Saturday, September 5, 2020

China or US ? Philippines Foreign Policy Plays Both Sides

From Stars & Stripes (Sep 3, 2020): China or US ? Philippines Foreign Policy Plays Both Sides
(By Ralph Jennings)


FILE - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks at a meeting in Davao province, southern Philippines, Aug. 17, 2020.

The Philippines, an old U.S. ally and more recent friend of China, is awkwardly bouncing one superpower off the other on its way to a neutral foreign policy that will give the Southeast Asian country benefits from both sides, specialists say.

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin told the Philippine-based ANC News Channel last week “we need the U.S. presence” in Asia. That remark follows years of anti-American thundering by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has also sought friendship with China since he took office in 2016.

Like Asian neighbors such as Indonesia and Vietnam, the strategically located Philippines intends eventually to keep equal relations with both world powers, analysts believe. Asian countries with a neutral stance often get development aid and investment from China along with military support – to resist China -- from the United States.


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For that reason, scholars say, officials in Manila make statements that outsiders find conflicting.

“It’s something like, when you say something bad against China you have to compensate it,” said Eduardo Araral, associate professor at the National University of Singapore's public policy school.

“It’s an ongoing show, I would say, so I would have to take [Locsin’s] pronouncements in that bigger context of this balancing game,” he said.

The impoverished Philippines sees Beijing as a source of investment and development aid despite a decades-old dispute over sovereignty in the South China Sea. Duterte resents U.S. presence in the country.

However, Duterte’s military and much of the Philippine public want the country to keep close ties with the United States, especially as China gets stronger just offshore in waters claimed by Manila.

“Duterte may still be extremely popular with Filipinos, but Beijing decidedly is not,” Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in a February study. The Philippine defense community remains “extremely worried,” he added.


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For Washington, the Philippines represents part of a Western Pacific island chain of political allies that work together as needed to stop Chinese maritime expansion. The United States and the Philippines have lived by a mutual defense treaty since 1951.

China hopes strong ties with the Philippines will reduce U.S. clout in the South China Sea dispute, where the People’s Liberation Army has a lead over neighboring states. U.S. officials periodically warn Beijing to leave the South China Sea open for international use. Washington doesn’t claim the sea but periodically sends naval ships over to show that the waterway is still open.

In 2016, China pledged $24 billion in aid and investment to the Philippines.

A neutral foreign policy in the Philippines will come in hot and cold spurts aimed at both superpowers, scholars say.

Duterte said in early August, for example, that he would avoid joining military exercises with the United States in the sea that his government disputes with China. In July and August, though, the Philippine navy participated in the multicountry Rim of the Pacific exercises that the U.S. government hosts every two years.

Duterte notified Washington in February of his intention to terminate the 21-year-old Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States, a pact that lets U.S. troops fluidly move in and out of the Philippines. Manila suspended that plan in June.

The Philippines should eventually formulate a “more dignified” foreign policy so China and the United States know what to expect, said Enrico Cau, Southeast Asia specialist with the Taiwan Strategy Research Association.

Manila need not worry about losing the support of either side, he said. China wants stronger relations in Southeast Asia, he said, while the U.S. hopes to keep its military toehold. Neither superpower has cut ties with a smaller country over strong ties with the other.

“You take just an equidistant standing, which is constant, and that actually improves relations with everybody – also allows China and the United States to know what to expect,” Cau said.

A cementing of foreign policy will wait until after the U.S. presidential election in November, said Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Metro Manila-based advocacy group Institute for Political and Electoral Reform. The Philippines is not “moving in either direction” today, he said.

Incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has stepped up military support for the five Asian governments that oppose Beijing’s expansion in the South China Sea over the past decade. It’s unclear whether challenger Joe Biden would continue that direction.

https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/china-or-us-philippines-foreign-policy-plays-both-sides

The Philippines-China Relations Balancing Act

Posted to the ASEAN Post (Sep 3, 2020): The Philippines-China Relations Balancing Act (By Anna Malindog-Uy)



This file photo shows an aerial view of a reef near the island of Thitu in the disputed Spratlys islands. (AFP Photo)

China recently urged the Philippines to “immediately stop illegal provocations,” following a diplomatic protest filed by Manila with regard to the Chinese Coast Guard's confiscation of Filipino fishermen's devices in Scarborough and the issuance of radio challenges at aircraft patrolling the West Philippine Sea. The Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. both responded strongly and aggressively regarding the matter.

According to Locsin, the Philippines will continue patrolling the Spratlys in the South China Sea (SCS), ignoring the warning from China to stop "illegal provocations" around the disputed waters. Locsin on 26 August in a media interview said, "We're going to continue our patrol because it's ours. That's all there is to it, and then they (China) will continue to call it an illegal provocation but that's their right. It's a free world.”

He even further asserted that the Philippines will invoke its “69-year defense treaty” with the United States (US) if China attacks a Philippine naval vessel in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). Locsin said that “unless something happens, as I said before, that is beyond incursion and in fact is an attack on, say, a Philippine vessel, in which case then I call up Washington DC”.

WPS is the official designation by the Philippine government for the eastern parts of the SCS which are included in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Lorenzana also weighed in, expressing that, "They (China) are the ones who have been doing provocations by illegally occupying some features within our EEZ. Hence, they have no right to claim they are enforcing their laws. Their so-called historical rights over an area enclosed by their nine-dash line don't exist except in their imaginations."

On 28 August, Locsin in another interview said that he would recommend the termination of contracts with Chinese companies involved in the massive island-building in the disputed SCS territories. The statement came a day after the US announced punitive measures against at least 24 state-owned Chinese companies, including subsidiaries of the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC). He said, “If I find that any of those companies are doing business with us then I would strongly recommend we terminate that relationship with that company.”

However, Palace officials disregarded such remarks from Locsin and asserted that all deals with Chinese companies will proceed as planned and the Philippines is not following the foreign policy direction of the US of imposing sanctions on Chinese companies.

"Sangley Project will continue. All other projects involving Chinese companies that are banned in the United States can continue in the Philippines”, said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in his regular media briefing yesterday. He added that the Philippines is not duty-bound to mirror US actions as the country is not a vassal state. “Ang pang-nasyonal na interest natin ay masigurado na matapos ang flagship projects under the 'Build Build, Build' program (Our national interest is to ensure that we can finish flagship projects under the 'Build Build, Build' program)."



Source: National Economic and Development Authority Board’s Committee on Infrastructure (NEDA Infracom), Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee (ICC-CC).

The Sangley Project

The “Sangley Project” or the “SPIA Project” is one of the key projects of the Duterte administration under the Build, Build, Build Infrastructure Program. The project is part of the effort of the current administration to address air traffic congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City. The proposed SPIA Project is a 1,500-hectare master-planned international airport hub, that will serve as a global aviation hub to decongest NAIA which is operating above its current capacity.

The Sangley airport will feature four runways and a terminal that can handle more than 100 million passengers annually. The airport project is being undertaken by the Cavite government under the Public-Private Partnership Code. They have formally awarded the initial phase of the SPIA project to the Filipino-Chinese consortium of MacroAsia Corp. and China Communications Co. Ltd. (CCCC). The total cost of the project is approximately PHP550 billion (US$11 billion), while its Phase 1 cost is around PHP208.5 billion (US$4.2 billion). The said project is among those identified under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Megaphone Diplomacy

The latest media statements of secretaries, Locsin and Lorenzana, can be likened to “megaphone diplomacy”, which seems to be at odds with the so-called “bilateral quiet diplomacy” of the Duterte administration concerning China over the SCS given the complicated nature of the dispute over the contested waters. It seems that instead of calming the situation to prevent further crisis and escalation in the SCS, the two secretaries were seemingly fanning the flames to some extent.

The “megaphone diplomacy” of Locsin and Lorenzana on the issues surrounding the SCS may produce good sound bites and political posturing and grandstanding. It may boost the sales and readership of media companies; however, it’s no good in de-escalating, reducing tensions, and achieving the objective of peaceful resolution over the disputed waters. To note, “megaphone diplomacy” means making public statements regarding a matter of dispute, which means negotiations between countries or parties are held through press releases and announcements, aiming to force the other party into adopting a desired position.

The director of the Integrated Development Studies Institute (IDSI) George Siy has a different stance and perspective vis-à-vis the latest pronouncements of Lorenzana and Locsin. For Siy, given the level of tension in the SCS and the personalities/countries involved, if not calibrated, could lead to incidents and possibly small skirmishes, and damage relations unnecessarily for years to come. “We should not get provoked for there are far more pressing challenges such as COVID-19, poverty, and development needs of the country that require more cooperation rather than divisions,” he said.

The Philippines, according to Siy, needs to look out for its interests on a multi-dimensional long-term basis, and not in the heat of the moment. He further stated: “We need to have a balancing act where we don’t submit to every pronouncement of concerned personalities, but be more engaging, and avoid raising the ‘ratchet’ in a tense situation like that of the SCS where some parties are spoiling for a fight.”

Hindsight And Perspective

The recent somewhat “aggressive” assertions of Locsin and Lorenzana on the issues surrounding the SCS run counter to the very essence of “constructive engagement” with China and deviates from two of the core elements of Duterte’s “independent foreign policy”.

First, the separation of Philippine foreign policy from the US, and second, the improvement of relations with China. The said pronouncements of the two secretaries look like an aberration of the overall objective of an “independent foreign policy,” of finding a “geopolitical nonaligned position” or a “middle ground” between the US and China, where the Philippines remains a friend of the former but at the same time deepens its friendship with China on the economic front; maximising the country’s national interests.

Duterte has spent four years and counting in repositioning the Philippines from a staunch pro-American stance toward a neutral one pursuing an “independent foreign policy” to secure extra leeway to manoeuvre around and between China and the US, while placing the country’s national interests above anything else.

Duterte has to pursue an independent foreign policy because if nothing is done to this effect, the Philippines will be caught “flat-footed” by the changes in the Asia-Pacific power structure. Duterte is a realist and a man ahead of his time. He knows that despite the noise, posturing, and grandstanding of the US and its aggressive “pivot to Asia,” aimed at undermining China economically and militarily, while declaring that it has a “national interest” in the SCS; it’s only a matter of time that a complete shift in the global centre of power in Asia will take place. Such a change is “inevitable and irremediable.”

China is ultimately at the centre of this shift in the power structure in the Asia-Pacific region and will eventually be the predominant power – if not already – in Asia whether the US, the Philippines, or any other country likes it or not. Thus, for Duterte, the Philippines need to attain some margin of flexibility and latitude to manoeuvre around the big powers.

One has to remember that Philippines-China relations have improved under the Duterte administration from “icy and antagonistic diplomatic ties” under the previous administration to more “friendly and constructive relations”.

And the country thus far had benefited economically from the warming relationship with China. The intention behind this approach is to “de-couple” the SCS dispute from areas that are not in dispute like trade and economic activities to which the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program of the Duterte administration has benefited a lot.

This strategy and approach to international relations or geopolitics for that matter is not an easy task and requires a “subtle and tactful balancing act and diplomacy” in a very volatile and evolving regional security environment surrounding the SCS. And the latest media tirades of secretaries Locsin and Lorenzana vis-à-vis China thus far is not contributing positively to this “balancing act”.

Conclusion

Amid the escalating tensions in the SCS between China and the US, the Philippines should play a more constructive role. The Philippines as much as possible must avoid at all cost of becoming a “dangerous flashpoint” in the conflict between the two superpowers as it is not in the country’s best interest.

Hence, the Philippines should heed the call of personalities like Brigadier General Victor Navarro Corpus, former chief of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) who said that “amid the brewing Cold War between the two superpowers, the world is waiting for the US’ next move. Countries like the Philippines should get out of the way! It is not in the country’s national interest to serve as cannon fodder for either superpower.”

Related Articles:
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[Anna Rosario Malindog-Uy is a researcher, academic and consultant on a wide array of issues. She has worked with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other local and international NGOs as a consultant. She is President of Techperformance Corp, an IT-based company in the Philippines.]

https://theaseanpost.com/article/philippines-china-relations-balancing-act

Does the Philippines Need a Revolution for the Status Quo?

Posted to The Diplomat (Sep 3, 2020): Does the Philippines Need a Revolution for the Status Quo? (By Michael Beltran)

A group of Duterte supporters has called for a “revolutionary government” that would arm the president with additional powers. What does that even mean?



Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte gestures as he meets members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila on August 30, 2020.Credit: King Rodriguez/Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division via AP)

Supporters of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte generated considerable noise in August by calling for a “Revolutionary Government” or RevGov. Ironically, this so-called revolutionary clamor aims to have the current president keep his post and even increase the scope of his powers. The move comes mainly from the Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte National Executive Committee or MRRD-NECC, a national group of die-hard Duterte supporters. The notion does sound a bit strange at the onset: A revolution fortifying the status quo rather than overthrowing it. Moreover, the Philippines has been embroiled in a half-century-long civil war with guerrillas of the New People’s Army led by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). Both groups are now actively engaged in what they call “revolution,” but the more recent cries for a revolution by and for the status quo has left some critics shaking their heads.

The Diplomat spoke with Bobby Brillante, national coordinator of the MRRD-NECC, who clarified that the committee’s campaign is absolutely non-violent. He said that it is taking cues from the People Power upheavals that deposed former Presidents Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada in 1986 and 2001, respectively. The main difference, of course, is that instead of toppling an unpopular leader, they want to make the current one more powerful.

Of all those irked by the MRRD-NECC’s call for a RevGov, the most irritated is the CPP. Marco Valbuena, the group’s information officer, labelled the MRRD-NECC a band of “zealots and fanatics” trying to disguise their fascist and right-wing agenda by invoking the term “revolutionary.”

However, Brillante said that his group’s proposed RevGov is only a means of transition. Ultimately, the purpose of the RevGov is to utilize the remaining years of the Duterte presidency to transition the country towards a federal government. As he put it, “the main objective of this is for President Duterte to be able to facilitate the change of our constitution and change the Philippines into a federal form of government, with a parliament and only one legislative body.” He explained that they find the two chambers of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives, redundant.

Under the proposed RevGov, priority laws could also be hastened without congressional oversight with the president acting as its sole executor. Brillante explains: “We are not closing Congress, but upon their failure to enact a law within 30 days, we want to give the president the extra power to legislate by decree.”

Dangerous and Unnecessary

Professor Bobby Tuazon, director for policy studies at the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG), and a veteran political scientist at the University of the Philippines, feels that the group is fighting a misguided crusade. He told The Diplomat, “In Philippine socio-economic conditions, the term ‘revolutionary’ is a principled cause advocating basic structural and institutional reforms to ages-old social inequities, elite politics, and political rule by the oligarchy. They are simply out of tune.”

Duterte and his allies have tried to distance themselves from the MRRD-NECC. The president has claimed that he doesn’t care about its calls for a revolution and has never met any of its proponents. This was echoed by the Philippine National Police. ADVERTISEMENT

Tuazon says that it’s a possibility that many officials already have one eye on the polls in 2022, as Duterte approaches the end of his presidency. He said “some Duterte officials and practically most politicians at this early [moment] have their sights aimed at the 2022 elections. Even if it is installed, any ‘revolutionary government’ will not be supported because it will only derail political plans.” If the RevGov is pushed through, Tuazon still voiced opposition to the proposal given that it undermines the electoral process and panders to the whim of political elites.

Attorney Neri Colmenares, chairman of the progressive Bayan Muna (People First) Party-list and a vocal opponent of constitutional changes, sees a more sinister motive at work. He told The Diplomat, “Despite the denials of [President] Duterte, the threat of establishing a revolutionary government to formally install him a dictator is certainly part of his agenda.”

A government website has a picture of Duterte attending the National Convention of the MRRD-NECC in 2018 as a keynote speaker, despite the president’s denials.

According to Brillante, the RevGov is premised on the assumption that upon acquiring additional powers, the president will not abuse them. Instead he will opt for a swift transition toward a more efficient government that will coordinate free and fair elections in 2022. But there is a danger to this assumption for Colmenares, who, like many administration critics, feels there have already been grave excesses in terms of the abuse of human rights and the misuse of state forces by the Duterte administration. Allowing a president who has many times been compared to the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and who has himself sung the maligned leader’s praises, only raises further questions about the wisdom of handing him yet more power.

Doubt Over Credible Elections in 2022

A revolutionary government under Duterte, Colmenares said, would be “worse than martial law, as it does away with the Constitution and solely lodges all government powers on him. This will cause political upheaval, as he will have the full power to eliminate any political opposition, and ensure that only his supporters and selected lackeys rule the government, even beyond 2022.”

Philippine Presidents are eligible to serve only a single six-year term. No elected ruler has ever been successful in their bid to nominate a successor. Candidates opposed to or at least of a different political inclination to their predecessors have always won. According to Colmenares, the RevGov “shows that [President] Duterte is not at all confident that his chosen successor will win the presidency in 2022.”

Moreover, the CPP warned that engaging in constitutional amendments under the oversight of Duterte and his allies will open a Pandora’s box of troubles. Valbuena said, “They form part of and serve Duterte’s overall scheme to establish a fascist dictatorship either through rigging of the 2022 elections to put into position his selected successor; constitutional change to remove term limits or give him continuing powers in the transition period; or staging a palace coup in the form of outright declaration of martial law.”

And yet there are far more pressing matters at hand.

The Philippines continues to grapple with a grossly inadequate response to the coronavirus pandemic. Both Colmenares and Tuazon agreed that the RevGov is itself an inadvertent admission that Duterte has failed the people under the current set-up. Brillante pointed to the pandemic as an extraordinary circumstance that warrants this sort of drastic measure. He said that concentrating extra powers in Duterte’s hands would save lives. But the continued favoring of militarism over civilian welfare remains an ongoing concern. In the proposed state budget for 2021, the president and his congressional allies are pushing for bigger spending on defense and law enforcement rather than public health and social services.ADVERTISEMENT

Tuazon countered that instead of being taken as a pretext for the creation of a RevGov, “the poor performance by the Duterte administration on the pandemic can be remedied by simply heeding public calls for a change in strategy from being top-to-bottom to people-based” and by “decoupling the military predominance in favor of public health.”

[Michael Beltran is a freelance journalist from the Philippines.]

https://thediplomat.com/2020/09/does-the-philippines-need-a-revolution-for-the-status-quo/

246 NPA supporters affirm support to end armed conflict

From the Manila Bulletin (Sep 4, 2020): 246 NPA supporters affirm support to end armed conflict (By Mike Crismundo)

Forty-six members of the Magkahiusang Masa Farmers Organization (Mamafao), an underground mass organization (UGMO) and 200 former mass base supporters of the New People’s Army (NPA) denounced the atrocities of the Communist group, and affirmed their full support to end armed conflict, military reported Friday.

Affirming their all-out support to Executive Order No. 70 “Whole-of the-Nation Approach” to end armed conflict, the former mass base supporters of the NPA and underground Communist organization, also pledged to extend their support to the government’s peace and development program during a Grand Pulong Pulong (GPP) held at Barangay Maasin, in Esperanza town, Agusan del Sur province.

“They are all unified in supporting the government’s peace program,” Civil Military Operations (CMO) officer of Army’s 26th Infantry Battalion (26th IB) Second Lt. Cecille C. Tappa told The Manila Bulletin late Thursday afternoon.

The GPP, on Tuesday, was with Esperanza town officials, led by Mayor Leonida P. Manpatilan, and other local government agencies (LGAs), and the 26th IB represented by Executive Officer Maj. Ariel S. Fabria.

Manpatilan welcomed the former UGMO and mass base supporters for returning back to the fold of law.

The 26th IB maximized its public dialogues and “pulong-pulong” as part of the Community Support Program (CSP) of the unit in different areas, especially in NPA affected communities, to dominate the information strategy in countering the terrorists’ deceptive tactics, recruitment and propagandas against the government.

On the other hand, the CSP operators identified the common issues within the community and later bring it up to the right agencies for appropriate action, bringing the government closer to the community, the 26th IB Executive Officer said.

“As per EO70 of President Duterte, the delivery of basic services and social development in conflict affected areas must be prioritized and all sectors must participate,” he added.

Meanwhile, 26th IB commander Lt. Col. Reynald Romel A. Goce lauded the municipality of Esperanza for their unified effort in solving armed conflict in some of their areas.

“Insurgency is not the sole responsibility of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) but it is a shared concern and responsibility of all government agencies and members of the society and it is good to know that the municipality of Esperanza exhibits its good character in implementing EO70 as mandated by President Duterte,” he said.

“Let us work together to end insurgency threats posed by the left leaning organization for a lasting peace and development for this will surely amplify our efforts in addressing the socio-economic issues that are used by the CPP-NPA in poisoning the minds and hearts of our people,” Goce added.

https://mb.com.ph/2020/09/04/246-npa-supporters-affirm-support-to-end-armed-conflict/

CPP founder Jose Maria Sison slanders historian Joseph Scalice for “red-tagging”

Posted to the World Socialist Web Site (Sep 4, 2020): CPP founder Jose Maria Sison slanders historian Joseph Scalice for “red-tagging” (By Peter Symonds)
4 September 2020

The founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Jose Maria Sison, who is responsible for repeated betrayals of the Philippine masses, launched an extraordinary tirade last week against historian Joseph Scalice who, in a lecture on August 26, documented the CPP’s treacherous record and explained that its roots lay in the nationalist ideology of Stalinism and Maoism.

The CPP devoted an entire special issue of its newspaper Ang Bayan to an interview with Sison attacking Scalice, which, among his other lies, branded the historian, without a shred of evidence, as a paid CIA agent. The interview, which was published on the day before the lecture, was aimed at intimidating those who had registered for the event. It is a clear sign of the deep crisis in the Maoist party.

A particularly sinister aspect of the interview was Sison’s accusation that Scalice and the “Trotskyites” were engaging in “red-tagging” by referring to the CPP in connection with its multitude of legal front organisations. According to Sison, associating organisations such as the electoral party-list Bayan Muna, the peasant-based KMP, and the trade union umbrella KMU with the CPP was “red-tagging” and opened their members up to the death squads of the military and fascistic administration of President Duterte.

In the course of denying Scalice’s exposure of the CPP’s role in assisting Duterte into office, Sison lashed out at Scalice, declaring that he had exposed himself as “a red-tagger, communist-baiter and anti-communist agent by calling them front organisations of the CPP.” He continued his slanderous diatribe, branding the historian as “both a liar and incorrigible anti-communist agent of imperialism and reaction. Indeed, he is practically a wild informer for the benefit of the Duterte death squads.”

Sison uses the technique of the Big Lie pioneered by the Nazis, hoping that if the lie is colossal enough and repeated often enough then it will be believed. To suggest that Duterte and the Philippine armed forces are not aware that the CCP and its front organisations are connected is absurd. It is well known to anyone who is politically literate in the Philippines that organisations such as Bayan Muna, the KMP and KMU parrot every opportunist shift and turn in the CPP’s politics, and have done so for decades.

Extraordinarily, Sison in the very same interview boasts about the achievements of the CPP in establishing front organisations. “It has developed mass organisations of various classes and sectoral categories whose members total in the millions. It has built alliances of various types under the auspices of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines,” he declares. In other words, while denouncing Scalice for “red-tagging,” in the next breath Sison admits what Scalice has said is true!

Sison’s accusation of “red-tagging” does nothing to protect the grassroots members of these organisations. The CPP uses this charge to silence anyone who might criticise their opportunist politics. Any attempt to connect the rotten alliances which the party has formed through its front organisations over the course of decades with the party itself is denounced as somehow assisting the assassination and murder of activists.

In reality it is the leadership of the CPP who are responsible for endangering the lives of grassroots organisers and activists, by facilitating the rise to power of figures like Duterte. Sison’s hue and cry over red-tagging serves to intimidate anyone who threatens to expose this fact.

In his attitude to the CPP, Scalice has taken a principled stance—denouncing the murders of members of its front organisations, while maintaining his criticism of the CPP and its Maoist politics. As Scalice explained in his lecture, he issued a statement on August 14 condemning the brutal killing of two members of the National Democratic movement and warning that it was “an attack on the working masses of the Philippines and marked a dramatic step toward police-state rule.”

This statement is in complete contrast to the utterly unprincipled methods of Sison who believes that he can brand his critics as “imperialist agents” and accuse them of “red-tagging” with impunity. He and the CPP have exploited this lie for decades in an effort to intimidate its political opponents. Moreover, to accuse an opponent of “red-tagging” is not simply a matter of verbal bullying but a very definite threat of physical violence and assassination.

Sison’s bald denial that the CPP has killed its own members is another of his lies. On multiple occasions in the 1980s, the party conducted internal purges against alleged military deep-penetration agents. Using torture and coerced testimonies, they executed over a thousand of their own cadre, burying them in mass graves in Mindanao, Laguna and elsewhere. In the 1990s and early 2000s, a number of political opponents, the majority of whom were former leaders of the party, were labeled by Sison as “Trotskyites” and assassinated. Many were gunned down in public.

The unprincipled methods and thuggery of the CPP are not simply a product of bad individuals but flow directly from the unprincipled and reactionary politics of Stalinism and its Chinese variant, Maoism. Sison and the CPP rejected the fundamentals of Marxism from the outset: their program was nationalist not internationalist, and their orientation was never to the proletariat but to sections of the national bourgeoisie and layers of the peasantry, that is, the rural petty bourgeoisie. Their objective was summed up in the Stalinist two-stage theory, which seeks alliances with factions of the Philippine capitalist class to carry out the “national democratic revolution,” and relegates any struggle for socialism to the long distant future.

The two-stage theory is what underpinned Sison’s 1970 book Philippine Society and Revolution, the central text of the party, in which he asserted that Philippine society was “semi-colonial, semi-feudal.” This political line, which denied that what existed was capitalism, has had a poisonous influence in Philippine politics and justified the CPP’s opportunist alliances with bourgeois political figures.

It was Scalice’s detailed, definitive exposure of the role that Sison and the CPP played in hoisting into power the man now denounced by them as a fascist and a murderer—President Rodrigo Duterte—that prompted Sison’s vitriolic and libelous attack on the historian. It is Sison and the CPP leadership who bear political responsibility for the deaths of its supporters at the hands of the death squads, not Scalice who warned of the consequences of its opportunist politics.

In his accusations of “red-tagging,” Sison betrays his Stalinist pedigree. By slandering “Trotskyites” as agents of imperialism, he invents nothing new. This is the reactionary Stalinist politics of the Popular Front of the 1930s that branded the Trotskyist movement as “splitters” and reactionaries for refusing to support the bourgeois republican regime and fighting to mobilise the working class in the struggle for power. In the Spanish revolution, Stalinist thugs tortured and murdered thousands of their left opponents on that basis.

In the Soviet Union, Stalin and Moscow gangsters, facing a rising tide of working-class opposition, perpetrated the lie that Trotsky was an agent of Hitler to justify the mass murder of an entire generation of revolutionary fighters who had carried out the 1917 revolution, as well as scientists, artists and intellectuals. This culminated in the political crime of the century—the assassination of Trotsky in August 1940.

In his interview, Sison openly declares his admiration for Stalin “for building socialism in the Soviet Union,” while being critical “for mistakes in the handling of contradictions within socialist society.” The phrase taken from Mao is never spelled out and has never included a condemnation of Stalin’s murderous purges. Sison reserves his real venom for Trotsky, repeating the lies of Stalin that Trotsky “became brazenly counterrevolutionary and opposed the socialist revolution and construction in the Soviet Union because he had the crazy notion of having to attain first a permanent seamless world revolution.”

Trotsky defended the achievements of the Russian Revolution, which he co-led with Lenin, to his death at the hands of a Stalinist assassin. He warned the Stalinist bureaucracy and its program of “Socialism in One Country” would result in the restoration of capitalism unless it was overthrown by the working class. That prognosis proved to be completely accurate when in 1991 Stalinist leadership presided over the dissolution of the Soviet Union—following in the tracks of the Maoist leadership in China that transformed it into a giant cheap labour platform for global corporations. Sison does not, and cannot, explain how and why the so-called achievements of Stalin resulted in the liquidation of the gains of the Russian and Chinese revolutions.

Sison’s denunciation of Trotsky’s Theory of Permanent Revolution as a “crazy notion” of “a permanent seamless revolution” simply repeats Stalinist caricatures. Trotsky’s insisted that in countries of a belated capitalist development such as the Philippines, the proletariat, leading the peasantry, was alone capable of carrying of the tasks of the democratic revolution, and in doing so would be compelled to make deep inroads into bourgeois private property—that is, to begin socialist tasks. The fate of the revolution in any one country would be completely bound up with the struggle of the international working class for socialism. It was not an argument for the working class to wait for simultaneous global revolution, but, in the epoch of imperialism, for workers to wage their struggles as part of the necessary global fight to overturn capitalism.

What is “crazy” is Sison’s notion that workers, youth and peasants should commit their lives to a “national democratic revolution” to assist the venal Philippine bourgeoisie establish its own national industries—in a world where production is globalised and the Philippines is integrated in global production chains. There is an intuitive recognition among many working people that today’s problems—savage attacks around the world on living standards and democratic rights, environmental disasters, and the rising danger of world war—are global issues and cannot be resolved within the nation state.

That recognition accounts for the interest and support shown for Scalice’s lecture, particularly in the Philippines, which Sison desperately sought to block. Furthermore, those who commented on the lecture, applauding the historian for exposing the truth about the CPP’s record and commending his courage, reveal that there is thirst among workers, youth and intellectuals for a genuinely revolutionary alternative to Stalinism.

Scalice’s lecture is an important contribution to the exposure of Stalinism and Maoism that has had such terrible consequences for the working class in Asia and around the world. We call on our readers to come to his defence with statements of support in opposition to oppose the litany of Stalinist lies recycled by Sison.

At the same time, we encourage workers and youth to go further and make a study of the works of Leon Trotsky and the International Committee of the Fourth International. There they will find the necessary theoretical and political weapons for the revolutionary struggles by the working class against capitalism, which above all requires the building of the ICFI throughout the Asia Pacific and internationally.

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/09/04/scal-s04.html

NOLCOM: 5 captured Aeta NPA members humanely treated by government forces

Posted to the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) Facebook Page (Sep 2, 2020): 5 captured Aeta NPA members humanely treated by government forces

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NOLCOM: Gov't troops rescue minors from an encounter site in Zambales

Posted to the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) Facebook Page (Sep 2, 2020): Gov't troops rescue minors from an encounter site in Zambales

Image may contain: one or more people, text that says '703 GOV'T TROOPS RESCUE MINORS FROM AN ENCOUNTER SITE ZAMBALES Buhawen, San Marcelino, Zambales 21 August 2020 "Upon rescue, they were given medical check-up by Dr. Nida Pabunal, Municipal Health Officer (MHO) of San Marcelino District Hospital before their immediate turn over to San Marcelino Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer, Sarah Soria, for an interview and proper disposition.' RTF-ELCAC BGEN ANDREW COSTELO PA Commander, 703" Infantry Brigade, 7ID, PA NTF-ELCAC #SupportELCAC #AFPyoucanTRUST'

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NOLCOM: 2 Milisyang Bayan members with firearms surrender in Baler, Aurora

Posted to the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) Facebook Page (Sep 4, 2020): 2 Milisyang Bayan members with firearms surrender in Baler, Aurora



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NOLCOM: Soldiers, former rebels finish TESDA training in Baler

Posted to the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) Facebook Page (Sep 4, 2020): Soldiers, former rebels finish TESDA training in Baler

Image may contain: one or more people, text that says 'September 01, 2020 2018 TESDA SOLDIERS, FORMER REBELS FINISH TESDÁ TRAINING IN BALER 8 former members of he Communist Party of Philippines-Ne People's Army (CPP -NPA) and 13 soldiers under the Philippine Army's 91st Infantry (Sinagtala Battalion have completed skills training (Driving NC under the Technical Education and Skills DevelopmentAuthority (TESDA) 91IB, Bayanihan Hall, Brgy. Calabuanan, Baler, Aurora "We were given the chances to learn. We will apply what we learned in the training. We will use it to start again with our family. RTF-ELCAC Arnel Llimbo Former Rebel NTF-ELCAC #SupportELCAC #AFPyoucanTRUST'

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WESCOM: 3 ASG nagbalik-loob sa gobyerno

Posted to the Western Command (WESCOM) Facebook Page (Sep 3, 2020): 3 ASG nagbalik-loob sa gobyerno

Image may contain: one or more people, text that says 'DEATIA PATRIA 188 18 DEDET.PATRIA 3 ASG NAGBALIK-LOOB SA GOBYERNO SUPPORT-PROGKAM neriyangan Dahil sa matagumpay na Community Support Program (CSP) -PCVE immersion ng 18IB CSP Teams kamakailan lamang, tatlong miyembro ng teroristang Abu Sayyaf Group kabilang ang ika-13 sa PSR List ng Basilan-based ASG ang nagbalik-loob sa gobyerno nito lamang ika-31 ng Agosto 2020 nang sila ay boluntaryong sumuko sa himpilan ng 18th Infantry Battalion sa Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan bitbit ang kanilang mga armas. Civil Group, CRSAFP #AFPyoucanTRUST'

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WESCOM: 3 NPA leaders dead in military operation at Brookes Point, Palawan

Posted to the Western Command (WESCOM) Facebook Page (Sep 3, 2020): 3 NPA leaders dead in military operation at Brookes Point, Palawan

Five dead on the NPA side during joint Task Force South / MBLT4 operation earlier today at am in Bgy Hot Brookes Point, Palawan.

3rd Marine Brigade Commander Brig has confirmed three of these. Gen. Nestor Herico with High Value Individual. These were identified with Bonifacio Magramo also known by Salvador Luminoso, Andrea Rosal and Ka Cilnon.

According to Brig. Gen. Herico took nearly three days of preparation for the operation which provided information on the rebels were of great help. This includes the Local Government of Brooke's Point and its citizens who served as barangay information net.

′′ We also recovered some weapons used by rebels, also like laptops, cell phones and other things for their operation. It is also with the help of the citizens in the town of Brooke's Point who continue to give us support and valuable information ′′ according to Brig. Gen. Herico.

The leadership of the Brooke's Point led by Mayor Mary Jean Feliciano to the military group was so thankful that the rebellious people were caught in their place. Please call to the people of Brooke's Point not to support any act of rebel in their place

′′ so we also encourage IP brothers and sisters in the mountains to come down here so they won't be recruited in the mountains and not supporting NPA's activities, others are scaring them so NPA can explore their places ′′ according to them Mayor Feliciano.

Meanwhile, the Government has promised that despite the NPA's fight against the government they will still achieve good wake and burial. For now the remnants of the rebels of the stolen rebels will be turned over at the Municipal Task Force ELCAC of Brooke's Point Palawan and the families of those who died can take it.

According to Brig. Gen Herico, ′′ to others out there in the mountains, give up and come to the government, here you can be given a good life and let's embrace peace together ′′

#AFPyoucanTRUST
#TeamWESCOM
#SupportELCAC
##WholeofNationApproach
#WTR

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SOLCOM: To Christina Palabay of KARAPATAN: Why don't you quote me on that?

Posted to the Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM) Facebook Page (Sep 3, 2020): To Christina Palabay of KARAPATAN: Why don't you quote me on that?

To Cristina Palabay of the CPP NPA NDF front, KARAPATAN, this is what I said verbatim: "Legal front organizations are using the social media to teach their members how to make bombs." I did not just say these groups destabilize the government. I also said that these terrorist groups, hiding under their legal cover, continue to provide support to their CPP NPA colleagues.

Why dont you quote me on that? Nahiya ka sabihin ang masakit na katotohanan sa sinabi ko?

You claim that Zara Alvarez is an activist? She is NOT.

She joined the NPA for 2 years until 2015 when she was arrested. She was bailed out by Karapatan and went aboveground again, probably to take care of her child from CPP NPA Caña, whom you (Karapatan) bailed out after he was arrested for a string of criminal cases. They have so much money to bail their fighters because Alvarez is active in the Center for People's Resources and Services (CPRS), a CPP front established to generate funding from foreign countries, possibly with the help of her Belgian live-in partner.

Just like KARAPATAN members, Alexa Pacalda and Malabanan, who ironically proclaim themselves to be human rights activists, they all turned out to have already trained with and joined the NPAs (Tour of Duty), as seen from their videos.

You want to call yourselves activist as cover for your nefarious deeds so by all means, bring it on because the ATL respects our right and freedom of expression- even our freedom to delude ourselves and deceive innocent Filipinos. Activists are free to shout and express dissent, in front of SolCom Freedom Park if they want. The AFP will secure them.

But terrorists go to jail, if not slain or purged by the CPP NPA hit squad, for various reasons like sexual and financial opportunism.

As Secretary of Regional Whitè Area Committee and Finance of CPP Negros, I suspect that's what happened to Zara Alvarez. That's what happened to Randy Malayao too.

As for Randall Echanis, who do you deceive when you claim he is a peace consultant, Palabay? Peace consultants are recognized ONLY when there are formal peace talks. There aren't.

Echanis was in jail for various crimes including murder of fellow NPAs purged in Inopacan, Leyte. The usual classic tactic of joining the peace negotiations was availed of by the CPP NDF, if only to release Echanis, as well as other hardcore terrorists from jail.

Many of these "peace consultants" previously released have rejoined the NPAs, attending Plenums, and planning for terroristic actions against the government.

So humor us all and tell us about your "peace consultants" Palabay.

Is it not possible that anyone amongst the kin of the 6,000 CPP NPAs purged on orders of Jose Ma Sison could have executed Echanis in revenge?

As for Alvarez, even if this 'activist' had been ìnvolved in NPA tactical actions like the ambush of LT ARCHIE POLENZO of the PA in March 2010, what would the government gain by killing her?

Ask yourself Palabay, why are you still standing with your loud crackpot lies if government censors dissent? Tell us.

Or shall we ask former NPA hitman, James Durimon @Jurros why he was ordered by the CPP Visayas to eliminate ordinary peasants and activists in Negros?

Cui bono? Who benefits?

Definitely not a government that is fully invested in protecting its citizens.

Most likely, the worst human rights offenders in this country- bar none.

The CPP NPA NDF of which KARAPATAN fronts for.

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SOLCOM: On NPA terrorist schools in their tribal community

Posted to the Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM) Facebook Page (Sep 5, 2020): On NPA terrorist schools in their tribal community

LOOK | Datu Lito Gambay, tribal leader of San Fernando, Bukidnon and a former NPA leader, slams the Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation Inc. (MISFI) for running terrorist training camps that teach indigenous children how to use arms, how to hate, mistrust and fight the government, how to create propaganda, and mold these children into terrorists.

Datu Gambay rejects schools ran by the MISFI as it brought chaos and broke Filipino IP families.

Seven simple but fully functioning schools were turned over to the Department of Education then to San Fernando and Kitaotao, Bukidnon on August 4, 2020, to replace the MISFI schools that were shut down.

#IndigenousPeopleZone
#NTFELCAC
#EO70


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SOLCOM: The Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee (STRPC) Continues to Crumble.

Posted to the Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM) Facebook Page (Sep 5, 2020): The Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee (STRPC) Continues to Crumble.

Another 'activist' who had been complaining of being red-tagged ends up dead with the Reds.

The recent encounter at Brooke's Point Palawan between the NPA and Force Reconnaissance Group of the Philippine Marine Corps resulted to the killing of Bonifacio “Salvador Luminoso” Magramo, the secretary of the SRMA (Unite) 4E of the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee (STRPC), Andrea “Ka Naya” Rosal, daughter of late NPA spokesperson Ka Roger Rosal and deputy secretary of the group, Noel “Ka Celso” Siasico, and Ren RJ “Ka Amir” "Lemon" Manalo; all from the NPA’s Bienvinedo Vallever Command (BVC) Palawan.

Just last week six (6) regular members of PLTN SERNA of KLG MAV, SRMA 4D and forty eight (48) Milisyang Bayan (MB)/ Sangay ng Partido sa Localidad (SPL) voluntarily surrendered. A month ago eleven Indigenous People (IP) NPAs also returned to the folds of law after the killing of Lorrelaine Saligumba @Fara. Two members of SOG in Mindoro and six MRGU members in Laguna-Quezon also have returned to the folds of law. The Secretary of SRMA 4C Mario Caraig @ Jethro has been killed including the Platoon Leader of MRGU Dioscoro Cello @ Thermo and two others. Also last year the Sec of SRMA4A, Ermin Bellen@ Pat Romano/Malazarte was killed.

Their plan to complement the Regional Operations Command (ROC) and their Main Regional Guerilla Unit (MRGU) in Mindoro to regain and re-establish base there has failed again with the killing of personalities and leaders of Sub-Region Military Area (SRMA) 4E.

In the encounter at Brooke's Point, Rona Jane "Ren" Manalo, a Gabriela official in Mindoro was found dead. Ren Manalo was a member of PAMALAKAYA and infiltrated legal orgs in mindoro such as SAMAKASAMIN or Samahan ng mga Kababaihan sa Mindoro as the Provincial Coordinator, HAGGIBAT and BAYAN Mindoro.

Bonifacio "Salvador Luminoso" Magramo @ Eboy from Elvita, Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro and Noel Siasico @Lines/Celso from Brgy Limlim, Rizal, Occidental Mindoro were also killed.

So, Cristina Palabay, explain why an activist like REN @Lemon/Pandan was there in a violent incident in Palawan if she is not a terrorist like @Eboy and the rest of the NPAs killed? You have been complaining of being red-tagged, so aren't you?

If the STRPC's ROC and MRGU at the island of Mindoro are planning to avoid the heat by escaping to Palawan, there is also no one to receive them with the death of the top leaders of the CPP there. However, there is an option left for Jose Ma Sison's stooges. Give up their armed struggle and join us in pursuing peace, justice, and development in the countriside. Not the other way around, Joma.

LTGEN ANTONIO G PARLADE JR PA
Commander, SOLCOM AFP


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Death of Ka Roger’s daughter, 2 others a setback in NPA expansion plan

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Sep 5, 2020): Death of Ka Roger’s daughter, 2 others a setback in NPA expansion plan (By: Delfin T. Mallari Jr.)



LUCENA CITY — The plan of communist insurgents to reestablish its presence in Mindoro Island has failed with the death of three top New People’s Army (NPA) officials in the Southern Tagalog, including the daughter of the late NPA spokesperson Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal, in an encounter in Brooke’s Point town in Palawan province on Tuesday, the military said.

“Their plan to complement ROC (Regional Operations Command) MRGU (Main Regional Guerrilla Unit) in Mindoro to regain and reestablish base has failed again with the killing of personalities and leaders of SRMA (subregional military area) 4E,” Lt. Col. Dennis Cana, Armed Forces of the Philippines Southern Luzon Command public information officer, texted to the Inquirer.

Five suspected NPAs, including three of its top officials in Southern Luzon — Bonifacio “Salvador Luminoso” Magramo, secretary of the subregional military guerrilla unit under the Southern Tagalog regional party committee; Andrea “Ka Naya” Rosal, Ka Roger’s daughter and the deputy secretary of the same unit; and Noel “Ka Celso” Siasico, front operational command — were killed in a military offensive in Brooke’s Point in southern Palawan.

The three rebel leaders carried a combined bounty of P16 million for their capture. In November 2019, the local government and the military issued a bounty amounting to P5.4 million for Magramo, P6.1 million for Siasico, and P4.5 million for Rosal, who had been in a top list of NPA members in Palawan wanted by the law enforcement authorities.


Her father’s daughter

Andrea was the daughter of Ka Roger with Rosemarie Domanais, another communist rebel leader. Domanais was killed in an encounter with military forces in 2011. Rosal, the top propagandist of communist rebels, passed away on June 22, 2011, at the age of 64 after suffering a heart attack.

Andrea was eight months pregnant when she was arrested in Caloocan City in March 2014 based on a warrant of arrest issued in Mauban, Quezon province, on murder charges.

She gave birth on May 17 but her premature daughter died after two days due to complications. She regained her freedom in September 2015.

The bodies of Rosal and other slain NPA rebels were to be turned over to the municipal government of Brooke’s Point on Friday night, according to the military.

Communist insurgents operating in Oriental and Occidental Mindoro provinces have also suffered tremendous setbacks from the military offensives and mass surrenders of guerrilla fighters and mass sympathizers early this year up to the present.

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CENTCOM: LOOK | Mass supporters awake from the deceptive ideology of the communist terrorists

Posted to the Central Command (CENTCOM) Facebook Page (Sep 5, 2020): LOOK | Mass supporters awake from the deceptive ideology of the communist terrorists

At least 64 "mass supporters" in Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental provinces withdrew their support for the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army (CPP-NPA). They pledged allegiance to the government through symbolically burning the flags of the communist rebel movement and its front organizations such as the Pambansang Kilusang Mambubukid (PKM).

Lt. Colonel Ricky L. Canatoy, 58IB commanding officer, expressed gratitude to the troops for immersing themselves in communities influenced by the communist rebel movement.

The troops helped deliver "the right information to the locals that made them understand the pointless endeavor of these communist groups that misled the people, especially the youth, towards a brighter future," Canatoy said.

During the activity, the mass supporters signed the wall of commitment declaring the communist organizations as persona non grata in their barangays.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1114247

#CORDSdivision
#EndTerrorism
#NTFELCAC
#EO70

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CENTCOM: Relentless combat operations in Negros yield four NPA militias

Posted to the Central Command (CENTCOM) Facebook Page (Sep 5, 2020): Relentless combat operations in Negros yield four NPA militias

LOOK|| Four members of the NPA’s Yunit Militia were captured by the Army’s 94th Infantry Battalion on Thursday, August 27, 2020 following an encounter at the vicinity of Sitio Cunalom, Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.

The captured NPA militias were identified as Francisco Verde Jr., 38 years old; Jeobel Pacheco, 41 years old; Geneboy Verde, 32 years old; and Ronald Pacheco, 22 years old.

Seized from their possession were one caliber 22 rifle; two revolver pistols; one home-made shot gun; 40mm grenade launcher ammo, and other war materiel.

#BeFullyInformed
#NTFELCAC
#AFPyoucanTRUST

Image may contain: 5 people, text that says '12 August 2020 RELENTLESS COMBAT OPERATIONS IN NEGROS YIELD FOUR NPA MILITIAS GENE YSOL VERDE EDAD retation.to 10691. "Terrorists like NPAs have no place in our peace-loving communities; hence, we will not rest until they will be rendered irrelevant and our communities are free from the threats that these terrorist pose." 3CRG CRSAFP MGEN ERIC C. VINOYA PA Commander, 3ID,Philippine Army #AFPyoucanTRUST'

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CENTCOM: Two female NPAs involved in Janiuay clash surrender

Posted to the Central Command (CENTCOM) Facebook Page (Sep 5, 2020): Two female NPAs involved in Janiuay clash surrender

LOOK|| Two female members of the CPP-NPA terror group surrendered to the Army’s 12th Infantry (Lick Em) Battalion on Saturday, August 29, 2020.

The surrenderers were identified as “JL” and “Alexa” who are members of BALOY Platoon, Central Front, Komiteng-Rehiyon Panay, the same group that the 12IB encountered and engaged in consecutive firefights in Janiuay town, Iloilo, a press report from the 3rd Division Public Affairs Office said.

The armed engagements have caused demoralization within their ranks as the Army registered consecutive victories against the terrorists through the help of the people who shared vital information that led to the decisive hit against the enemy who continue to lose maneuver space in their former strongholds.

ctto: PIA

#BeFullyInformed
#AFPyoucanTRUST


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CENTCOM: LOOK | Terrorists are International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violators

Posted to the Central Command (CENTCOM) Facebook Page (Sep 5, 2020): LOOK | Terrorists are International Humanitarian Law (IHL) violators

Bukidnon provincial prosecutor Rommel Alonto said the complainants and their families filed three cases against 22 NPA terrorists who allegedly committed several atrocities, including destruction of property and murder.

Under RA 9851, the law prohibits killing or “attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities.” It also states that it is unlawful to attack civilian properties that are undefended and are not military objectives.

Alonto said, of the 22 accused, the first case, 17 persons were charged with burning a sugarcane plantation and killing a police officer and wounding another in Sitio Mapait, Barangay New Eden, Pangantucan town on Dec. 12, 2015. The second case is the killing of a certain Jerson Blanza, son of a barangay official, and attempted killing of Mark Dave Gabas, Ebenezer Abejuela, Love Tubongbanua, Jeter Gubaton, and Juliet Caburatan. The third case involved an NPA commander known only as alias “DR” who allegedly shot to death Renato Labisto in Sitio Bagong Lipunan, Barangay Linabo, Quezon town on June 7, 2020.

The suspects are members of the NPA’s Malayag Guerrilla Front and are currently on the run.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1114188

#CORDSdivision
#EndTerrorism
#NTFELCAC
#EO70


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CENTCOM: Menor de Edad na dating miyembro ng NPA nagsisi sa pagsapi sa Komunistang grupo

Posted to the Central Command (CENTCOM) Facebook Page (Sep 5, 2020): Menor de Edad na dating miyembro ng NPA nagsisi sa pagsapi sa Komunistang grupo

Ka Kulafu expressed so much regret for joining the terrorist group of CPP-NPA over fifteen years of armed struggle and killings not only of authorities but also of innocent civilians.

The innocence of the senseless and false ideology of the armed movement is proof of effective program and service of the government in particular the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP)


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WESTMINCOM: Soldiers clash with CTG in Sultan Kudarat

Posted to the Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM) Facebook Page (Sep 3, 2020):  Soldiers clash with CTG in Sultan Kudarat

Camp Navarro, Calarian, Zamboanga City-September 2, 2020

While conducting security operations, troops of the 37th Infantry Battalion encountered more or less 10 communist terrorist group members at Sitio Basiawan, Barangay Datu Ito Andong, Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat at 12:50 p.m., September 2.

“Our troops were verifying the conflagration that transpired in the area when they chanced upon the group thereat,” said Maj. Gen. Diosdado Carreon, JTF Central Commander.

A gunfight ensued which lasted for 30 minutes after which the enemy withdrew to different directions.

The said encounter resulted in the wounding of one soldier while casualties on the enemy side are yet to be determined.

Troops continue to scour the area.

“Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, your armed forces continue to conduct focused and civil-military operations to ensure the safety and security of the people,” said Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, Jr., WestMinCom Commander.

“Rest assured that with the support from the local government and the populace, we will soon attain lasting peace and sustainable development here in Mindanao,” Maj. Gen. Vinluan, Jr. added.

#TeamWestMinCom
#TeamAFP
#AFPYouCanTrust

try - Unifier Brigade602nd "Liberator" Brigade603 Persuader Brigade1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade@Unang Marinong Brigada Team Tabak Joint Task Force BasilanHARIBON TEAM@Magbalantay Cmo Infantry Division 11 2MBde Red Shield@Gagandilan Siete@1102 Infantry "ganarul" Brigade 1st BCT Aegis @Kwatromarinobrigada Sulu @Jtf Tawi Tawi Indomalphi Joint Task Force Zamboanga Virtual Center @Joint Task Force Zamboanga @Unbeatable Ranger Battalion 29th Infantry "Matatag" Battalion, Philippine Army@Tow Westmin Cmo@Tow Westmin Pio@Naval Forces Western Mindanao@Cmou Western Mindanao@Katapatan Pangkatihan Dagatan 33rd Infantry Makabayan Battalion57th Infantry Masikap Battalion1st Mechanized Lakan Battalion@90th Infantry Bigkis Lahi Battalion @Seventh Infantry Tapat Battalion Reliablecmo R SectionBatang Redskin - 6IB 37IB - Conqueror Battalion 40 Infantry "Magiting" Battalion 2nd Mechanized Infantry-MAKASAGBattalion@Onlyourbest MbltFive 38th Infantry We Clear Battalion@Breathe hearth@Ruel Casanes@Ar-ar Galvez@Afman Rosales Jr.@Antriosanjh Espenida Nenea@Sancus Princy Necessitas
La Independencia Filipinoinas

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