteed to all," Adm Richardson told the newspaper.

The implications of the change in US policy depends on how it is implemented, Dr Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia and the director of the China Power Project at the Centre for Security and International Studies, told ST.

"If a Coast Guard or maritime militia ship interferes with a Fonop (freedom of navigation operation), will it be rammed by a naval vessel? Will the US intervene using a navy ship to stop a Chinese Coast Guard or militia boat from harassing a boat from a smaller country?

"The belief has been that the Chinese are confident that the US won't use a grey hull (official navy ship) unless China has, so the US can be kept at bay," Dr Glaser said. "The goal of changing the policy is to deter destabilising behaviour. But, at the end of the day, the US doesn't seek escalation in the South China Sea, so I doubt that it would deploy navy ships against white-hulled vessels in most scenarios."

ISIS is biding its time in the Philippines — and US special operators are fighting back with a $58,000 water pump

Posted to Task & Purpose (May 1, 2019): ISIS is biding its time in the Philippines — and US special operators are fighting back with a $58,000 water pump

ISIS may have lost its physical caliphate in Iraq and Syria, but the group is poised for a resurgence in its enclave in the Philippines — and instead of eradicating the terror group once and for all before it facilitates another horrifying attack like the Easter bombings that rocked Sri Lanka, the U.S. military is focused on new plumbing.

At least, that's the takeaway from this fantastic Thomas Gibbons-Neff story in the New York Times on the latest mission for the contingent of U..S. special operations forces that have been assisting the Philippine Army with their campaign against ISIS insurgents over the last two years.

According to Gibbons-Neff, Marine Special Operations units have been working alongside an Army Special Operations Command's civil affairs team to facilitate the construction of a $58,000 water pump in the southern village of Padas, as part of the Pentagon's well-worn"hearts and minds" counterinsurgency playbook.

But ironically, Padas' own residents find the project, uh, ill-advised! From the New York Times (emphasis ours):

It has taken two months, an American Special Operations civil affairs team, three nonprofit organizations and an entire platoon from the Philippine Army to bring the pump to Padas, a village of about 3,000 people in the Mindanao chain of islands in the country's south. If all goes to plan, water from the pump will help impoverished farmers establish trust in the government, and, in turn, seek to undermine the militants' influence.

"Whatever the international community gives us, we'll accept," said Macaraya Ampuan, an influential leader in the village. "But first thing to address is security. Eliminate ISIS so our livelihoods can be stable."

Ampuan isn't wrong. While the ISIS enclaves in Iraq and Syria may have been reduced to dust, the terror organization is biding it time in villages across the Philippines ahead of an inevitable resurgence.

The Pentagon Inspector General's latest assessment of Operation Pacific Eagle – Philippines, published in February 2019 and covering the last three months of 2018, indicates that the terror group's Philippine offshoot has remained relatively resilient amid losses elsewhere. While the group has lacked unified leadership and consistent connections to the core ISIS organization since the 2017 siege of Marawi, its numbers have remained stable at between 300 and 350 members.

"Despite numerous killings and surrenders, there has been no observable trend in the estimates of force strength, which might suggest that the group is capable of at least sustainment-level recruitment," according to the DoD IG report, with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command indicating the group has "neither shown signs of rebuilding and expanding nor indications that it will be completely defeated in the near term."


The ISIS presence in the Philippines as of December 2018.(Department of Defense Inspector General)

But this year, ISIS has appeared increasingly emboldened in the Philippines. On New Year's Eve, ISIS detonated a bomb at a shopping mall in the southern part of the country, killing two bystanders; a month later, a pair of twin blasts at a Catholic cathedral left 23 dead in an attack that appeared to presage the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka months later.

"These groups have felt little impact from the loss of territory in Iraq and Syria, and need no direct communication from the Islamic State to understand its objectives, which the terrorist group broadcasts in regular audio messages," the New York Times noted of ISIS's far-flung franchises in the aftermath of the Sri Lanka attacks.

While the Philippine Army responded to the cathedral bombings with airstrikes and and influx of troops into rural havens for ISIS fighters in the country's south, U.S. Special Operation Command Pacific found that the Philippine military's current infrastructure "is insufficient to generate, process, and act upon intelligence gathered from manned and unmanned aerial systems" to effectively anticipate and thwart future attacks without U.S. help, per the DoD IG report.

At the moment, the United States has roughly 270 service members deployed to the country as part of OPE-P, including just 86 U.S. special operations forces, to assist the Philippine military with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. But with ISIS staging bloody reprisals far from the borders of its former caliphate, the whether the Pentagon's $58,000 water pipe will prove successful remains to be seen.

https://taskandpurpose.com/isis-philippines-special-operations-water-pump

4 suspected Abu Sayyaf undergo preliminary probe at DOJ

From the Manila Bulletin (May 1, 2019): 4 suspected Abu Sayyaf undergo preliminary probe at DOJ

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has begun conducting a preliminary investigation of the complaints filed against four suspected members of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).



Department of Justice (MANILA BULLETIN)

The office of Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Olive Torrevillas, who has been assigned to handle the case, started the preliminary investigation last April 24.

The four suspected ASG members are accused of illegal possession of explosives in violation of Republic Act 9516.

Torrevillas said Jainab Ibrahim, his wife Khadeeeja Tawasil Jainal, and Fatma Musa Narimen have filed their counter-affidavits in response to the accusations against them.


One of the respondents, Abdurrafi Jalas Danial, was given until May 6 to submit her counter-affidavit.

The four were arrested by authorities last April 16 in Barangay Talabaan, Zamboanga City. Found in their possession were two fragmentation grenades, a nine-volt battery with a switch, an eco bag containing white granules suspected to be ammonium nitrate, a timer with wire, several wires with alligator clip, concrete nails, two non-electric blasting caps with a safety cover, and, identification cards.

Following their arrest, the Major Crimes Investigation Unit of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation Group (PNP-CIDG) brought the four to the DOJ in Manila for inquest the following day.

During the proceedings, the suspects decided to undergo preliminary investigation and signed a waiver of the provisions of Article 125 of the Revised Penal Code that penalizes delay in the delivery of a detained person to the proper judicial authorities.

Police disclosed that the suspects are followers of ASG sub-leader Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan and are being utilized by the ASG for their financial transactions, procurement, and transportation of firearms and explosives, and the facilitation of recruitment and travel of foreign fighters to the Philippines.
https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/05/01/4-suspected-abu-sayyaf-undergo-preliminary-probe-at-doj/

Gov’t forces overrun NPA camp in northern Quezon

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (May 1, 2019): Gov’t forces overrun NPA camp in northern Quezon

Government forces overran an alleged training camp of communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in the Sierra Madre mountain ranges in northern Quezon Wednesday morning, the military said.

Capt. Patrick Jay Retumban, public affairs chief of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, said in a report that combined Army soldiers and policemen successfully invaded the camp after a 10-minute firefight against an estimated 30 Maoist-inspired guerrillas in the mountain village of Canaway in General Nakar town at about 9:55 a.m.

“The enemies, led by alias ‘Boyong,’ were forced to withdraw despite the relative advantage provided by their training camp’s defenses,” Brig. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., commander of the Army’s 202nd Infantry, said in the report.


No casualty was reported on the government side.

Retumban said the camp had bloodstains on the rebel’s position during the firefight and also along their withdrawal route, which indicated casualties on the escaping guerillas.

The NPA training camp had 10 bunkers, which could accommodate more or less 60 rebels, according to the report.

The government forces also recovered blasting caps, improvised explosive devices, radio equipment, other war materials, and documents.

Additional forces have been deployed to pursue the escaping rebels while other military assets such as aircraft, patrol boats and tracking dogs have been alerted for possible offensive actions, Retumban said.

He said the encounter was the second clash between government forces and communist rebels in three days.

On Monday morning, Army soldiers engaged a band of NPA rebels in an encounter in San Juan, Batangas.

A soldier was wounded and an NPA amazona fighter was captured, the military said.

Maj. Gen. Rhoderick Parayno, 2nd ID commander, urged the soldiers “to be unrelenting and to remain steadfast in the pursuit for just and lasting peace and development by eradicating those who are anti-peace and anti-development.”

“We owe it to the Filipino people to finally put an end to the 50-year insurgency in the country,” Parayno said.

CPP/CPP-Southern Tagalog: Ipagtanggol ang mga tagumpay ng uring manggagawa! Ipaglaban ang makatwirangsahod at karapatan sa trabaho! Ibagsak ang tiranikong rehimeng US-Duterte!

CPP Regional Committee-Southern Tagalog propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (May 1, 2019): Ipagtanggol ang mga tagumpay ng uring manggagawa! Ipaglaban ang makatwirangsahod at karapatan sa trabaho! Ibagsak ang tiranikong rehimeng US-Duterte!

COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE PHILIPPINES
KOMITENG REHIYON
TIMONG KATAGALUGAN
MAY 01, 2019

Ngayong Mayo Uno, ginugunita ng mga manggagawa sa buong daigdig ang mga tagumpay na nakamit ng buong uring proletaryado laban sa kapitalistang pagsasamantala at pang-aapi at sa pagbubuo ng sariling lakas upang maitayo ang lipunang tunay na kumakatawan sa kanilang makauring interes—ang Sosyalismo.

May isanlibo’t isang dahilan upang ipagdiwang ng uring manggagawa ang Mayo Uno. Sagisag ito ng mahirap na buhay at kamatayang pakikibaka ng uri upang makamit ang walong oras na paggawa kada araw at sa pagpapabuti ng kalagayan sa paggawa. Pinanday at pinatining sa kamalayan ng uring manggagawa ang pangangailangang buuin ang kanilang lakas sa ideolohiya, pulitika at organisasyon upang hawanin ang landas sa pagtatayo ng sarili nilang kapangyarihan sa lipunan. Ang tagumpay na ito ay dinilig ng dugo at pinagbuwisan ng maraming buhay ng uring proletaryado sa mga piketlayn, mga welga at demonstrasyon sa lansangan upang tubusin ang sarili mula sa pagkaalipin ng kapital.

Nagsasabwatan ang internasyunal na burgesya at mga oportunista sa kilusang paggawa na bawiin at pawalang bisa ang mga tagumpay na nakamit ng kilusang manggagawa sapul ika-18 siglo. Marahas na ipinapataw ng imperyalismong US ang neoliberal na patakaran upang patuloy na pumiga ng dambuhalang tubo sa kapariwaraan ng mga manggagawa at mamamayan ng daigdig.Sa ilalim ng paghahari ng pasistang rehimeng US-Duterte, patuloy na pinahihirapan ang masang manggagawa ng mga kontra-manggagawang patakaran at batas tulad ng aliping pasahod at 2-tiered wage system, kontraktwalisasyon at pleksibilisasyon sa paggawa, mala- Nazi na pamamalakad sa mga engklabong industriyal, pagbabawal sa karapatang mag-unyon
at magwelga, kriminalisasyon sa kilusang manggagawa, patung-patong na buwis at mga bayarin para sa mga serbisyong panlipunan, sumisirit na presyo ng mga bilihin at labis na kahirapan.

Ang pagiging atrasado, agraryan at pre-industriyal ng Pilipinas ang sanhi ng kronikong kawalan ng hanapbuhay at lumulobong hukbo ng labis na paggawa. Ito rin ang sanhi ng papalaking bilang ng mga migranteng manggagawa sa bawat taon. Hindi kailanman nilulutas ng programang Build, Build, Build ni Duterte ang kawalang empleyo sa Pilipinas. Sa katunayan, lumiit pa nang 387,000 ang bilang ng mga Pilipinong may trabaho noong Enero at bumagsak pa sa 81,000 ang abereyds na bilang ng bagong mga trabaho na taunang nalilikha sa ilalim ni Duterte o wala pa sa 10% kumpara sa taunang abereyds na 825,000 noong nakaraang dekada.

Ang tunay na tantos ng disempleyo ay tinatayang nasa 9.8% at maaaring tumaas pa kung bibilangin ang mga kulang sa trabaho. Ngayong Mayo Uno, sa harap ng milyon-milyong walang trabaho, ang tanging maiaalok lamang ni Duterte ay 200,000 trabaho sa mga job fair para sa mga construction na maaari lamang tumagal ng ilang buwan.

Ang kaaba-abang kalagayan ng uring manggagawa at mamamayang Pilipino ang nagtuturo na kailangang hawakan nila ang pagguhit na sariling kapalaran at tubusin ang buong sambayanan mula sa mapagsamantala at mapang-aping sistema. Kaisa ng sambayanan ang Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas—ang partido ng proletaryong Pilipino—sa katuparan ng adhikaing ito
hindi lamang para sa buong uring manggagawa kundi para sa lahat ng demokratikong uring inaapi at pinagsasamantalahan ng imperyalismo, piyudalismo at burukrata-kapitalismo.

Sa kasalukuyan, pinamumunuan ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas ang 2-yugtong rebolusyon sa bansa upang itatag ang demokrasyang bayan at sosyalismo sa malapit na hinaharap at ganap na palayain ang masang api at pinagsasamantalahan. Katulong ng Partido ang Bagong Hukbong Bayan at National Democratic Front of the Philippines sa katuparan ng layuning ito.
Tinatawagan ng PKP ang buong uring manggagawa at sambayanan na matatag na lumaban at magkaisa upang ibagsak ang naghaharing sistemang panlipunan ng mga malalaking kumprador-panginoong maylupa at burukratang kapitalista na kinakatawan ngayon ng rehimeng US-Duterte.

Mabuhay ang Uring Manggagawa!
Mabuhay ang CPP-NPA-NDFP!
Mabuhay ang Demokratikong Rebolusyon ng Bayan!
Mabuhay ang Sambayanang Plipino!
Ibagsak ang pasista at tiranikong rehimeng US-Duterte!
Itayo ang Demokratikong Gubyernong Bayan sa buong bansa!

https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statement/ipagtanggol-ang-mga-tagumpay-ng-uring-manggagawa-ipaglaban-ang-makatwirangsahod-at-karapatan-sa-trabaho-ibagsak-ang-tiranikong-rehimeng-us-duterte/

CPP/NPA-Batangas: Patung-patong na Kasinungalingan, Panabing ng AFP sa bigong pag-atake sa NPA sa Batangas

NPA-Batangas propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (May 1, 2019): Patung-patong na Kasinungalingan, Panabing ng AFP sa bigong pag-atake sa NPA sa Batangas

NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY
NPA - BATANGAS (EDUARDO DAGLI COMMAND)
MAY 01, 2019

Desperadong naghabi ng patung-patong na kasinungalingan ang Armed Forces of the Philippines sa pangunguna ng 2nd Infantry Division ng Southern Luzon Command upang pagtakpan ang panibagong kahihiyan at kabiguan sa inilunsad nitong operasyon laban sa NPA-Batangas na humantong sa humigit-kumulang 20 minutong labanan sa Sitio Maquitib, Brgy. Quipot, San Juan, Batangas noong Abril 29, bandang alas-6:30 ng umaga.

Magiting na nilabanan ng mga Pulang Mandirigma ng Eduardo Dagli Command NPA – Batangas ang pasistang tropa ng 1st IB PA kung saan hindi bababa sa 3 sundalo ang napatay at 2 sugatan mula sa kaaway. Sa kabila ng palihim na operasyong isinagawa ng mga tropa ng 1st IBPA, mahusay na naipatupad ng NPA ang aktibong depensa at muling nagdulot ng matinding pinsala sa pasistang kaaway.

Planadong inilunsad ng AFP ang nasabing atake laban sa yunit ng NPA na naglulunsad ng gawaing masa sa lugar upang pagsilbihan sa sadyang layunin nito na isabotahe ang lehitimong pagkilos ng masang manggagawa sa darating na Mayo Uno sa pamamagitan ng pagpapalabas ng kasinungalingan na may pinaplanong pag-atake ang NPA sa Labor Day. Walang dahilan ang NPA upang maglunsad ng anumang atake sa panahon ng Labor Day sapagkat iginagalang nito ang makabuluhang araw na ito para sa mga manggagawa at bilang rebolusyonaryong hukbo ng uring magsasaka at manggagawa, itinataguyod ng NPA ang pambansa demokratikong mithiin ng masang manggagawa tungo sa pambansang industriyalisasyon at pagwakas sa kapitalistang pagsasamantala sa paggawa sa pamamagitan ng pagsusulong ng demokratikong rebolusyong bayan na may sosyalistang perspektiba.

Bago pa man ang naganap na labanan sa pagitan ng NPA at pasistang tropa ng militar, ilang araw nang magkakasunod na nagpapalabas ng mga black propaganda at malisyosong pahayag laban sa mga manggagawa at lehitimong organisasyon ng mamamayan ang AFP. Layunin nitong isabotahe ang militanteng pagkilos na isasagawa ng masang manggagawa at mamamayan sa lalawigan laban sa nagpapatuloy na pagkabusabos sa mga pagawaan at pagkakait ng rehimeng US-Duterte sa lehitimong kahilingan ng manggagawa para sa nakabubuhay na sahod at makataong kondisyon sa paggawa. Sa pamamagitan ng pagkakawing ng mga hayag na pagkilos ng mga mamamayan sa CPP-NPA-NDF, lalo lamang tumitining ang de-facto Martial Law na pinaiiral ng rehimeng US-Duterte sa buong bansa at ang posibilidad na lantaran na itong magdeklara ng Batas Militar upang kontrolin ang kanyang mga kritiko at tuloy-tuloy na magpatupad ng mga anti-mamamayang programa pabor sa interes ng mga naghaharing uri.

Lalong walang katotohanan ang ipinagmamalaki ng AFP na diumano’y isang female fighter o babaeng NPA na naaresto nila sa proseso ng naganap na labanan kahapon.Ligtas na nakaatras ang mga Pulang Mandirigma matapos hindi na makahabol pa ang mga tropa ng AFP sa panahon ng aktwal na labanan bunsod ng tinamo ng mga itong pinsala. Ang diumano’y hot pursuit operations na inilulunsad nito kasabay ng pagdagsa ng mga pasistang tropa sa baryo ay walang ibang layunin kundi ang maghasik ng teror sa mga komunidad ng magsasaka sa bayan ng San Juan at buong lalawigan. Kung totoo mang may nahuli ang AFP, maaaring isa itong sibilyan na naging biktima ng pasistang pagbaling ng berdugong militar sa mga mamamayan matapos ang tinamong kabiguan o di kaya’y simpleng gawa-gawang kuwento lamang sa desperado nitong pagtatangka na yanigin o demoralisahin ang mga rebolusyonaryong mamamayan sa lalawigan.

Makauling ulit nang bigo at abut-abot na kahihiyan at kaswalti ang inabot ng 1st IBPA sa hibang na ilusyon nitong madurog ang NPA sa Batangas. Taglay ng mga mandirigma ng NPA ang mataas na kahandaang lumaban at humarap sa sakripisyo, kahirapan at kamatayan at hindi kailanman magtatagumpay ang AFP na durugin ito lalo pa at nakaugat na ito sa puso at diwa ng masa ng sambayanan na malaon nang naghahangad ng ganap na paglaya mula sa pagkaapi at pagkabusabos sa ilalim ng malakolonyal at malapyudal na lipunang pinaghaharian ngayon ng diktador at pasistang rehimeng US-Duterte.

Ultimo ang mga armas na diumano’y nakuha nila sa mga labanan ay gawa-gawa lamang din ng AFP upang pagtakpan ang kanilang kabiguan at pagsilbihan sa magkakasunod nilang inilabas na propaganda hinggil sa diumano’y pagsuko ng mga NPA dala ang kanilang mga armas para bigyang hangin ang ampaw nilang pakulo na kakayanin nang madurog ang rebolusyonaryong kilusan sa loob lamang ng 2 taon. Kung may napapasuko man ang AFP, ito ay walang iba kundi ang mga matatagal nang bumabang NPA na ang iba ay sadyang nagpagamit na sa kaaway o di kaya ay mga karaniwang sibilyan na sapilitang pinapirma sa mga sertipiko ng pagsuko gamit ang matinding pandarahas at pananakot. Kung tutuusin, lubos nang katawa-tawa ang AFP sa kaa-anunsyo ng deadline at maya’t maya rin namang pagpapalit nito dahil sa reyalidad ay sadyang walang patutunguhan at hindi kailanman magtatagumpay ang anumang militaristiko at mapanlinlang na paraan ng sinumang rehimen ng naghaharing uri at pasistang AFP sa pagwakas sa insurhensya hangga’t hindi nito sinserong nilulutas ang kahirapan at pagsasamantala bilang ultimong ugat ng armadong tunggalian.

Hindi na bago ang pagtatakip ng AFP at ng 1st IBPA sa kanilang mga kabiguan sa labanan; tulad ng ginawa nitong news black-out sa naganap na labanan sa Brgy. Tubahan sa bayan ng Rosario, Batangas noong Oktubre 2018 kung saan 10 sundalo ng 1st IBPA ang napatay at sa pinsalang tinamo nito mula sa taktikal na opensibang inilunsad ng Eduardo Dagli Command NPA-Batangas sa kampo ng 59th Infantry Batallion Philippine Army sa San Marcelino, Taysan noong Marso 13, 2019 kung saan 2 kaaway ang napatay na pinalabas nilang mga sundalo din lamang umano ang nagkabarilan. Pilit na ikinukubli ng AFP ang katotohanan na sa kabila ng pinaigting na mga operasyong militar at pagpakat ng 1st IBPA bilang diumano’y pinakamahusay na jungle fighter unit ng AFP sa ilalim ng Southern Luzon Command ay bigo pa rin itong mapahina ang NPA sa lalawigan dahil sa tuloy tuloy at mainit na pagtangkilik at pagtataguyod ng masa ng sambayanan.

Nagkakamali ang mga naghaharing uri, mga ganid na debeloper at mga kasabwat nilang lokal na burukrata na labis labis na nagpapahirap sa mga mamamayan ng bayan ng San Juan kung inaakala ng mga itong sa pamamagitan ng pagkupkop at pagpopondo sa mga operasyong militar sa pangunguna ng 1st IBPA ay ganap nang madudurog ang NPA at maaalis ang banta sa kanilang mapangwasak at mapanalasang proyekto. Ang magiting at matapang na pagbigo ng NPA sa pasistang kaaway na binabayaran ng mga pribadong debeloper upang magtanggol sa kanilang mapangwasak na mga negosyo ang magsisilbing babala sa lahat ng mga negosyante at lokal na burukratang nagpapaligsahan ngayon sa eleksyon sa lahat ng ginagawa nilang pagyurak at pambubusabos sa karapatan ng mamamayan sa lalawigan. Patuloy na magpupunyagi ang NPA upang ipagtanggol ang interes ng masang api at parusahan ang mga mapanalasang proyekto ng mga ganid na debeloper sa lalawigan tulad ng nagaganap na mga proyektong debelopment at pribatisasyon ng baybaying dagat at malawakang pangangamkam ng lupa sa mga kabundukan sa bayan ng San Juan at iba pang bahagi ng lalawigan.

Hangga’t may masang api at pinagsasamantalahan, hindi kailanman magtatagumpay ang kaaway na bunutin sa malalim na pagkaugat nito ang rebolusyonaryong adhikain at pakikibaka ng sambayanan laban sa tatlong salot ng imperyalismo, pyudalismo at burukrata kapitalismo na labis na nagpapahirap sa masa ng sambayanan. Hindi kailanman malulutas ng reaksyunaryong eleksyon o anumang pakana ng kaaway at estado tulad ng Oplan Kapayapaan, National Task Force at whole-of-nation approach ang saligang suliraning ito at tanging sa pagbabagsak lamang ng tatlong salot makakamit ang tunay na mapayapa at masaganang pamumuhay para sa sambayanan sa ibayong pagsusulong ng demokratikong rebolusyong bayan sa pamamagitan ng matagalang digmang bayan hanggang sa tagumpay! #

Mabuhay ang ika-50 taon ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas at New People’s Army!

Isulong ang Matagalang Digmang Bayan!

Imperyalismo, Pyudalismo at Burukrata Kapitalismo, Ibagsak!

Sumapi sa Bagong Hukbong Bayan!

https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statement/patung-patong-na-kasinungalingan-panabing-ng-afp-sa-bigong-pag-atake-sa-npa-sa-batangas/

CPP/NDF-Southern Tagalog: ‘Worker-led revolution is the only solution to realizing Filipino workers’ interests’

NPA-Southern Tagalog propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (May 1, 2019): ‘Worker-led revolution is the only solution to realizing Filipino workers’ interests’

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT OF THE PHILIPPINES
PATNUBAY DE GUIA
NDF-SOUTHERN TAGALOG
MAY 01, 2019

The Filipino working class have every right to storm the streets in defiance and anger at the current state of labor under the US-Duterte regime. The reactionary government’s wanton disregard for workers’ welfare and outright selling of workers as cheap labor to big foreign capital are valid grounds for the intensification of the fight for workers’ rights.

However, to effect radical change in the labor sector, workers have to elevate their fight to a radical proletarian struggle. They have to lead an armed revolution to fulfil their desire for job security, fair wage, and a decent life.

The debacle on contractualization is proof of the inadequacy of parliamentary struggle in securing workers’ rights. At the start of its term, the Duterte government promised to put an end to contractualization, even bragging that it will punish companies implementing anti-worker job flexibility schemes. All these were proven to be fodder as Executive Order 51, touted by the regime as its anti-contractualisation policy, allowed third-party agencies to sub-contract labor.

Legal recourses in solving labor disputes always fall short of meeting workers’ demands. There are too many cases of corporations like Coca-Cola defying the order of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to regularize workers. Companies exploit loopholes in the reactionary Labor Code to get away with violating workers’ rights, such as in the case of Middleby Philippines Corporation in Laguna that violently dispersed the worker’s picket line and illegally arrested its union leaders.

DOLE is powerless and useless in the face of blatant violations and abuse of workers. The case of Japanese-owned HTI in Cavite, where an undetermined number of workers died in the factory fire, remains unresolved. Until now, the Japanese company has not admitted fault for the tragedy and even threatened the survivors and the victims’ families to silence them despite the heavy casualties and grave loss.

The necessity of a radical solution to uplift workers becomes clearer in the semi-colonial and semi-feudal analysis of Philippine society. Subservient to the neoliberal order propagated by imperialists primarily the US, the reactionary Philippine government peddles workers to foreign corporations, allowing capitalists to extract the highest possible profit from their labor. This means depressing wages, removing benefits and laying off workers to rationalize production and operational costs.

As a result, Filipino workers live in the most sordid living conditions. The meager minimum wage, which in ST amounts to an average of P333, is way below the recommended P1,050 living allowance for a family of five. The increasing prices of goods due to TRAIN Law and the unstoppable rise of inflation further erode the purchasing capacity of the working class family. Reports from the Philippine Statistics Authority proclaiming the current wage rate as sufficient are unbelievable, and incite public disgust at the Duterte government’s obvious lack of sympathy for workers.

The three years of the US-Duterte regime has clearly done nothing to improve the lives of workers. The chronic job crisis, contractualization, unfair labor practices, and anti-union policies hounding workers reveal the reactionary government’s bias for capitalists, while band-aid solutions offered by two-faced labor officials prove the futility of reforms.

Only the national democratic revolution, which seeks to free the nation from imperialist control, can liberate workers from modern-day slavery. This armed revolution, led by the working class in alliance with the peasantry, will defeat feudalism, bureaucrat capitalism, and imperialism, and build a government that will protect workers from exploitation by capitalists.

The revolutionary movement in ST believes in the determination of the working class to change their dire situation and attain their democratic interests. Their fervent desire for social justice and commitment to their cause will drive them to struggle on all fronts. As the crisis deepens, more workers will join and lead the national democratic revolution, the ultimate fight for genuine liberation and democracy. ###



https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statement/worker-led-revolution-is-the-only-solution-to-realizing-filipino-workers-interests/

CPP/NPA-Northern Negros: Rebolusyonaryong pagpasidungog sa ila Kaupod Julie kag Kaupod Zero, mga martir sang engkwentro

NPA-Northern Negros propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Apr 30, 2019): Rebolusyonaryong pagpasidungog sa ila Kaupod Julie kag Kaupod Zero, mga martir sang engkwentro

CECIL ESTRELLA
NPA-NORTHERN NEGROS (ROSELYN PELLE COMMAND)
NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY
APRIL 30, 2019

Nagahatag sang pinakamataas nga pagpasidungog ang Roselyn Jean Pelle Command New Peoples Army Northern Negros Guerilla Front (RJPC-NPA) kag ang bug-os nga rebolusyonaryong kahublagan kag pumuluyo sang Negros kanday Kaupod Julie kag Kaupod Zero, ang duha ka mga kaupod nga nagbuhis sang kabuhi sa reyd nga ginpatigayon sang 79th IB Philippine Army batok sa isa ka iskwad ka RJPC-NPA sa Sityo Banwa Minatay, Barangay Marcelo, Calatrava sadtong Abril 17, 2019 pasado alas 4:00 sang hapon.

Kag isa ka sibilyan ang gintiro-patay sang militar sa amo nga insidente, si Sulpicio Hernan Jr, kag ginapagwa sang 79th IB nga si Hernan upod kuno sa mga combatant sang NPA. Si Hernan isa ka ordinaryo nga batan-on nga mangunguma nga may ara mga paryente sa amo nga erya, dugay na nga ginasurbeylans sang militar agud pasurenderon sa mga patu-pato nga kaso. Ang RJPC nagaupod sa kalisdanan sang pamilya sa pagkapatay ni Hernan.

Maisug nga gin-atubang sang nasambit nga yunit sang RJPC-NPA ang sorpresa nga atake sang mga pasistang militar upod ang dugang pwersa sang CAFGU halin sa detatsment sa Barangay Marcelo. Ginapagwa sang kaaway nga isa lang ang ila kaswalti nga pilason, si Sgt. Garduce nga amo ang CO sang nagreyd nga tropa sang kaaway. Samtang ang kamatuoran, ang 30-minuto nga inaway nagresulta gid sa pagkapatay sa 5 ka pasistang tropa kag may 5 pa ang pilason sa kaaway.

Ginatago sang pasistang militar ang kamatayon sang mga ordinaryo nga sundalo nga ila ginapaon sa inaway samtang nagatinikal sila sa ila brutal nga pagpamatay sa mga kaupod kag sibilyan agud hadlukon ang pumuluyo. May ara mga dugang nga igo sa ulo ang mga nagkalamatay, indikasyon nga sila gintiro pa sa gihapon pagkatapos mapatay. Ang ila patay nga lawas ginguyod kag gindispley sa plasa sa Barangay Marcelo. Ang ini nga brutalidad kahimoan lang sang mga desperadong pasista nga uhaw-sa-dugo.

Samtang bug-at pa sa Bukid Kanlaon ang kasubo sang pumuluyo sa pagtaliwan nanday Ka Julie kag Ka Zero, ang bug-os nga kahublagan determinado nga magapadayon sa armadong paghimakas. Sanday Kaupod Julie kag Kaupod Zero, pareho ang edad 28, mga lamharon nga modelo sang ila henerasyon nga nagbuhis sang kabuhi para sa matuod-tuod nga kahilwayan kag demokrasya sa pungsod kag sosyalistang palaabuton.

Ang bulawanon nga tingog ni Kaupod Julie kag ang iban pa niya nga talento bilang hangaway sa patag sang hilikuton pangkultura sa progresibong kahublagan sang kabataan-estudyante, ginpauswag niya sa sulod sang armadong rebolusyonaryong kahublagan bilang hangaway sang Bag-ong Hukbo sang Banwa. Samtang ginpursige ni Kaupod Zero ang pagremolde bilang proletaryong rebolusyonaryo halin sa naandan nga dunot nga kultura kag dekadenteng impluwensyang burgis-pyudal sa mga kabataang mangunguma kag mangingisda.

Ginainto sang mga pasista ang ila kaugalingon sa ila kabutigan nga propaganda nga tatlo lang ang posibleng padulungan sang isa ka NPA ang pagkapreso, pagkamatay kag ang pagsurender. Ang adlaw-adlaw nga sakripisyo upod na ang posibilidad nga mag-antus sa sulod sang presohan kag mag-angkon sang kamatayon, reyalidad nga ginadawat sang mga rebolusyonaryo sa sinsero nga pagserbisyo sa masa. Muklat ang mga rebolusyonaryo nga ang bilog nga sosyedad isa man ka dako nga presohan samtang ang pumuluyo indi pa hilway sa pagpamigos sang mga nagahari nga sahi kag imperyalismo, burukrata kapitalismo kag pyudalismo. Kag bisan sa kamatayon, padayon nga ginapalangga sang pumuluyo ang aton mga rebolusyonaryong martir. Ang matuod-tuod nga rebolusyonaryo, rebolusyonaryo hasta sa katapusan.

Sa diin man nga bahin, sa reaksyon man o rebolusyon, realidad sa inaway ang pagpahuway hasta ang pagsurender kag pagtraydor sa mga kaupod. Pero nagadamgo ang kaaway sa ila panghuna-huna nga maga-atras ang NPA pagkatapos sang engkwentro sa Calatrava. Ang kamatayon nanday Ka Julie kag Ka Zero, mangin inspirasyon sa mga kaupod sa maisug nga pag-atubang sa pasistang rehimeng US-Duterte kag ang ila sakripisyo rason para sa madamo pa nga pamatan-on sa Negros nga mag-upod sa armadong paghimakas.

Napamatud-an na sa 50 ka tuig sang NPA nga magapadayon ang inaway banwa kag wala na sang iban pa nga padulungan ang NPA kundi ang kadalag-an!

Mabuhay ang handumanan nanday Ka Julie kag Ka Zero!
Isulong ang inaway banwa hasta sa kadalag-an!

https://www.philippinerevolution.info/statement/rebolusyonaryong-pagpasidungog-sa-ila-kaupod-julie-kag-kaupod-zero-mga-martir-sang-engkwentro/

CPP/NPA-Sorsogon: Dennis Espano, pang-apat na biktima ng death squad ni Duterte

NPA-Sorsogon propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Apr 30, 2019): Dennis Espano, pang-apat na biktima ng death squad ni Duterte

NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY
SAMUEL GUERRERO
NPA-SORSOGON (CELSO MINGUEZ COMMAND)
APRIL 30, 2019
Pinakamataas na antas ng pagkundena ang ipinapahayag namin sa panibagong kaso ng ekstrahudisyal na pamamaslang na ginawa ng armadong pwersa ni Duterte sa pangunguna ng itinayo nitong death squad kay Dennis Espano, 28 taong gulang, may asawa at residente ng Brgy. Tinampo, Bulusan, Sorsogon nitong Abril 30 bandang ala 1:40 ng hapon.

Nagmamaneho ng tricycle noon si Espano kasama ang 2 kaibigan nitong sina Lilian Monteo at Zoren Furio, papunta sa isang lamay nang harangin sila sa Brgy. Poctol, Bulusan ng 4 na armadong kalalakihang sakay ng 2 motorsiklo at malapitang binaril si Espano. Agad na namatay si Espano habang nasugatan sa pamamaril ang 2 sibilyan at kasalukuyang nagpapagaling sa ospital.

Si Espano ay aktibong myembro ng progresibong partylist na Anakpawis, organisasyon ng mga magsasaka, manggagawa at mala-manggagawa na pangunahing lumalaban para sa tunay na reporma sa lupa at tumutuligsa sa pasismo at brutalidad ng rehimeng US-Duterte at mga alipores nitong AFP-PNP at CAFGU.
Pang-apat na si Espano sa listahan ng ekstrahudisyal na pamamaslang sa probinsya sa ilalim ng Memorandum Order 32 (MO32) ng rehimeng US-Duterte. Pasista ang rehimen ni Duterte, intensyon nitong durugin ang lahat ng tumutuligsa sa kanya lalo na ngayong parating ang midterm election kung saan mas dumarami ang lumalahok at sumusuporta sa mga progresibong organisasyon at partylist laban sa kanyang bulok, pasista at korap na rehimen.

Ang pambibiktima ng sibilyan ay larawan ng karuwagan ni Duterte at ng kasapakat niyang mga militar at death squad kapag walang mahagilap na regular na NPA.

Katarungan para sa mga biktima ng paglabag sa karapatang tao!

Mamamayan, sumapi sa Bagong Hukbong Bayan!

Biguin ang Oplan Kapayapaan at MO32!

NDF/NPA-Northern Negros: Revolutionary tribute to Comrade Julie and Comrade Zero, martyrs of the encounter in Marcelo, Calatrava

NPA-Northern Negros propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Philippines (NDFP or NDF) Website (May 1, 2019): Revolutionary tribute to Comrade Julie and Comrade Zero, martyrs of the encounter in Marcelo, Calatrava



The Roselyn Jean Pelle Command New Peoples Army Northern Negros Guerilla Front (RJPC-NPA) and the whole revolutionary movement and people of Negros convey the highest revolutionary tribute to Comrade Julie and Comrade Zero, the two Red fighters who offered their lives in a raid of the 79th IB Philippine Army against a squad of the RJPC-NPA in Sityo Banwa Minatay, Barangay Marcelo, Calatrava on April 17, 2019 past 4:00 in the afternoon.

A civilian, Sulpicio Hernan Jr, was also killed by the military in the said incident. The 79th IB claims that he was also a combatant of the NPA but Hernan, who had family members in the said area, was an ordinary peasant youth under military surveillance. The military had pressured Hernan to surrender for various trumped-up charges. The RJPC shares the familys grief in the untimely death and killing of Hernan.

The unit of the RJPC-NPA bravely fought through the surprise attack of the fascist military and their CAFGU auxiliary force from the detachment in Barangay Marcelo. The enemy says they only had one wounded casualty, Sgt. Garduce, the commanding officer of the raiding troops. However, the truth is that the 30-minute gun battle resulted in 5 fascist troopers killed in action, and 5 others wounded in the enemy side.

The fascist military covers up the deaths of ordinary soldiers they use as pawns in war, as they boast of the brutal killing of Red fighters and civilians to terrorize the people. The fatalities suffered additional headshots that indicate they were finished off and shot at close range post mortem. Their corpses were unceremoniously dragged and displayed at the plaza in Barangay Marcelo. This kind of brutality can only be the doing of desperate blood-thirsty fascists.

While the peoples sorrow is heavier than Mt. Kanlaon with the passing of Ka Julie and Ka Zero, the whole revolutionary movement remains ever determined to advance the armed struggle. Ka Julie and Ka Zero, both 28 years old, were youthful models of their generation and they offered their lives in the name of genuine national liberation and democracy and a socialist future.

Ka Julies golden voice and her other talents as a warrior in the field of cultural work in the progressive youth and student movement, she enhanced within the armed revolutionary movement as a Red fighter of the New Peoples Army. Ka Zero pursued his remoulding as a proletarian revolutionary to do away with the rotten culture and decadent bourgeois-feudal influences inculcated among young peasants and fisherfolk.

The fascists fool nobody but themselves with their false propaganda that a fighter of the NPA can expect only three possibilities: prison, death and surrender. The daily sacrifices, including the possibility of suffering in prison and death itself are realities that revolutionaries have long accepted in their sincere service to the people. Revolutionaries are aware that the whole of society is one big prison while the people remain bound to the oppression of ruling classes and of imperialism, bureaucrat capitalism and feudalism. Even in death, the people continue to cherish our revolutionary martyrs. True revolutionaries are revolutionaries until the end.

Lying low, even laying down of arms and conspiring with the enemy are realities on both sides, within reactionaries and revolutionaries. But the enemy is dreaming if they think that the NPA will falter after the encounter in Calatrava. The deaths of Ka Julie and Ka Zero shall serve as inspiration to comrades in boldly facing the fascist US-Duterte regime. Their sacrifices give impetus to more Negrosanon youth to join the armed struggle.

The 50 years of the NPA prove that the peoples war will advance and the Red fighters of the NPA expect only the possibility of complete victory!

Long live the memory of Ka Julie and Ka Zero!
Advance the peoples war until victory! 

CECIL ESTRELLA
Spokesperson, RJPC-NPA
Northern Negros Guerilla Front

67 firearms of NPA recovered since January of this year: army

From the Mindanao Times (May 1, 2019): 67 firearms of NPA recovered since January of this year: army

The 1003RD Infantry brigade yesterday said 67 firearms were recovered in different operations under their area of jurisdiction since January of this year.

The latest was the recovery of 22 high-powered firearms from the boundary of Paquibato and Calinan district.

Speaking in yesterday’s press briefing held at the 1003rd IB headquarters at Barangay Mahayag, Bunawan District, Col. Nolasco Mempin, the brigade commander, said that the guerrilla fronts of the New People’s Army are already weakened.

For instance, the Pulang Bagani Command 1, 2, and 3 have already merged into one unit called thePulang Bagani Battalion led by alias Botchok.


He estimated that the battalion has around 58 fighters with 56 firearms.

They cover Davao City, Davao del Norte, and the boundary of Bukidnon and Talaingod.


He said that the NPA’s strength in Davao City has diminished considerably as the army recovered most of the firearms of the rebels.

“Because of our focused military operation and intensified Community Support Program, we were able to recover these huge number of firearms and convince a number of NPA commanders to return to the folds of the law,” he added.

He said the recovery of 22 firearms in Davao City was made possible because of the information given by the three NPA surrenderees on April 26.

“So on Sunday afternoon, we’re able to recover seven firearms and mid-dawn on Monday morning we were able to recover another 12 firearms,” he said.

The arms cache proved that the NPA doesn’t have enough warm bodies to wield the weapons.

“We have pushed them in the boundary of Bukidnon in Kitaotao and some parts of San Fernando,” Mempin said.

Ex-guerrilla is top graduate of candidate soldier course

From the Mindanao Times (May 2, 2019): Ex-guerrilla is top graduate of candidate soldier course

A former rebel topped the class of candidate soldier course held at the 10th Infantry Division in Compostela Valley on Sunday.

2Lt. Kimberly Jean Lappao, the civil-military operations officer of 25th IB, said Pvt. Albert I. Diez was a former political instructor of the Guerrilla Front 33 and served in the New People’s Army for almost four years.

He graduated on top among the 132 candidate soldiers.

Diez is a Manobo from Montevista, Compostela Valley who joined the NPA in June of 2012 at the young age of 17. He was assigned as the team medic of Sentro De Gravidad of the GF 33. He was promoted as a political guide and a political instructor.

“I was a victim of all their lies,” he said, adding that the NPA also reneged on its promise to support his family in exchange for his service.

Diez surrendered to Lt. Col. Oscar B. Balignasay Jr, 25IB commander, at their headquarters in Camp Kalaw, Poblacion Monkayo, Compostela Valley on Feb. 20, 2018.

He was then enrolled in the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program. But he signified his intention to apply for the candidate soldier course.

All the assistance and support was provided to him until he signified his intent to apply for a Candidate Soldier Course. He went through the process and successfully passed all the requirements. He finally took oath for training four months ago.

“I’m so grateful and honored for giving me the chance to make up for the wrong decisions I made in the past,” he said.

Balignasay said the program is open to former rebels who want to serve the government.

“We all deserve a second chance, a chance to put things right,” Balignasay said.

In a statement, Brig Gen. Gilbert Saret, 1001st Infantry Brigade commander, said, “The AFP will pursue its effort to support the implementation of the E-CLIP by convincing more NPA rebels to return to the folds of the law."

Teen NPA rebel, 18, surrenders to army

From the Mindanao Times (May 2, 2019): Teen NPA rebel, 18, surrenders to army

An 18-year-old fighter of the New People’s Army surrendered two rifles to the military as he escaped from his group, the Sub-Regional Command 2 of the North Central Mindanao Regional Committee.

Capt. Ryan Delgado Layug, civil-military operations officer of the 403rd Brigade, identified him only as alias Marco, a member of the Matigsalog tribe and resident of Barangay Lorega, Kitaotao, Bukidnon. He surrendered to the 88th Infantry Battalion in Sitio Buko, Barangay Banlag, Valencia City, Bukidnon on April 26.

He turned over one M16 Armalite rifle and one M653 Baby Armalite rifle, one hand-held radio, and ammunition.

The surrender was facilitated by the IP leaders of the Matigsalog tribe.

According to the self-confessed rebel, he was recruited into the NPA when he was just 16 years old. But he regretted that decision. He told soldiers that he wants to go home to his family.

Lt. Col. Franklin Fabic, 88IB battalion commander, said, thanked the community for helping convince the teenager to surrender.

“We shall continue to help our Lumad brothers and perform our mandate of protecting them from terrorist exploitation,” Fabic said.

Col. Edgardo De Leon, the 403rd Infantry Brigade commander, there are already 40 NPA regulars and nine members of Milisyang Bayan who surrendered to the army units since January 2019.

http://mindanaotimes.com.ph/2019/05/02/teen-npa-rebel-18-surrenders-to-army/

Manobo leaders declare NPA persona non grata in their area

From the Mindanao Times (May 2, 2019): Manobo leaders declare NPA persona non grata in their area

The Council of Elders of the Manobo Tribe passed a resolution on April 28 declaring the New People’s Army persona non grata in their ancestral domain.

Capt. Regie Go, the spokesperson of 4th Infantry Division, said the tribal council only followed the lead of the local government unit of Loreto, Agusan del Sur, which earlier also declared the communist group as undesirable.

The tribal leaders decried decades of atrocities, crimes, and human rights violations perpetrated by the NPA elements against their fellow Lumads. They also cited the deception employed by the rebels to recruit Lumads.

The CADT No. 090 lies in the boundaries of Loreto, Bunawan, and La Paz, and some parts of the Agusan Marsh in Agusan del Sur. It is considered rich in natural resources because of the vast species of flora and fauna, as well as mineral deposits said to be found in the area.

The thick vegetation and rough terrain made it a favorite hideout of the NPA until recently, when local tribesmen reporting their presence to authorities.

Landmark resolution

The declaration, the first of its kind among IP tribes in the region, was signed during the peace and development forum facilitated by the LGU of Loreto, in partnership with the tribal chieftains and Council of Elders of CADT 090, the 26th Infantry Battalion, and the Philippine National Police.

Hawudon Marcos Gonzales, the municipal tribal chieftain of Loreto, said the forum’s objective was the “creation and signing of covenant between the government and the tribal leaders declaring unity for peace and development, and the formal declaration of CPP-NPA as persona non grata in their areas.”
Forty members of the Manobo tribe attended the forum and witnessed the resolution signing.

“We need to make bold steps to fight for our right to self-determination in our own territory,” Gonzales said. “These communists-terrorists are freely roaming around our ancestral domains, committing numerous crimes and human rights violations against our helpless and innocent fellow Lumads.”

“They have wantonly disregarded our customs and traditions and even murdered our own tribesmen. They must be held accountable and liable for the injustices they have committed upon us,” he added.

Lt. Col. Romeo Jimenea, the 26th IB commander, said the Lumads have been at the receiving end of NPA’s abuses and crimes for a long time. “They deserve to live normal and peaceful lives,” he said

Army records show that from 2015 to date, 94 out of 102 NPAs who surrendered to the 26th IB belonged to different IP tribes in Agusan del Sur. Sixty-three of them came from the Manobo tribe. The former rebels have since received their financial and livelihood assistance through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program. Others opted to join the Philippine Army either as regular soldiers or Cafgu Active Auxiliaries.

Salugpongan to stay | Rules followed in giving permit to school linked by army to communists: DepEd

From the Mindanao Times (May 2, 2019): Salugpongan to stay | Rules followed in giving permit to school linked by army to communists: DepEd

The Department of Education (DepEd) refused to buckle under pressure to shut down the Salugpongan network of schools despite the military linking it with the communist underground movement.

DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones said they follow strict guidelines in giving permits to alternative educational systems, including the Salugpongan schools.

“There are specific conditions before giving them permit to operate like the number of students, the teacher, you need to have permanent venue, and classes are held regularly,” she said on Monday’s press conference at the Apo View hotel. “Of course, the curriculum has to be integrated with the general curriculum of DepEd.”

On April, another group of tribal leaders appealed to the government because of how slow the DepEd is in addressing their demand for the immediate closure of the Salugpongan Ta’tanu Igkanugon Community Learning Center Inc. established in their ancestral domains.

DepEd Secretary Briones

Briones conceded that these schools pose a challenge because of the remoteness of the location.
Certain schools also move from one area to other so “it’s very difficult to be able to monitor them.”
Alberto Escobarte, DepEd XI regional directo, said that out of 73 Salugpongan schools that have been granted with temporary authority to operate by the DepEd for the next school year, only 37 have pending applications for renewal.

He said the rest may have not applied for renewal because of the lack of enrollees.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has been gathering evidence for the case they will file before the DepEd to finally close down the Salugpongan schools.

Maj. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., Civil Military Operations deputy chief, earlier said a congressional body is investigating whether or not students of the Salugpongan schools are used to indoctrinate young Lumads.

Initially, he claimed that what the body found was how different the curriculum used by these schools was. They were also allegedly being used as instruments to recruit Lumad into the New People’s Army.

“All agencies concerned in the Salugpongan issue were brought there (to the schools) so that they would know (the truth about them) even as the Makabayan bloc did not show up (to join the group),” he said.

Among the schools that they visited was the one in Talaingod, a town in Davao del Norte which has a
sizeable population of indigenous people. The government is planning to close the school as well as prevent groups from funding its existence because of the report that the rebels were using it to recruit members.

Datu George Mandahay, Matigsalog tribal chieftain, said he was among those who went to the school in Sitio Kahusayan Barangay Manuel Guianga, Tugbok District on Tuesday.

Mandahay said residents of the place have called on for the permanent closure of the school as they have vowed not to send their children. He said the children were brainwashed so they would believe the cause of the rebels. 

AFP-CRS: Civil Military Operations Group Philippine Air Force (CMOG, PAF) activated

Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook page (May 1, 2019): Civil Military Operations Group Philippine Air Force (CMOG, PAF) activated

The Civil Military Operations Group Philippine Air Force (CMOG, PAF) with the primary mission to conduct Civil Military Operations in order to support the Philippine Air Force in the accomplishment of its mission was formally activated last 29 April 2019 held at the New Hall of Flags, CJVAB, Pasay City. The said activity was graced by LTGEN ROZZANO D BRIGUEZ AFP, Commanding General, Philippine Air Force.

#PadayonPAF
#CMOGPAF
#GuardingourPreciousSkies

AFP-CRS: Former NPAs surrender to Army, yields firearms

Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook page (May 1, 2019): Former NPAs surrender to Army, yields firearms

“All over the country more NPA cadres are becoming disillusioned because they are slowly realizing the futility of pursuing a lost cause. On the other hand, it is hard to ignore the tangible benefits of returning to the folds of the law and the assurance that the government under PRRD is able to provide them a better future through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip),” said Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Macairog S. Alberto.

#BalikLoob
#BalikPamilya
#ECLIP


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https://www.facebook.com/PhilippineArmy2028/photos/pcb.2257200777861801/2257200407861838/?type=3&theater

Former NPAs surrender to Army, yields firearms

FORT BONIFACIO, Metro Manila – Three former New People’s Army members surrendered to the Philippine Army and yielded to the government a total of 22 high-powered firearms at Davao City on April 28, 2019.


The joint efforts of the 1003rd Infantry (Raptor) Brigade and Army intelligence facilitated the surrender of Ernie del Pilar, Michael Eboy, and Romeo Roguero, who then revealed the location of several firearms in different parts of Davao City.

Del Pilar is the commanding officer of the Pulang Bagani Company 1, whose past leaders include Leoncio Pitao, also known as Kumander Parago, who was killed in an encounter with government forces in Paquibato District, Davao City on June 28, 2015 and Elizalde Cañete, also known as Jinggoy, who was captured on May 12, 2018. Pitao was one of the oldest and most-wanted NPA commanders in Mindanao.

According to Del Pilar, they became disillusioned because of systemic corruption and nepotism in the organization, allowing only the members of the Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) Central Committee to control the operations and finances for their own gain. He added that the practice is frustrating for the rank and file members who do not receive the necessary financial support intended for them. He regretted the recruitment of many young students in his area who were eventually killed in clashes with government forces.

A follow-up operation was launched and led to the recovery of 15 M16 rifles, three M14 rifles, two Garand rifles, one light machine gun, and one M2 carbine.

According to Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, the Army spokesperson, said: “The surrender of a high ranking CPP-NPA leader and the recovery of firearms is a serious setback which may likely encourage more members to follow suit. The presence of arms cache indicates the decreasing manpower of the NPA,” he added.

“We are very glad that we are experiencing a turning point in our efforts to promote peace and development in our country as evidenced by the surge of NPA members returning to mainstream society. More of our brothers and sisters are finally seeing the futility of an armed struggle and they are now wanting to make a difference with the government instead of against it as before. We urge the others who may still have reservations to go back to your families and take the government’s offer of benefits and livelihood programs which will allow them to start their lives anew,” said Major General Jose Faustino, Jr., the Commander of the 10th Infantry (Agila) Division.

“All over the country more NPA cadres are becoming disillusioned because they are slowly realizing the futility of pursuing a lost cause. On the other hand, it is hard to ignore the tangible benefits of returning to the folds of the law and the assurance that the government under PRRD is able to provide them a better future through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip),” said Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Macairog S. Alberto.

https://www.facebook.com/CivilRelationsServiceAFP/?fref=photo

AFP-CRS: Filipinos in Spain condemn CPP-NPA-NDF

Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook page (May 1, 2019): Filipinos in Spain condemn CPP-NPA-NDF

Filipinos in Spain condemn CPP-NPA-NDF

Overseas Filipinos called for the end of the 50-year-old Communist Terrorist Group in a rally staged at the Rizal monument in Islas Filipinas, Spain last Sunday, April 28.

Image may contain: one or more people and people standing


AFP-CRS: Security operations to continue during elections

Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook page (May 1, 2019): Security operations to continue during elections

Security operations to continue during elections

Military operations will continue against communist rebels and other threat groups despite the mid-term elections.

No photo description available.


AFP-CRS: AFP settles feud involving Maranao families

Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook page (May 1, 2019): AFP settles feud involving Maranao families

AFP settles feud involving Maranao families

As part of its advocacy, the 6th Infantry Battalion has helped prevent more bloodshed by facilitating a clan war settlement, involving Maranao families in Lanao del Sur on Monday, April 29.

No photo description available.


AFP-CRS: 3 CPP-NPA-NDF members returns to mainstream society

Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook page (May 1, 2019): 3 CPP-NPA-NDF members returns to mainstream society


3 CPP-NPA-NDF members returns to mainstream society

Three former CPP-NPA members surrendered to the Philippine Army and yielded a total of 22 high-powered firearms in Davao City, Sunday, April 28.

“We are very glad that we are experiencing a turning point in our efforts to promote peace and
development in our country as evidenced by the surge of CPP-NPA members returning to mainstream society. More of our brothers and sisters are finally seeing the futility of an armed struggle and they are now wanting to make a difference. We urge the others who still have reservations to go back to their families and take the government’s offer of benefits and livelihood programs which will allow them to start their lives anew.”

MGEN JOSE C FAUSTINO JR AFP
Commander, 10th Infantry Division, PA



AFP-CRS: North Cotabato Representative cites six reasons why Mindanao is in need of Martial Law

Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook page (May 1, 2019): North Cotabato Representative cites six reasons why Mindanao is in need of Martial Law


North Cotabato Representative cites six reasons why Mindanao is in need of Martial Law

In a MindaNews report, North Cotabato Rep. Nancy Catamco cited six reasons why Mindanao is in need of Martial Law:

1. To reinforce all government efforts in establishing peace in Mindanao;
2. Significantly lower criminality and further deter lawlessness and violence;
3. Strengthen people’s resolve to respect the law and government;
4. Create a climate of peace and not of fear especially among investors and businesses;
5. Deter private and illegal armed groups from sowing fear among Indigenous People’s communities and those in far-flung areas and;
6. Ensure the prompt and unhindered delivery of infrastructure projects and other basic goods and services.

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AFP-CRS: 'Persona Non Grata’ declaration leads to surrender of deceived young CPP-NPA-NDF members

Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook page (May 1, 2019): 'Persona Non Grata’ declaration leads to surrender of deceived young CPP-NPA-NDF members

'Persona Non Grata’ declaration leads to surrender of deceived young CPP-NPA-NDF members

Two young CPP-NPA Terrorists voluntarily surrendered to the 48th Infantry Battalion in Pandi, Bulacan last Saturday, April 27.



AFP-CRS: 3 Former CPP-NPA-NDF members surrender with their firearms

Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook page (May 1, 2019): 3 Former CPP-NPA-NDF members surrender with their firearms 

3 Former CPP-NPA-NDF members surrender with their firearms

“All over the country, more NPA cadres are becoming disillusioned because they are slowly realizing the futility of pursuing a lost cause. On the other hand, it is hard to ignore the tangible benefits of returning to the folds of the law and the assurance that the government is able to provide them a better future through the E-CLIP.”

LTGEN MACAIROG S ALBERTO AFP
Commanding General, Philippine Army

No photo description available.


AFP-CRS: 2 young CPP-NPA-NDF members surrender in Bulacan

Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook page (May 1, 2019): 2 young CPP-NPA-NDF members surrender in Bulacan



2 young CPP-NPA-NDF members surrender in Bulacan

Two young CPP-NPA-NDF terrorist members voluntarily surrendered to the 48th Infantry Battalion in Pandi,Bulacan last Saturday, April 27.



AFP-CRS: Former CPP-NPA-NDF members surrender stashed firearms

Posted to the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) Facebook page (May 1, 2019): Former CPP-NPA-NDF members surrender stashed firearms

Former CPP-NPA-NDF members surrender stashed firearms

“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.

-LTGEN FELIMON T SANTOS JR AFP
Commander, EastMinCom, AFP

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Kalinaw News: Three Disillusioned Armed Milisyang Bayan Surrenders in Abra

From Kalinaw News (May 1, 2019): Three Disillusioned Armed Milisyang Bayan Surrenders in Abra



FORT MAGSAYSAY, Nueva Ecija – Three Milisyang Bayan (MB) members surrendered to the 24th Infantry (Wildcat) Battalion at its headquarters in Lagangilang, Abra at 10:00 am, today.

The three MBs yielded two M16 rifles and one M653 rifle to 24IB.

The effective Community Support Programs (CSP) campaign of the 7th Infantry (Kaugnay) Division led to their surrender.

According to them, they were fed-up and tired of providing support to the Communist Terrorist Groups (CTGs) with its nonsense ideology. Also, they have been longing to turn in themselves for they want to start anew with their families.

Milisyang Bayan serves as buffer used by the CTGs against the government forces.

24IB vows to give proper protection and assistance to the three MBs while they are processing for the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP).

Major General Lenard T Agustin AFP, Commander, 7ID lauded the troops of 24IB and other 7ID units involved for the surrender of the MBs. He also conveyed that the gates of Kaugnay Division and its subordinate units is always open to accept rebels or Milisyang Bayan members who want to live a normal life.

Likewise, MGen Agustin said, “I urge the local government units within our area of responsibility to declare Persona Non Grata against the CTGs. Aside from being committed to the Whole of Nation Approach of EO nr. 70, the declaration somehow provides assurance to those who will surrender that the community where they belong is a safe haven not only for them but also for their family”.

“The right time to surrender to the government is yesterday but today is never too late. The last thing that we want is an encounter against the Abreños who were lured by the CTGs deception so we encourage those who are in the mountains to come down and have a normal life with your family”, said Lieutenant Colonel Jearie Boy Faminial, Battalion Commander of 24IB.


Division Public Affairs Office 7th Infantry Division Philippine Army
Cpt Catherine H Jubas
Chief, Division Public Affairs Office, 7ID
Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija
09175547417

https://www.kalinawnews.com/three-disillusioned-armed-milisyang-bayan-surrender-in-abra/