Ex-NPA leader urges public not to vote for Makabayan bloc bets

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 6, 2021): Ex-NPA leader urges public not to vote for Makabayan bloc bets (By Che Palicte)

Screengrab photo of Ariane Jane Ramos, alias Marikit, former secretary of a New People's Army guerrilla front during the virtual Laban Kasama ang Bayan program of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) on Monday (Dec. 6, 2021).

A former high-ranking leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) once deceived by its left-leaning group urged the public on Monday not to vote for party-list groups under the Makabayan bloc.

In the virtual program Laban Kasama ang Bayan" of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), Ariane Jane Ramos, alias Marikit, former secretary of the NPA Guerrilla Front (GF) 55, Sub-Regional Committee 5 (SRC)-Southern Mindanao Regional Command (SMRC), said she believed that party-list groups under the Makabayan bloc cannot win in Southern Mindanao in the upcoming 2022 polls.

“One process in order not to allow the presence of NPA is not voting the Makabayan bloc. By that, it would weaken their group,” she said.

Marikit also pointed out that the intensified program of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) with the participation of the former rebels (FRs) to the programs of the government is also a big factor in the Makabayan bloc having a hard time securing seats in next year's elections.

“I highly commend NTF-ELCAC for their efforts. In reality, who gave the services [to the people]? It’s the government. As of now, the NTF-ELCAC leads the services to the insurgency-affected areas. I hope the [Commission on Elections, Senators] would recognize these efforts,” she added.

Should any party-list group under the Makabayan bloc succeed in the 2022 polls, Marikit said she would continue to campaign against these groups.

“Groups like Bayan-Muna, Gabriela, Kabataan Party-list will not win in the Southern Mindanao Region area. As to the whole country, I am not that certain, but I guess the effort to expose them [NPA] is already enough to see their wrongdoings,” she added.

Marikit also reiterated the need to expose the legal fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) and to create a party-list groups that would counter such fronts of the group.

“I hope there is a party- list that would contradict the Makabayan bloc,” she added.

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

The Anti-Terrorism Council also formally designated the National Democratic Front as a terrorist organization on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and separate part” of the CPP-NPA that was created in April 1973.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1161922