CPP eyes more recruits, wants 25K fighters

From the Philippine Star (Dec 26): CPP eyes more recruits, wants 25K fighters

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on Thursday ordered its allies to build their mass base and to continue their recruitment efforts to increase their strength to 25,000.

In a statement released during its 45th anniversary, CPP said effective leadership is the most important political requirement for its aim to achieve a “strategic stalemate” in its war against the government.

“We must strive to bring the number of our party members to 25,000, no matter how long it takes to do so. Such organized strength of ideologically committed and politically competent party members will give us the capability to perform all necessary tasks for advancing the revolution,” the group said.

“We must train and develop big numbers of capable cadres in the different lines of work, improve the collective leadership and style of work of party committees, revitalize the party,” it added.

CPP said its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), can be strengthened by waging battles “to wipe out enemy units and seize their weapons.”
The military, however, believes the CPP would not meet its goal to increase its membership.

“I think that (goal to increase members to 25,000) is absurd because people have been clamoring for the longest time to end the armed struggle,” Armed Forces spokesman Maj. Gen. Domingo Tutaan Jr. said in an interview.

“They haven’t had public sympathy for the longest time already and that’s the reason why their strength is dwindling. They are living a life of fallacy wherein they believe that they could recruit a lot for their armed struggle,” he added.

Tutaan said the rebels cannot attract a huge number of members since they are engaged in criminal acts like extortion and arson.

“Their numbers will be dwindling in the next years and we will be able to achieve our goal of winning the peace and ending insurgency,” he said.

The CPP, however, refuted the military’s claim and mocked the government troops’ operations against the red fighters.

“The enemy has repeatedly boasted that it can destroy or reduce the NPA to inconsequentiality but is always shamed soon enough,” the group said.

CPP claimed that the NPA is now a nationwide revolutionary force operating in more than 110 guerrilla fronts in 71 provinces.

“It has thousands of full-time Red fighters armed with high powered rifles and has a mass base of millions of people, mainly peasants benefiting from genuine land reform,” it said.

CPP also ordered its allies to do their best to cause the ouster of the Aquino administration or compel the president to step down from his office.

“Even if this would not succeed, the movement would still be strengthened and will further cause the US-Aquino regime to fail in its brutal attempt to destroy the armed revolution of the people,” it said.

Tutaan said the military would defend the duly-elected government from threats posed by the rebels.

“Security forces will protect the democratic institutions and duly-constituted government and prevent illegal acts,” he said.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/12/26/1272195/cpp-eyes-more-recruits-wants-25k-fighters