Opinion: CPP leadership continues to fall while NPA rebels surrender in droves

Opinion piece posted to The Manila Times (Dec 18, 2020): CPP leadership continues to fall while NPA rebels surrender in droves

By Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr.

THE Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) continues to feel the heat after the series of Senate hearings on red-tagging that practically stripped their legal front organizations of their underground cover. Despite the oath the reference persons took to tell the truth, the listening public cannot believe how the “Kamatayan” bloc representatives could lie through their teeth. They persistently denied involvement in the terrorist CPP-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) and the former cadres of the CPP-NPA presented by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) could only watch in disbelief. In reality, we expected this “Lying I,” the first skill they are taught when they join these front organizations. In order to save face, they are left with no option but to lie about the allegations leveled against them.

These lies become more apparent in order to save or protect whatever is left of their crumbling CPP organization. After the series of arrests and neutralization of key CPP-NPA officials like Julius Giron, elected deputy chairman of the CPP in 2016, together with its founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison, came the death of Randall Echanis from the hands of its own ranks. It was followed by the arrest of Agaton Topacio and Eugenia Magpantay. Did the CPP and its allies cry foul about these “activists” being killed? Of course. In fact, Sen. Leila de Lima has been persistent in claiming that they are peace consultants. Huh?!

It is no surprise then that they will complain again of the government’s latest apprehension. Recently, the Philippine National Police arrested seven officials of the Metro Manila regional party committee, including its secretary, Rodrigo Esparago, and Lady Ann Salem. The Kamatayan bloc, the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) and Karapatan are once again shouting of “government crackdown on activists” and the suppression of dissent. Colmenares even assails Judge Villabert and complains that such action “resulted in the deprivation of liberty of numerous activists, in violation of their constitutional rights.” Activists? Really? And which constitution are you talking about, Mr. Colmenares? Are you referring to your CPP constitution? This is simply another cheap attempt to cover up the crimes of your beleaguered colleagues.

The Metro Manila Regional Party Committee (MMRPC) was once headed by favorite columnist and journalist of Manila Times, Ambassador Bobbi Tiglao, during the martial law years. Why don’t the NUPL and Karapatan, as well as the Kamatayan bloc, complain to Mr. Tiglao that these activists were simply red-tagged, so now they are in jail? Of course, they won’t do that knowing it could simply bury them some more in the mud.

So really, who is Rodrigo Esparago before becoming the sec of MMRPC? He was a member of the youth sector (YS) and eventually the Kabataang Makabayan (KM), the underground mass organization run by the party. Lady Ann Salem, on the other hand, came from Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), a legal organization, before she joined the Revolutionary Council of Trade Unions (RCTU), the underground party group running the labor unions through the KMU. From there, Salem rose to become the head of the regional trade union bureau (RTUB) of MMRPC.

Who still believes this alibi of the left? Many of these “activists” and progressive members have died with NPA rebels. Are we still to ignore these denials of the Kamatayan bloc? How many more have to die? Their accusations of red-tagging as a defense for their underground activities have been resolved in the Senate inquiry and by the Supreme Court. Supreme Court jurisprudence clarified a lot of issues but most importantly it has strengthened the position of the government that this Kamatayan bloc is part of the CPP and the government is merely identifying them as such. If you don’t believe your government, go to the website of the NDF, ndfp.org, and access all the NDF member organizations, including RCTU, KM and, yes, the NPA. You can also see there Lumaban, the underground org of the NUPL; Makibaka, the underground organization of Gabriela; Kaguma, the underground org of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), among many other organizations. They are all presented in their crimson red symbols and colors.

Red-tagged? Yes, but not by the government but by their own actions.

Meantime, there are so many positive developments at the tactical level and operational level. An entire front of the CPP-NPA has surrendered in Davao de Oro. A platoon has surrendered in Sorsogon. Another NPA platoon has surrendered in Masbate. And the Southern Tagalog regional party committee leadership, together with its regional operations command, are on the run in Mindoro. In the early morning of December 17, another encounter occurred with troops of the 2nd ID in Baras, Rizal during the arrest of NPA leader @Dads, the head of the finance staff and execom member of the Sub Regional Military Area 4A. This resulted in the neutralization of three top leaders of the NPA in Calabarzon, together with three others who have yet to be identified.

With all these happening, there is a possibility that the government will be able to bring down the CPP-NPA sooner. With the judicial affidavits that the NTF-Elcac has consolidated for the filing of legal cases against the Kamatayan bloc, the CPP and its allies are in dire straits and the NPA units and fighters dependent on them are in a moribund state.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/12/18/opinion/columnists/cpp-leadership-continues-to-fall-while-npa-rebels-surrender-in-droves/812784/