From the Mindanao Examiner (Sep 29, 2019): Military is source of illegal weapons in South – Murad Ebrahim
FORMER REBEL CHIEFTAIN Murad Ebrahim, now Chief Minister of the Muslim autonomous region, has claimed that the main source of illegal weapons and ammunition in the volatile region of Mindanao is the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Speaking at a television news program, Ebrahim, who had waged decades of deadly secessionist campaign in the South as head of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), pointed to the military arsenal as the source of the weapons.
Ebrahim said illegal weapons in Mindanao bear the markings of the Department of National Defense (DND). “Most of the firearms are still coming from the armory of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. I think that’s the main source because now we do not see any firearms or weapons coming (from) outside (of the Philippines). Maybe before, during the early (19)70s, there were firearm purchases outside of the country, but today it is no longer happening,” Ebrahim said, adding, “it is up to the military to be strict in the control of the firearms.”
It was not the first time that the MILF made such accusation.
In July 2003, rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu admitted that his group had been buying weapons from government soldiers. “There’s no direct links between the MILF and the AFP. We do buy firearms and ammunition, not necessarily from the AFP directly. We understand through our simple inquiry that these firearms come from the (government) arsenal,” he said.
Kabalu’s admission came after hundreds of renegade soldiers staged a coup and captured the posh Oakwood Premier apartment building and Glorietta Mall in the country’s business district of Makati City and they accused the Arroyo administration of illegally selling weapons to the MILF, as well as to the Islamic extremist Abu Sayyaf group and communist rebels.
The putschists also accused defense officials of masterminding terrorist bombings in Mindanao and blamed it on the MILF and other militant groups to prolong their rebellion and get more military and financial aid from Washington. They demanded the resignation of President Gloria Arroyo and other senior officials for alleged corruption in the military before peacefully surrendering after long negotiations.
Both the AFP and DND have denied Ebrahim’s allegations, but admitted it had lost weapons and ammunition during battles.
“Nakarating po sa aming kaalaman ang statement ni Ginoong Murad. At alam naman po namin na may mga kaso ng pagkawala ng mga baril at bala, sa mga nangyaring bakbakan at sa mga ambush na nangyari, na nagdaan. Pero ito naman po ay naka-record sa atin. Pero kung mayroon po tayong ganiyang impormasyon at makakakuha pa po tayo ng iba pang detalye buhat kay Chairman Murad, ay magsasagawa po tayo ng karampatang inventory at imbestigasyon,” said military spokesman Brigadier General Edgard Arevalo.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said there were no reports of losses or pilferages of firearms in military armories.“As far as I know we have no leakage in the AFP. No report of losses or pilferages of firearms in AFP armoires or supply rooms,” he said and also echoing Arevalo’s statement that weapons had been lost in fighting with rebel forces in Mindanao.
“Quite a number of firearms were lost by soldiers in encounters with lawless elements and agaw-armas. Over the years, a substantial number of firearms were lost in this manner,” Lorenzana said.
Director Aresenio Andolong, chief of the DND Public Affairs Service, has assured the public that they will run after anyone from the defense establishment involved in gunrunning activities. “We take cognizance of Chief Minister Al-Hajj Murad Ebrahim’s comment. We assure the public that anyone from the defense establishment who is found guilty of gunrunning or pilferage of firearms and munitions will be dealt with severely and sanctioned accordingly.The DND is strongly against the proliferation of loose firearms and will not tolerate any individuals or groups that violate Philippine gun laws,” he said.
But just recently, security forces intercepted some 250 soldiers of Nur Misuari, chieftain of the Moro National Liberation Front led by Ustadz Jamaluddin Abdullah, on their to a peace rally in Maguindanao’s Buluan town and confiscated 37 automatic weapons and three .45-caliber pistols from them.
Police and military freed Abdullah’s group without filing criminal charges against those who were caught carrying automatic weapons.
Major General Diosdado Carreon, the division commander, said MNLF members are prohibited to carry weapons. “MNLF members can converge for dialogues and other peaceful activities as long as they are not in uniform and under arms as this is prohibited in the security agreements indicated in the September 2, 1996 Government of the Philippines-MNLF final peace agreement,” he said.
There was no immediate statement from Misuari. And Carreon did not say why no charges were filed against Abdulla’s group for carrying illegal weapons, especially at a time while the whole of the southern Philippines are under martial law. (Mindanao Examiner)
Friday, September 20, 2019
Detained activist says she was deprived of sleep, food for up to 30 hours
From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Sep 21, 2019): Detained activist says she was deprived of sleep, food for up to 30 hours
Alexandrea Pacalda (Photo from her Facebook account)
LUCENA CITY—Youth activist and human rights worker Alexandrea Pacalda denied confessing to be a New People’s Army member and surrendering to the military, refuting an earlier statement made by the Army.
“I really did not surrender,” Pacalda said in a short video message sent to Inquirer by her lawyer, Maria Sol Taule. “It’s only the Armed Forces of the Philippines that is saying I surrendered. Those from the Armed Forces are the ones saying I’m an NPA who surrendered.”
“Everything I signed in the affidavit of voluntary surrender was against my will because I was not in the right state of mind because of what they did to me since Sept. 14 when I was arrested,” she said.
Taule also sent a photo of a handwritten statement which the lawyer claimed was that of Pacalda.
The statement said the writer was forced and did not volunteer to sign in surrender.
Pacalda said she was made to sign thrice an affidavit of voluntary surrender while she was not in the right state of mind. “I was deprived of sleep and food for 24 to 30 hours,” she said.
The statement was signed by Pacalda on Sept. 17 with the numbers “1535” in the space for date. Taule, in a private message, said 1535 meant 3:35 p.m. in military time.
On Wednesday, the military released Pacalda’s sworn affidavit where she admitted being a member of the NPA and she was surrendering because she wanted to “live a normal life.”
The affidavit was executed on Sept. 17 and notarized by lawyer Meyrick Andrew Oseña in the town of Lopez, Quezon province.
The affidavit said Pacalda confessed to being an NPA member “freely and voluntarily without being forced, threatened, harassed, coerced, and/or promised of (sic) any form of reward.”
In the affidavit, Pacalda said she turned herself in to soldiers from the 85th Infantry Battalion and policemen in General Luna on Sept. 15. She also surrendered a revolver with six bullets.
The human rights group Karapatan and other leftist groups have been demanding the immediate release of Pacalda.
The group claimed that Pacalda, a former campus journalist, was being held against her will and without any charge.
Karapatan also identified Pacalda as an active member of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines and Gabriela Youth.
Alexandrea Pacalda (Photo from her Facebook account)
LUCENA CITY—Youth activist and human rights worker Alexandrea Pacalda denied confessing to be a New People’s Army member and surrendering to the military, refuting an earlier statement made by the Army.
“I really did not surrender,” Pacalda said in a short video message sent to Inquirer by her lawyer, Maria Sol Taule. “It’s only the Armed Forces of the Philippines that is saying I surrendered. Those from the Armed Forces are the ones saying I’m an NPA who surrendered.”
“Everything I signed in the affidavit of voluntary surrender was against my will because I was not in the right state of mind because of what they did to me since Sept. 14 when I was arrested,” she said.
Taule also sent a photo of a handwritten statement which the lawyer claimed was that of Pacalda.
The statement said the writer was forced and did not volunteer to sign in surrender.
Pacalda said she was made to sign thrice an affidavit of voluntary surrender while she was not in the right state of mind. “I was deprived of sleep and food for 24 to 30 hours,” she said.
The statement was signed by Pacalda on Sept. 17 with the numbers “1535” in the space for date. Taule, in a private message, said 1535 meant 3:35 p.m. in military time.
On Wednesday, the military released Pacalda’s sworn affidavit where she admitted being a member of the NPA and she was surrendering because she wanted to “live a normal life.”
The affidavit was executed on Sept. 17 and notarized by lawyer Meyrick Andrew Oseña in the town of Lopez, Quezon province.
The affidavit said Pacalda confessed to being an NPA member “freely and voluntarily without being forced, threatened, harassed, coerced, and/or promised of (sic) any form of reward.”
In the affidavit, Pacalda said she turned herself in to soldiers from the 85th Infantry Battalion and policemen in General Luna on Sept. 15. She also surrendered a revolver with six bullets.
The human rights group Karapatan and other leftist groups have been demanding the immediate release of Pacalda.
The group claimed that Pacalda, a former campus journalist, was being held against her will and without any charge.
Karapatan also identified Pacalda as an active member of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines and Gabriela Youth.
Philippine rebels learn to live without their guns
Posted to the Asia Times (Sep 19, 2019): Philippine rebels learn to live without their guns (By Bong Sarmiento)
MILF fighters are disarming as part of a peace deal, though it’s not clear yet they couldn’t readily reload if the process goes awry
MILF fighters are disarming as part of a peace deal, though it’s not clear yet they couldn’t readily reload if the process goes awry
Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines are parting with their arms after four decades of conflict, one of Asia’s longest running and deadly insurgencies that has taken over 120,000 lives.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has vowed to disarm 40,000 fighters and decommission 7,000 weapons by 2022 under the terms of the so-called Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), a peace deal the rebel group signed with the government in 2014.
But a disparity between the number of fighters and demobilized weapons has cast a shadow over the decommissioning process, viewed by many as one of the CAB’s cornerstones and a key to forging lasting peace.
By committing to hand over just 7,000 weapons, a large number of firearms will remain in the hands of the former rebels, guns they can reload and aim against the government if the peace deal’s implementation is bungled.
The MILF is a splinter of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which waged the original Muslim rebellion for self-determination in the south for several decades until it forged a peace agreement with the government in 1996. MILF fighters broke away from the MNLF over the terms of that peace deal.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has vowed to disarm 40,000 fighters and decommission 7,000 weapons by 2022 under the terms of the so-called Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), a peace deal the rebel group signed with the government in 2014.
But a disparity between the number of fighters and demobilized weapons has cast a shadow over the decommissioning process, viewed by many as one of the CAB’s cornerstones and a key to forging lasting peace.
By committing to hand over just 7,000 weapons, a large number of firearms will remain in the hands of the former rebels, guns they can reload and aim against the government if the peace deal’s implementation is bungled.
The MILF is a splinter of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which waged the original Muslim rebellion for self-determination in the south for several decades until it forged a peace agreement with the government in 1996. MILF fighters broke away from the MNLF over the terms of that peace deal.
An MILF soldier at Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao on the southern island of Mindanao on July 29, 2018. Photo: AFP/Ferdinandh Cabrera
History, skeptics warn, could repeat itself with the current peace agreement. The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) broke away from the MILF in 2010 and is now aligned with Islamic State.
Although deemed a terrorist outfit by the military, the BIFF could readily attract MILF members who become disgruntled with the government-MILF amity accord.
BIFF and MILF members are known to be related by blood or marriage, which could make them easier to lure to the BIFF’s side. Both the MILF and BIFF are based in Maguindanao, a poor Muslim dominated province on the southern island of Mindanao.
In February, the CAB established the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), an area of the country with the highest number of unregistered firearms, according to official estimates.
The MILF as an institution “owns only 7,000 weapons,” according to MILF chieftain Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, concurrently the BARMM’s interim chief minister. He says that an estimated 30% of the MILF’s members also own personal weapons, meaning that there are at least 12,000 arms in circulation among its members.
Gun culture is deeply ingrained in the psyche of ethnic Moros, a collective term for Mindanao’s Muslim Filipinos. In many Moro communities, it is common to see men openly displaying or moving around with their high-powered rifles or hand guns.
“I can separate from my wife, but not from my weapons,” Ebrahim said of the male Moros’ love affair with the firearms that they have used over the decades both for personal security or communal defense.
Of the 12,000 combatants identified for arms decommissioning during the process’s second phase, representing 30% of the MILF’s 40,000 total fighters, they must turn over at least 2,100 weapons by March 2020.
So far only 1,020 combatants have handed over 940 weapons, which could be seen on September 7 discarded in neat lines outside of a gymnasium at the abandoned provincial capitol building in Sultan Kudarat, where the MILF’s sprawling Camp Darapanan is situated.
History, skeptics warn, could repeat itself with the current peace agreement. The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) broke away from the MILF in 2010 and is now aligned with Islamic State.
Although deemed a terrorist outfit by the military, the BIFF could readily attract MILF members who become disgruntled with the government-MILF amity accord.
BIFF and MILF members are known to be related by blood or marriage, which could make them easier to lure to the BIFF’s side. Both the MILF and BIFF are based in Maguindanao, a poor Muslim dominated province on the southern island of Mindanao.
In February, the CAB established the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), an area of the country with the highest number of unregistered firearms, according to official estimates.
The MILF as an institution “owns only 7,000 weapons,” according to MILF chieftain Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, concurrently the BARMM’s interim chief minister. He says that an estimated 30% of the MILF’s members also own personal weapons, meaning that there are at least 12,000 arms in circulation among its members.
Gun culture is deeply ingrained in the psyche of ethnic Moros, a collective term for Mindanao’s Muslim Filipinos. In many Moro communities, it is common to see men openly displaying or moving around with their high-powered rifles or hand guns.
“I can separate from my wife, but not from my weapons,” Ebrahim said of the male Moros’ love affair with the firearms that they have used over the decades both for personal security or communal defense.
Of the 12,000 combatants identified for arms decommissioning during the process’s second phase, representing 30% of the MILF’s 40,000 total fighters, they must turn over at least 2,100 weapons by March 2020.
So far only 1,020 combatants have handed over 940 weapons, which could be seen on September 7 discarded in neat lines outside of a gymnasium at the abandoned provincial capitol building in Sultan Kudarat, where the MILF’s sprawling Camp Darapanan is situated.
A police official inspects over 900 weapons the MILF turned over to the Independent Decommissioning Body in Maguindanao province, September 7, 2019. Photo: Bong S Sarmiento
The disarmament’s first phase, designed as a ceremonial decommissioning, took place under then-president Benigno Aquino III in 2015, involving 145 MILF combatants and 75 weapons.
On September 7, current President Rodrigo Duterte arrived by helicopter to Maguindanao to inspect the mostly rusty weapons that included vintage machine guns, mortars, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and World War II-era Armalite and Garand rifles, among others.
The Independent Decommissioning Body, which is chaired by Turkey and comprised of Norway, Brunei, the Philippine government and MILF, will jointly put the weapons beyond use.
Duterte described the start of the bulk decommissioning as “a huge step towards our goal of achieving lasting peace for Mindanao.”
In a third phase, another 35% of the MILF’s forces, or 14,000 combatants, will partake in a similar handover next year, while the rest will relinquish their arms by 2022 – in time for the two sides’ exit agreement, according to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.
Duterte tried to soothe disarmed MILF fighters, most of them clad in light blue shirts with “decommissioned combatant” emblazoned on the back, by promising government assistance to ease their transition from combatants to civilians.
As part of the program, demobilized MILF fighters will each receive 100,000 pesos (US$2,000) cash, housing, education and livelihood assistance worth 1 million pesos (nearly US$20,000) for several years.
“Do not be sad that you turned over your firearms to the government because you are now with the government,” Duterte said in the local Tagalog language.
The disarmament’s first phase, designed as a ceremonial decommissioning, took place under then-president Benigno Aquino III in 2015, involving 145 MILF combatants and 75 weapons.
On September 7, current President Rodrigo Duterte arrived by helicopter to Maguindanao to inspect the mostly rusty weapons that included vintage machine guns, mortars, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and World War II-era Armalite and Garand rifles, among others.
The Independent Decommissioning Body, which is chaired by Turkey and comprised of Norway, Brunei, the Philippine government and MILF, will jointly put the weapons beyond use.
Duterte described the start of the bulk decommissioning as “a huge step towards our goal of achieving lasting peace for Mindanao.”
In a third phase, another 35% of the MILF’s forces, or 14,000 combatants, will partake in a similar handover next year, while the rest will relinquish their arms by 2022 – in time for the two sides’ exit agreement, according to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.
Duterte tried to soothe disarmed MILF fighters, most of them clad in light blue shirts with “decommissioned combatant” emblazoned on the back, by promising government assistance to ease their transition from combatants to civilians.
As part of the program, demobilized MILF fighters will each receive 100,000 pesos (US$2,000) cash, housing, education and livelihood assistance worth 1 million pesos (nearly US$20,000) for several years.
“Do not be sad that you turned over your firearms to the government because you are now with the government,” Duterte said in the local Tagalog language.
President Rodrigo Duterte R) and MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim (C) during the decommissioning of MILF combatants and weapons in Maguindanao, September 7, 2019. Photo: Bong S Sarmiento
Carlito Galvez Jr, Duterte’s chief peace adviser, acknowledged the wide disparity between the number of decommissioned MILF fighters and the number of firearms that they are scheduled to relinquish.
“I believe the (number of) firearms that they declared was very conservative because I saw by myself that most of the combatants have firearms,” he said in a media briefing. He told Asia Times he believes the MILF “owns as many as 15,000 weapons.”
Galvez, a retired military general who fought against MILF rebels, said that if the social and security conditions in the Bangsamoro region do not improve, MILF members who still have weapons will become increasingly reluctant to give up their arms.
“Our main aim for the ex-MILF combatants is to nurture or shepherd them until such time that they will have complete change in their social being,” he said.
MILF chieftain Ebrahim conceded the demobilization is a huge challenge for many former fighters.
“For many years our training has been grounded on the armed struggle,” Ebrahim said. “But now, our brave combatants will face a significantly different form of struggle to transform to civilian lives and embrace a new mindset.”
“That instead of going to the field for conflict, we will now go to the field to harvest our crops; that instead of carrying firearms, we will now carry tools for work and education; that instead of thinking about a possible encounter the next day, we can now think of opportunities that await us, our children, and those who will follow.”
He stressed the importance for the government to deliver promised socio-economic packages, including cash handouts, housing and scholarships, to encourage MILF members to disarm.
It is also vital to provide sustainable livelihoods, not just from the government but also the private sector, he added. Decades of war have stunted the region’s economic development and discouraged investment.
Carlito Galvez Jr, Duterte’s chief peace adviser, acknowledged the wide disparity between the number of decommissioned MILF fighters and the number of firearms that they are scheduled to relinquish.
“I believe the (number of) firearms that they declared was very conservative because I saw by myself that most of the combatants have firearms,” he said in a media briefing. He told Asia Times he believes the MILF “owns as many as 15,000 weapons.”
Galvez, a retired military general who fought against MILF rebels, said that if the social and security conditions in the Bangsamoro region do not improve, MILF members who still have weapons will become increasingly reluctant to give up their arms.
“Our main aim for the ex-MILF combatants is to nurture or shepherd them until such time that they will have complete change in their social being,” he said.
MILF chieftain Ebrahim conceded the demobilization is a huge challenge for many former fighters.
“For many years our training has been grounded on the armed struggle,” Ebrahim said. “But now, our brave combatants will face a significantly different form of struggle to transform to civilian lives and embrace a new mindset.”
“That instead of going to the field for conflict, we will now go to the field to harvest our crops; that instead of carrying firearms, we will now carry tools for work and education; that instead of thinking about a possible encounter the next day, we can now think of opportunities that await us, our children, and those who will follow.”
He stressed the importance for the government to deliver promised socio-economic packages, including cash handouts, housing and scholarships, to encourage MILF members to disarm.
It is also vital to provide sustainable livelihoods, not just from the government but also the private sector, he added. Decades of war have stunted the region’s economic development and discouraged investment.
MILF members wear blue “decommissioned” shirts at a disarmament ceremony in Maguindanao province, September 7, 2019. Photo: Bong S Sarmiento
That could soon change, however. As part of the peace deal, the government has recognized at least six MILF camps that will be transformed into productive economic zones.
Russian and Swiss investors, meanwhile, have already expressed interest in converting vast tracts of land in and around MILF camps into banana plantations.
Ebrahim expressed confidence that putting his group’s weapons beyond use will, “bring normalization that will usher in a new era of peace and development in the new Bangsamoro region.”
He also believes that violent extremism, including radical ideology now being spread by Islamic State, will be pushed to the margins with the distribution of government assistance and new private sector-led job opportunities.
With disarmament now gaining momentum, Ebrahim rejects the idea that his armed group has somehow been vanquished.
“We are not surrendering. Decommissioning is not tantamount to surrender,” said the septuagenarian leader who fought the government for 50 years. He said the group’s members now plan to use the democratic process to fight for their people’s cause.
At the start of the bulk decommissioning of firearms and weapons on September 7, Ebrahim extended Duterte a token of appreciation “for what he has done to the Bangsamoro people and our homeland.” The token, ironically, was an Israeli-made Tavor assault rifle.
That could soon change, however. As part of the peace deal, the government has recognized at least six MILF camps that will be transformed into productive economic zones.
Russian and Swiss investors, meanwhile, have already expressed interest in converting vast tracts of land in and around MILF camps into banana plantations.
Ebrahim expressed confidence that putting his group’s weapons beyond use will, “bring normalization that will usher in a new era of peace and development in the new Bangsamoro region.”
He also believes that violent extremism, including radical ideology now being spread by Islamic State, will be pushed to the margins with the distribution of government assistance and new private sector-led job opportunities.
With disarmament now gaining momentum, Ebrahim rejects the idea that his armed group has somehow been vanquished.
“We are not surrendering. Decommissioning is not tantamount to surrender,” said the septuagenarian leader who fought the government for 50 years. He said the group’s members now plan to use the democratic process to fight for their people’s cause.
At the start of the bulk decommissioning of firearms and weapons on September 7, Ebrahim extended Duterte a token of appreciation “for what he has done to the Bangsamoro people and our homeland.” The token, ironically, was an Israeli-made Tavor assault rifle.
The Philippines Is the Frontline in the U.S. Competition with China
Posted to the National Interest Online (Sep 19, 2019): The Philippines Is the Frontline in the U.S. Competition with China (by Lynn Kuok)
What should the Philippines foreign policy be in an era of great-power competition?
Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte was in China at the end of last month for his fifth trip there as president. He faces increasing domestic pressure for his conciliatory approach to China, so all eyes were on whether he would keep his promise to raise the 2016 UN tribunal ruling in the Philippines case against China, which had largely found in the Philippines’ favor. He did, but Chinese president Xi Jinping reiterated that Beijing did not recognize the award. This was a repeat of their interaction in April when Duterte broached the South China Sea while attending the Belt and Road Forum. Manila was then expecting more than $18 billion worth of deals to be signed. In both cases Duterte did not press the issue.
The Philippines is on the frontline of U.S.-China competition. This has, in some respects, benefited the country. Washington is paying increased attention to the Philippines: in March, Washington clarified that the reference to “Pacific” in the U.S.-Philippines mutual defense treaty included the South China Sea. Beijing lavishes promises of Belt and Road Initiative deals, though little has materialized. Top officials I spoke to on a visit to Manila in July take the view that Beijing looks ready to agree to a deal to cooperate on oil and gas development that would implicitly accept that the Philippines enjoys sole sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). If so, Beijing did not show it cards at the recent bilateral: Xi merely called for the inter-governmental committee created to look into the possibility of joint exploration to prepare a “substantive program.”
Troubled Waters
Developments in the Philippines’ foreign policy, however, have largely been troubling. In June, Duterte explained the presence of a Chinese fishing vessel that had collided with a stationary Filipino fishing vessel in the Philippines EEZ by claiming that in 2016 he had given China a right to fish in the Philippines’ EEZ. This goes beyond merely shelving the award—any such agreement could, moreover, be a breach of the Philippines’ obligation to conserve and manage its living resources.
Beijing has also faced little pushback for its increased presence around Philippines-occupied features and in the Philippines EEZ, allowing it to increase pressure and coercion on the Philippines and other coastal states. The presence of hundreds of vessels around Thitu Island, the largest Philippines-occupied feature in the Spratly Islands, might have gone under the radar if a U.S.-based think tank had not first sounded the alarm in February.
Duterte has been rightly dogged in his determination to avoid war. But his anemic handling of China is flawed.
First, when a rules-based order comes tumbling down, so too do the bulwarks against open conflict. In such an event, weaker states, like the Philippines, and by implication its people, get the short end of the stick.
Second, Duterte’s approach falsely limits the Philippines’ options to complete submission to China or war. The reality is that between Scylla and Charybdis is a narrow channel that a good captain must navigate.
Third, war by design is unlikely. Beijing’s approach to the South China Sea has demonstrated a desire to take actions that stop short of provoking outright war.
Standing Ground
What can the Philippines do, short of war, to stand its ground?
First, Duterte should “clarify” that his purported 2016 verbal agreement related only to fishing in the territorial sea around Scarborough Shoal (rather than the entirety of the Philippines EEZ). This would be consistent with the tribunal award’s finding that fishermen from the Philippines, China, Vietnam and Taiwan enjoy traditional fishing rights in Scarborough Shoal’s territorial sea. Beijing is unlikely to deny this version of events since insisting that Duterte had given China a right to fish in the Philippines EEZ indirectly concedes the Philippines’ claim to sole sovereign rights.
Second, words matter in defending rights. Duterte declared in his State of the Nation address in July that he had asked China to “please allow” Philippines fishermen to fish in the Philippines EEZ. A coastal state does not ask for permission to fish in its own EEZ.
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Third, the Philippines should immediately call out objectionable behavior, including illegal fishing in its EEZ, denial of its fishing rights, and “swarming” activities aimed at intimidation. Neither calling out bad behavior nor sending in coastguard vessels to “fly the flag” are casus belli. Indonesia has punished illegal fishing by blowing up or sinking vessels, including Chinese ones; Vietnam has dispatched vessels to object to Chinese survey activities in its EEZ.
Fourth, the Philippines should continue to strengthen ties with the United States, including expediting progress under the 2014 Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which allows the U.S. military to construct facilities, pre-position defense assets and deploy troops on a rotational basis on five Philippine military bases. Thus far, only one EDCA facility has opened.
Fifth, the Philippines must consider how to respond if China builds on Scarborough Shoal—a feature just over 200 miles from the country’s capital. Many I spoke to in Manila agreed that Beijing is calculating that it has a three-year window to consolidate its position with a China-friendly president in place.
Building on Scarborough Shoal is unlikely to trigger the U.S.-Philippines mutual defense treaty for two reasons. First, an international court or tribunal has not determined Scarborough Shoal to be Philippines territory and the United States does not take a position on competing sovereignty claims. Second, Beijing could build on Scarborough Shoal without an “armed attack” on the Philippines’ “armed forces, public vessels or aircraft” since China is already in control of the feature.
Still, Duterte’s assertions that the Philippines can do nothing without a “massacre” is defeatist. Manila showed creativity in retaining control of Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands—in 1999, it deliberately ran an old naval transport ship aground. Creativity should similarly be applied to defending Scarborough Shoal.
Sixth, Manila must urge the Trump administration to communicate to Beijing, either privately or publicly, that building on Scarborough Shoal would be crossing a red line—the Obama administration did this in private communications. A Chinese base on Scarborough Shoal would hurt U.S. interests by complicating military planning and undermining U.S. credibility in the region.
Seventh, the Philippines should continuously raise the 2016 tribunal decision, which confirmed that coastal states in the South China Sea enjoy EEZs unencumbered by China’s nine-dash line or any claimed EEZ from features in the Spratly Islands. The August statement of the Philippines Department of National Defense was a positive step.
The award clarified that the Philippines is sovereign over Mischief Reef because it is a low-tide elevation within its EEZ. When Beijing repeats its false claim, as in its recent Defense White Paper, that “China exercises its national sovereignty to build infrastructure and deploy necessary defensive capabilities on the islands and reefs in the South China Sea,” the Philippines and others should remind it that sovereignty over these features is contested and China is squatting on at least one Philippine territory.
Eighth, Manila should highlight the inconsistency of Beijing insisting that foreign warships obtain prior authorization before exercising innocent passage within Chinese territorial waters, when it plies through Philippines territorial waters without prior notification or authorization, as it did in July and August through the Sibutu Straits. Under UNCLOS, all vessels enjoy innocent passage within a coastal state’s territorial sea without the need for prior notification or authorization.
Unfortunately, Duterte muddied the waters by demanding that foreign vessels “notify and get clearance” to sail in the Philippines’ territorial waters. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. clarified this month that the right to innocent passage is “absolute” and does not require permission—and that the president likely meant that permission could be sought between friendly nations.
The dispute over the South China Sea is about far more than rocks and reefs. It concerns the economic rights of ordinary Filipinos. More fundamentally, it strikes at the heart of the rule of law, which sets the terms of engagement between the Philippines, China and the United States on the South China Sea and on other issues. Long-term peace and prosperity depend on freedom from coercion and mutual respect between sovereign states, as well as the rules-based international order that undergirds it all. The Philippines must, in its actions, stand firm in defending these principles.
[Dr Lynn Kuok is an associate fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a senior research fellow at the University of Cambridge and a visiting scholar at the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School. She works on the politics, law and security of the Indo-Pacific, focusing on U.S.-China-ASEAN relations and the South China Sea dispute. She recently gave evidence before the UK House of Commons Defence Committee on the security situation in the “Far East.”]
What should the Philippines foreign policy be in an era of great-power competition?
Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte was in China at the end of last month for his fifth trip there as president. He faces increasing domestic pressure for his conciliatory approach to China, so all eyes were on whether he would keep his promise to raise the 2016 UN tribunal ruling in the Philippines case against China, which had largely found in the Philippines’ favor. He did, but Chinese president Xi Jinping reiterated that Beijing did not recognize the award. This was a repeat of their interaction in April when Duterte broached the South China Sea while attending the Belt and Road Forum. Manila was then expecting more than $18 billion worth of deals to be signed. In both cases Duterte did not press the issue.
The Philippines is on the frontline of U.S.-China competition. This has, in some respects, benefited the country. Washington is paying increased attention to the Philippines: in March, Washington clarified that the reference to “Pacific” in the U.S.-Philippines mutual defense treaty included the South China Sea. Beijing lavishes promises of Belt and Road Initiative deals, though little has materialized. Top officials I spoke to on a visit to Manila in July take the view that Beijing looks ready to agree to a deal to cooperate on oil and gas development that would implicitly accept that the Philippines enjoys sole sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). If so, Beijing did not show it cards at the recent bilateral: Xi merely called for the inter-governmental committee created to look into the possibility of joint exploration to prepare a “substantive program.”
Troubled Waters
Developments in the Philippines’ foreign policy, however, have largely been troubling. In June, Duterte explained the presence of a Chinese fishing vessel that had collided with a stationary Filipino fishing vessel in the Philippines EEZ by claiming that in 2016 he had given China a right to fish in the Philippines’ EEZ. This goes beyond merely shelving the award—any such agreement could, moreover, be a breach of the Philippines’ obligation to conserve and manage its living resources.
Beijing has also faced little pushback for its increased presence around Philippines-occupied features and in the Philippines EEZ, allowing it to increase pressure and coercion on the Philippines and other coastal states. The presence of hundreds of vessels around Thitu Island, the largest Philippines-occupied feature in the Spratly Islands, might have gone under the radar if a U.S.-based think tank had not first sounded the alarm in February.
Duterte has been rightly dogged in his determination to avoid war. But his anemic handling of China is flawed.
First, when a rules-based order comes tumbling down, so too do the bulwarks against open conflict. In such an event, weaker states, like the Philippines, and by implication its people, get the short end of the stick.
Second, Duterte’s approach falsely limits the Philippines’ options to complete submission to China or war. The reality is that between Scylla and Charybdis is a narrow channel that a good captain must navigate.
Third, war by design is unlikely. Beijing’s approach to the South China Sea has demonstrated a desire to take actions that stop short of provoking outright war.
Standing Ground
What can the Philippines do, short of war, to stand its ground?
First, Duterte should “clarify” that his purported 2016 verbal agreement related only to fishing in the territorial sea around Scarborough Shoal (rather than the entirety of the Philippines EEZ). This would be consistent with the tribunal award’s finding that fishermen from the Philippines, China, Vietnam and Taiwan enjoy traditional fishing rights in Scarborough Shoal’s territorial sea. Beijing is unlikely to deny this version of events since insisting that Duterte had given China a right to fish in the Philippines EEZ indirectly concedes the Philippines’ claim to sole sovereign rights.
Second, words matter in defending rights. Duterte declared in his State of the Nation address in July that he had asked China to “please allow” Philippines fishermen to fish in the Philippines EEZ. A coastal state does not ask for permission to fish in its own EEZ.
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Third, the Philippines should immediately call out objectionable behavior, including illegal fishing in its EEZ, denial of its fishing rights, and “swarming” activities aimed at intimidation. Neither calling out bad behavior nor sending in coastguard vessels to “fly the flag” are casus belli. Indonesia has punished illegal fishing by blowing up or sinking vessels, including Chinese ones; Vietnam has dispatched vessels to object to Chinese survey activities in its EEZ.
Fourth, the Philippines should continue to strengthen ties with the United States, including expediting progress under the 2014 Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which allows the U.S. military to construct facilities, pre-position defense assets and deploy troops on a rotational basis on five Philippine military bases. Thus far, only one EDCA facility has opened.
Fifth, the Philippines must consider how to respond if China builds on Scarborough Shoal—a feature just over 200 miles from the country’s capital. Many I spoke to in Manila agreed that Beijing is calculating that it has a three-year window to consolidate its position with a China-friendly president in place.
Building on Scarborough Shoal is unlikely to trigger the U.S.-Philippines mutual defense treaty for two reasons. First, an international court or tribunal has not determined Scarborough Shoal to be Philippines territory and the United States does not take a position on competing sovereignty claims. Second, Beijing could build on Scarborough Shoal without an “armed attack” on the Philippines’ “armed forces, public vessels or aircraft” since China is already in control of the feature.
Still, Duterte’s assertions that the Philippines can do nothing without a “massacre” is defeatist. Manila showed creativity in retaining control of Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands—in 1999, it deliberately ran an old naval transport ship aground. Creativity should similarly be applied to defending Scarborough Shoal.
Sixth, Manila must urge the Trump administration to communicate to Beijing, either privately or publicly, that building on Scarborough Shoal would be crossing a red line—the Obama administration did this in private communications. A Chinese base on Scarborough Shoal would hurt U.S. interests by complicating military planning and undermining U.S. credibility in the region.
Seventh, the Philippines should continuously raise the 2016 tribunal decision, which confirmed that coastal states in the South China Sea enjoy EEZs unencumbered by China’s nine-dash line or any claimed EEZ from features in the Spratly Islands. The August statement of the Philippines Department of National Defense was a positive step.
The award clarified that the Philippines is sovereign over Mischief Reef because it is a low-tide elevation within its EEZ. When Beijing repeats its false claim, as in its recent Defense White Paper, that “China exercises its national sovereignty to build infrastructure and deploy necessary defensive capabilities on the islands and reefs in the South China Sea,” the Philippines and others should remind it that sovereignty over these features is contested and China is squatting on at least one Philippine territory.
Eighth, Manila should highlight the inconsistency of Beijing insisting that foreign warships obtain prior authorization before exercising innocent passage within Chinese territorial waters, when it plies through Philippines territorial waters without prior notification or authorization, as it did in July and August through the Sibutu Straits. Under UNCLOS, all vessels enjoy innocent passage within a coastal state’s territorial sea without the need for prior notification or authorization.
Unfortunately, Duterte muddied the waters by demanding that foreign vessels “notify and get clearance” to sail in the Philippines’ territorial waters. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. clarified this month that the right to innocent passage is “absolute” and does not require permission—and that the president likely meant that permission could be sought between friendly nations.
The dispute over the South China Sea is about far more than rocks and reefs. It concerns the economic rights of ordinary Filipinos. More fundamentally, it strikes at the heart of the rule of law, which sets the terms of engagement between the Philippines, China and the United States on the South China Sea and on other issues. Long-term peace and prosperity depend on freedom from coercion and mutual respect between sovereign states, as well as the rules-based international order that undergirds it all. The Philippines must, in its actions, stand firm in defending these principles.
[Dr Lynn Kuok is an associate fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a senior research fellow at the University of Cambridge and a visiting scholar at the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School. She works on the politics, law and security of the Indo-Pacific, focusing on U.S.-China-ASEAN relations and the South China Sea dispute. She recently gave evidence before the UK House of Commons Defence Committee on the security situation in the “Far East.”]
Lt. Gen. Clement, mistah of Madrigal, to succeed him as AFP chief of staff
From the Business Mirror (Sep 20, 2019): Lt. Gen. Clement, mistah of Madrigal, to succeed him as AFP chief of staff
In this file photo Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Benjamin Madrigal dons the rank of Lieutenant General to Central Command chief Noel Clement at the AFP General Headquarters, Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Jan. 10, 2019, Lt.General Clement is the new appointed Chief of Staff of the AFP.
THE leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines remained firmly in the hands of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1985 following the appointment of Lt. Gen. Noel Clement as the incoming chief of staff.
Clement, current commander of the Central Command based in Cebu, but has operational jurisdiction over the entire Visayas, will succeed outgoing chief of staff Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr., with the turnover ceremony having been scheduled on Tuesday.
Both Clement and Madrigal are members of PMA Class 1985. Madrigal’s predecessor, retired Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., the current government peace adviser, is also a member of the class.
Clement would be the AFP’s sixth chief of staff under President Duterte, who is halfway through his six-year term.
The incoming chief of staff welcomed his impending assumption, saying he would work in order to ensure that Duterte’s matching orders for the military to get rid of the communist insurgency by the end of his term is attained.
“I will have to engage more sectors so that there would be more of us who would be fighting,” he said, adding this tack should hasten the defeat of communism.
Clement ensured the capability upgrade of the military through the modernization program will continue along with the being implemented plans and schemes against terrorism.
Before heading the Central Command where he was plucked from to serve as the top military chief, Clement commanded the 10th Infantry Division based in Compostela Valley, but which has operational jurisdiction over the Davao provinces, including Duterte’s home city.
Jonas Burgos case
As a junior officer and commander of the 56th Infantry Battalion based in Bulacan, he was initially tagged in the 2007 disappearance of farmer-activist Jonas Burgos.
Burgos, son of the late world press freedom icon Joe Burgos Jr., was snatched at a mall in Quezon City. He remains missing although his family members have never stopped searching even up to this day.
Allegations of involvement in the kidnapping of Burgos scarred Clement’s career at least initially, but he has survived them, leading still to his rise in the military. He was not among the military officers charged by the Burgos family lawyers.
Editha Burgos, Jonas’s mother, said that “for as long as the military does not comply with the court order to surface Jonas, they will remain under a lound of suspicion.”
Clement does not want to dig up the issue or even entertain the notion that his appointment as chief of staff will intensify cases of enforced disappearances.
“That’s a very old issue and I will not honor them by answering that. So if they want to make that an issue that’s their problem. It is up to them to prove whether there is truth to it, “ he said.
“But I will not explain to them. I have been faithful in my service to our country and I have not been involved in any of those activities,” he added, noting there had not been “any iota of evidence” against him.
A biosketch of Clement provided by military public affairs office chief Col. Noel Detoyato showed the incoming chief of staff studied at DOLE Philippines School, Stella Maris Academy of Davao and had his first year in Bachelor of Science in Commerce at Ateneo De Davao University, before entering the Philippine Military Academy in 1981.
He was born in Lipa City, Batangas.
Clement, current commander of the Central Command based in Cebu, but has operational jurisdiction over the entire Visayas, will succeed outgoing chief of staff Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr., with the turnover ceremony having been scheduled on Tuesday.
Both Clement and Madrigal are members of PMA Class 1985. Madrigal’s predecessor, retired Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., the current government peace adviser, is also a member of the class.
Clement would be the AFP’s sixth chief of staff under President Duterte, who is halfway through his six-year term.
The incoming chief of staff welcomed his impending assumption, saying he would work in order to ensure that Duterte’s matching orders for the military to get rid of the communist insurgency by the end of his term is attained.
“I will have to engage more sectors so that there would be more of us who would be fighting,” he said, adding this tack should hasten the defeat of communism.
Clement ensured the capability upgrade of the military through the modernization program will continue along with the being implemented plans and schemes against terrorism.
Before heading the Central Command where he was plucked from to serve as the top military chief, Clement commanded the 10th Infantry Division based in Compostela Valley, but which has operational jurisdiction over the Davao provinces, including Duterte’s home city.
Jonas Burgos case
As a junior officer and commander of the 56th Infantry Battalion based in Bulacan, he was initially tagged in the 2007 disappearance of farmer-activist Jonas Burgos.
Burgos, son of the late world press freedom icon Joe Burgos Jr., was snatched at a mall in Quezon City. He remains missing although his family members have never stopped searching even up to this day.
Allegations of involvement in the kidnapping of Burgos scarred Clement’s career at least initially, but he has survived them, leading still to his rise in the military. He was not among the military officers charged by the Burgos family lawyers.
Editha Burgos, Jonas’s mother, said that “for as long as the military does not comply with the court order to surface Jonas, they will remain under a lound of suspicion.”
Clement does not want to dig up the issue or even entertain the notion that his appointment as chief of staff will intensify cases of enforced disappearances.
“That’s a very old issue and I will not honor them by answering that. So if they want to make that an issue that’s their problem. It is up to them to prove whether there is truth to it, “ he said.
“But I will not explain to them. I have been faithful in my service to our country and I have not been involved in any of those activities,” he added, noting there had not been “any iota of evidence” against him.
A biosketch of Clement provided by military public affairs office chief Col. Noel Detoyato showed the incoming chief of staff studied at DOLE Philippines School, Stella Maris Academy of Davao and had his first year in Bachelor of Science in Commerce at Ateneo De Davao University, before entering the Philippine Military Academy in 1981.
He was born in Lipa City, Batangas.
NDF/CPP: Resist and end Duterte’s fascist regime
CPP propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Philippines (NDFP or NDF) Website (Sep 20, 2019): Resist and end Duterte’s fascist regime
Almost five decades ago, Ferdinand Marcos placed the entire country under martial law which launched his brutal dictatorial rule. For 14 years, the Filipino people resisted valiantly and fought on all arenas of struggle. Serving as the strongest bulwark of anti-fascist resistance, the Party and the New People’s Army waged underground and armed struggle, inspiring and militating the Filipino people to unite and struggle for democracy. Culminating long years of anti-fascist resistance, the Filipino people rose up in their millions in 1986 causing the overthrow of the US-Marcos dictatorship.
The Filipino people today are subjected to the same fascist brutalities and cruelties under Duterte as the crisis of the ruling semicolonial and semifeudal system worsen ever more rapidly. The attacks against the people are far more brazen and are on a greater scale, particularly in terms of killings perpetrated by state forces.
The resort to fascism of the Duterte ruling reactionary clique indicates the overall crisis of the ruling system and its inability to perpetuate itself without using barefaced state terrorism. It further weakens the ruling state because it intensifies the contradictions not only between the oppressed masses and the ruling state, but also that between the different rival factions of the ruling classes.
The Filipino people must firmly resist and seek to end Duterte’s reign of fascist terror. They must fight for their democratic rights. They must vigorously struggle to prevent Duterte from perpetuating his rule, and demand that he be made accountable for all the crimes perpetrated by state forces under his regime.
Photo from News5 fb page
Duterte’s fascist demagoguery and lies must be thoroughly exposed and repudiated. All its crimes must be roundly and widely condemned. The demand for justice must resound across the country. Duterte’s exercise of absolute power, his treachery and corruption must be denounced. The aggrandizement of the military into the civil spheres of society must be opposed. The people should be infused with courage in the difficult fight against Duterte’s fascist tyranny.
All democratic forces must come together in a broad anti-fascist united front against the Duterte regime. This must bring together the oppressed and exploited classes, the intellectuals and professionals, the academics, church, media workers, women, the youth and the anti-Duterte political opposition. They must be able to bring together millions of people in various forms and arenas of struggle.
The CPP and NPA remains the most consolidated bastion of the Filipino people’s anti-fascist resistance. All cadres and members of the CPP and Red fighters of the NPA must strengthen and steel themselves ideologically, politically and organizationally in order to be at the vanguard and core of the people’s struggle against the fascist Duterte regime.
Communist Party of the Philippines
https://ndfp.org/resist-and-end-dutertes-fascist-regime/
Almost five decades ago, Ferdinand Marcos placed the entire country under martial law which launched his brutal dictatorial rule. For 14 years, the Filipino people resisted valiantly and fought on all arenas of struggle. Serving as the strongest bulwark of anti-fascist resistance, the Party and the New People’s Army waged underground and armed struggle, inspiring and militating the Filipino people to unite and struggle for democracy. Culminating long years of anti-fascist resistance, the Filipino people rose up in their millions in 1986 causing the overthrow of the US-Marcos dictatorship.
The Filipino people today are subjected to the same fascist brutalities and cruelties under Duterte as the crisis of the ruling semicolonial and semifeudal system worsen ever more rapidly. The attacks against the people are far more brazen and are on a greater scale, particularly in terms of killings perpetrated by state forces.
The resort to fascism of the Duterte ruling reactionary clique indicates the overall crisis of the ruling system and its inability to perpetuate itself without using barefaced state terrorism. It further weakens the ruling state because it intensifies the contradictions not only between the oppressed masses and the ruling state, but also that between the different rival factions of the ruling classes.
The Filipino people must firmly resist and seek to end Duterte’s reign of fascist terror. They must fight for their democratic rights. They must vigorously struggle to prevent Duterte from perpetuating his rule, and demand that he be made accountable for all the crimes perpetrated by state forces under his regime.
Photo from News5 fb page
Duterte’s fascist demagoguery and lies must be thoroughly exposed and repudiated. All its crimes must be roundly and widely condemned. The demand for justice must resound across the country. Duterte’s exercise of absolute power, his treachery and corruption must be denounced. The aggrandizement of the military into the civil spheres of society must be opposed. The people should be infused with courage in the difficult fight against Duterte’s fascist tyranny.
All democratic forces must come together in a broad anti-fascist united front against the Duterte regime. This must bring together the oppressed and exploited classes, the intellectuals and professionals, the academics, church, media workers, women, the youth and the anti-Duterte political opposition. They must be able to bring together millions of people in various forms and arenas of struggle.
The CPP and NPA remains the most consolidated bastion of the Filipino people’s anti-fascist resistance. All cadres and members of the CPP and Red fighters of the NPA must strengthen and steel themselves ideologically, politically and organizationally in order to be at the vanguard and core of the people’s struggle against the fascist Duterte regime.
Communist Party of the Philippines
https://ndfp.org/resist-and-end-dutertes-fascist-regime/
NDF/NDF-Negros Island: NDF-Negros statement for Negrosanons!
NDF-Negros Island propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Philippines (NDFP or NDF) Website (Sep 20, 2019): NDF-Negros statement for Negrosanons!
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) is the most consolidated alliance of underground organizations of basic revolutionary forces advancing democratic revolution through protracted people’s war. This is a united front for the unity, cooperation and coordination of allied organizations and other democratic and progressive sectors of society to oppose and overthrow a dictator, fascist, corrupt, butcher and tyrant US-Duterte regime.
Frank Fernandez / NDFP archive
In Negros, the NDF recognizes comrade Frank Fernandez for his golden contributions for more than four decades and his continuing service to the revolutionary movement and the toiling masses in Negros island. As the spokesperson of NDF-Negros, he gave a clear stance and elucidated the correctness of revolutionary principles to repudiate revisionist traitors during the deviation from the correct line in late 1980s. He was in the forefront together with cadres, red fighters and the masses in the education movement and stood for the Second Great Rectification Movement. Comrade Frank Fernandez also greatly contributed in his prompt response and sharp analyses of burning issues and the issuance of statements consisting of the standpoint and policies of the revolutionary movement which served as guide for the entire revolutionary forces and struggling masses.
Comrade Frank Fernandez, the people in Negros salute your courage and firm standpoint. Do not fret for we will continue what you have started. The revolutionary movement in Negros is on the right track and is a strong force that cannot be subdued by any bloody ”counter-insurgency” oplan/campaign of the AFP/PNP. The capture of comrade Frank Fernandez with his wife comrade Cleofe Lagtapon cannot weaken the revolutionary movement in Negros, rather it further strengthens our determination to frustrate the butcher regime of Duterte.
To the people of Negros, revolutionary forces, red fighters, sympathizers and supporters of the revolutionary movement, your servant, Bayani Obrero, will continue the work of Ka Frank Fernandez as the new spokesperson of NDF-Negros in representing the voice of the toiling masses on issues and the stand of the whole revolutionary movement in Negros regarding economic and political matters that directly affect the people.
The dictator and fascist reign of the Duterte regime is more brutal compared to the past Marcos dictatorship. Duterte’s hands are bloody in his “all-out war” declaration against the revolutionaries which actually turned out as a crackdown against legal and progressive forces. Negros Island became Duterte’s laboratory for his “counter-insurgency” campaign where widespread human rights violations, extrajudicial killings, illegal arrests of innocent civilians, trumped-up charges, planting of fake evidences, forcing people to surrender as rebels, spreading of fake news and accusing victims of “fighting back” to cover up the crimes of the butchers AFP/PNP are implemented.
The Negrosanons are already aware that BGen. Benedict Arevalo of the 303rd Brigade and Col. Noel Baluyan of the 302nd Brigade are big liars and serial killers. They are staunch followers of Duterte’s orders to capture and behead the mastermind of the killings of four intelligence officers of the police. This only shows the barbaric character of the Duterte regime.
Terrorism spread by the state has not gained any victory instead, it earned the wrath of the people because of injustices. They present fake surrenderees as members of the New People’s Army (NPA), used the LGUs to declare the NPA as persona non-grata and launched a delusive localized peace talks. Under the “counter-insurgency” campaign of the Duterte regime that employs the “whole-of-nation” approach, it will make use of all government agencies to transform these to a coercive machinery of the state against the struggling masses.
The NDF-Negros strongly condemns the military’s sabotage of the Escalante Massacre commemoration. The AFP’s implementation of a hoax “peace summit”, fabrication of an encounter in Old Poblacion, Escalante City and filing of trumped-up charges against members of progressive groups all come from the mastermind of lies, Gen. Benedict Arevalo.
The coercive state and its butcher machinery, the AFP/PNP, will not succeed in continually exploiting the Negrosanons, on the contrary, they will further push the people to firmly fight for the realization of genuine social justice.
The NDF-Negros calls on progressive organizations, church people, professionals, youth and students and all Negrosanons to unite and bind our strength to defeat and overthrow the dictator and fascist regime. We need to wage an extensive fight from the countryside to the urban centers to show the Duterte regime the decisive strength of the toiling masses. While the tyrannical reign of Duterte continues, armed revolution will persist in gaining strength and will advance.
Negrosanon, unite and fight!!!
Advance the revolution!!!
Ka Bayani Obrero
NDF-Negros Island Spokesperson
https://ndfp.org/ndf-negros-statement-for-negrosanons/
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) is the most consolidated alliance of underground organizations of basic revolutionary forces advancing democratic revolution through protracted people’s war. This is a united front for the unity, cooperation and coordination of allied organizations and other democratic and progressive sectors of society to oppose and overthrow a dictator, fascist, corrupt, butcher and tyrant US-Duterte regime.
Frank Fernandez / NDFP archive
In Negros, the NDF recognizes comrade Frank Fernandez for his golden contributions for more than four decades and his continuing service to the revolutionary movement and the toiling masses in Negros island. As the spokesperson of NDF-Negros, he gave a clear stance and elucidated the correctness of revolutionary principles to repudiate revisionist traitors during the deviation from the correct line in late 1980s. He was in the forefront together with cadres, red fighters and the masses in the education movement and stood for the Second Great Rectification Movement. Comrade Frank Fernandez also greatly contributed in his prompt response and sharp analyses of burning issues and the issuance of statements consisting of the standpoint and policies of the revolutionary movement which served as guide for the entire revolutionary forces and struggling masses.
Comrade Frank Fernandez, the people in Negros salute your courage and firm standpoint. Do not fret for we will continue what you have started. The revolutionary movement in Negros is on the right track and is a strong force that cannot be subdued by any bloody ”counter-insurgency” oplan/campaign of the AFP/PNP. The capture of comrade Frank Fernandez with his wife comrade Cleofe Lagtapon cannot weaken the revolutionary movement in Negros, rather it further strengthens our determination to frustrate the butcher regime of Duterte.
To the people of Negros, revolutionary forces, red fighters, sympathizers and supporters of the revolutionary movement, your servant, Bayani Obrero, will continue the work of Ka Frank Fernandez as the new spokesperson of NDF-Negros in representing the voice of the toiling masses on issues and the stand of the whole revolutionary movement in Negros regarding economic and political matters that directly affect the people.
The dictator and fascist reign of the Duterte regime is more brutal compared to the past Marcos dictatorship. Duterte’s hands are bloody in his “all-out war” declaration against the revolutionaries which actually turned out as a crackdown against legal and progressive forces. Negros Island became Duterte’s laboratory for his “counter-insurgency” campaign where widespread human rights violations, extrajudicial killings, illegal arrests of innocent civilians, trumped-up charges, planting of fake evidences, forcing people to surrender as rebels, spreading of fake news and accusing victims of “fighting back” to cover up the crimes of the butchers AFP/PNP are implemented.
The Negrosanons are already aware that BGen. Benedict Arevalo of the 303rd Brigade and Col. Noel Baluyan of the 302nd Brigade are big liars and serial killers. They are staunch followers of Duterte’s orders to capture and behead the mastermind of the killings of four intelligence officers of the police. This only shows the barbaric character of the Duterte regime.
Terrorism spread by the state has not gained any victory instead, it earned the wrath of the people because of injustices. They present fake surrenderees as members of the New People’s Army (NPA), used the LGUs to declare the NPA as persona non-grata and launched a delusive localized peace talks. Under the “counter-insurgency” campaign of the Duterte regime that employs the “whole-of-nation” approach, it will make use of all government agencies to transform these to a coercive machinery of the state against the struggling masses.
The NDF-Negros strongly condemns the military’s sabotage of the Escalante Massacre commemoration. The AFP’s implementation of a hoax “peace summit”, fabrication of an encounter in Old Poblacion, Escalante City and filing of trumped-up charges against members of progressive groups all come from the mastermind of lies, Gen. Benedict Arevalo.
The coercive state and its butcher machinery, the AFP/PNP, will not succeed in continually exploiting the Negrosanons, on the contrary, they will further push the people to firmly fight for the realization of genuine social justice.
The NDF-Negros calls on progressive organizations, church people, professionals, youth and students and all Negrosanons to unite and bind our strength to defeat and overthrow the dictator and fascist regime. We need to wage an extensive fight from the countryside to the urban centers to show the Duterte regime the decisive strength of the toiling masses. While the tyrannical reign of Duterte continues, armed revolution will persist in gaining strength and will advance.
Negrosanon, unite and fight!!!
Advance the revolution!!!
Ka Bayani Obrero
NDF-Negros Island Spokesperson
https://ndfp.org/ndf-negros-statement-for-negrosanons/
NDF/NPA-Negros: 303rd Brigade attempt sabotage of ESCAM commemoration, exhibit present-day de facto martial instead
NPA-Negros propaganda statement posted to the National Democratic Front Philippines (NDFP or NDF) Website (Sep 20, 2019): 303rd Brigade attempt sabotage of ESCAM commemoration, exhibit present-day de facto martial instead
Remembering Marcos’ martial law and its brutality here in Negros highlighted in the Escalante massacre is highly relevant today because Duterte is a worst dictator and the correctness of engaging in protracted people’s war to counter escalating fascism remains.
This according to Ka Juanito Magbanua, spokesperson of Apolinario Gatmaitan Command (AGC), regional command of the New People’s Army in Negros Island.
Magbanua claims that guerrilla fronts of the NPA in Negros have doubled their efforts to achieve tactical victories against the de facto martial law and all-out war declaration of tyrant Rodrigo Duterte.
Ever since Memorandum Order 32 (MO 32) and Oplan Sauron 1 late last year, the NPA in Negros has successfully intensified its military actions against the forces of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) in response to the people’s deafening clamor for justice and to defend them from these fascist troops.
Meanwhile, the 303rd Brigade of the AFP attempted to sabotage activities commemorating the martial law period in Negros under Marcos by staging a fake encounter between the military and the NPA in Old Poblacion, Escalante City and illegally arresting and planting evidence on members of progressive groups also in Escalante accusing them to be NPA members days before the Escalante Massacre commemoration.
In a statement, Cecil Estrella of the Roselyn Jean Pelle Command (RJPC) refutes the 303rd Brigade’s claim of an encounter with the NPA in Sitio Maitom, Old Poblacion, Escalante City last September 17, 2019.
RJPC-NPA clarifies that 303rd Brigade Commander Gen. Benedict Arevalo’s talk of “hot pursuit operations” in Escalante is after nothing but their own spectre.
It is clear that the fascists under the US-Duterte regime are determined and desperate to sabotage the people’s commemoration of the Escalante massacre or ESCAM using fake news of staged encounters and by forcing civilians to attend the anti-people “peace summit” on the same day as the ESCAM anniversary, added Estrella.
Estrella compares the latest fake encounter with that of Puting Bato, Barangay Washington last year where the residents were also dislocated and forced to evacuate and the area was cordoned and checkpoints among other measures controlled the movement of the population.
The RJPC delivered the most recent blow to the AFP’s 79th Infantry Battalion in North Negros last August 31, 2019 at Sitio Moreno, Barangay Paitan, Escalante City using command-detonated explosives. However, the 79th IB’s heavy casualties, at least 10 soldiers killed-in-action and many others wounded, resulted from its own machine gun indiscriminately firing at the ambush site despite the presence of their own soldiers.
After the bloody Sagay 9 massacre in October 2018, the AFP declared “all-out war” in Negros followed by the issuance of MO 32 effectively placing Negros, Samar and Bicol under de facto martial law. Much like Marcos’ fascist rule, extrajudicial killings and human rights violations perpetrated by state forces heightened in Negros preying on peasant leaders, progressive groups and open critics of the Duterte regime.
“Duterte and his cabal are unwittingly exhibiting present-day martial law with intensified fascism and brazen corruption agitating the people, leaving them with no choice but to take up arms and join the NPA,” Magbanua added.
Finally, according to Magbanua, the NPA enjoys the all out support of the people especially the broad masses, thus, it will not fail the Philippine Revolution.###
For reference:
Ka Juanito Magbanua
Apolinario Gatmaitan Command Spokesperson
Regional Operational Command – Negros Island
Ka Cecil Estrella
Roselyn Jean Pelle Command Spokesperson
North Negros Guerrilla Front
https://ndfp.org/303rd-brigade-attempt-sabotage-of-escam-commemoration-exhibit-present-day-de-facto-martial-instead/
Remembering Marcos’ martial law and its brutality here in Negros highlighted in the Escalante massacre is highly relevant today because Duterte is a worst dictator and the correctness of engaging in protracted people’s war to counter escalating fascism remains.
This according to Ka Juanito Magbanua, spokesperson of Apolinario Gatmaitan Command (AGC), regional command of the New People’s Army in Negros Island.
Magbanua claims that guerrilla fronts of the NPA in Negros have doubled their efforts to achieve tactical victories against the de facto martial law and all-out war declaration of tyrant Rodrigo Duterte.
Ever since Memorandum Order 32 (MO 32) and Oplan Sauron 1 late last year, the NPA in Negros has successfully intensified its military actions against the forces of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) in response to the people’s deafening clamor for justice and to defend them from these fascist troops.
Meanwhile, the 303rd Brigade of the AFP attempted to sabotage activities commemorating the martial law period in Negros under Marcos by staging a fake encounter between the military and the NPA in Old Poblacion, Escalante City and illegally arresting and planting evidence on members of progressive groups also in Escalante accusing them to be NPA members days before the Escalante Massacre commemoration.
In a statement, Cecil Estrella of the Roselyn Jean Pelle Command (RJPC) refutes the 303rd Brigade’s claim of an encounter with the NPA in Sitio Maitom, Old Poblacion, Escalante City last September 17, 2019.
RJPC-NPA clarifies that 303rd Brigade Commander Gen. Benedict Arevalo’s talk of “hot pursuit operations” in Escalante is after nothing but their own spectre.
It is clear that the fascists under the US-Duterte regime are determined and desperate to sabotage the people’s commemoration of the Escalante massacre or ESCAM using fake news of staged encounters and by forcing civilians to attend the anti-people “peace summit” on the same day as the ESCAM anniversary, added Estrella.
Estrella compares the latest fake encounter with that of Puting Bato, Barangay Washington last year where the residents were also dislocated and forced to evacuate and the area was cordoned and checkpoints among other measures controlled the movement of the population.
The RJPC delivered the most recent blow to the AFP’s 79th Infantry Battalion in North Negros last August 31, 2019 at Sitio Moreno, Barangay Paitan, Escalante City using command-detonated explosives. However, the 79th IB’s heavy casualties, at least 10 soldiers killed-in-action and many others wounded, resulted from its own machine gun indiscriminately firing at the ambush site despite the presence of their own soldiers.
After the bloody Sagay 9 massacre in October 2018, the AFP declared “all-out war” in Negros followed by the issuance of MO 32 effectively placing Negros, Samar and Bicol under de facto martial law. Much like Marcos’ fascist rule, extrajudicial killings and human rights violations perpetrated by state forces heightened in Negros preying on peasant leaders, progressive groups and open critics of the Duterte regime.
“Duterte and his cabal are unwittingly exhibiting present-day martial law with intensified fascism and brazen corruption agitating the people, leaving them with no choice but to take up arms and join the NPA,” Magbanua added.
Finally, according to Magbanua, the NPA enjoys the all out support of the people especially the broad masses, thus, it will not fail the Philippine Revolution.###
For reference:
Ka Juanito Magbanua
Apolinario Gatmaitan Command Spokesperson
Regional Operational Command – Negros Island
Ka Cecil Estrella
Roselyn Jean Pelle Command Spokesperson
North Negros Guerrilla Front
https://ndfp.org/303rd-brigade-attempt-sabotage-of-escam-commemoration-exhibit-present-day-de-facto-martial-instead/
CPP/NPA-Mindoro: Rehimeng US-Duterte, utak sa kagutuman ng magsasaka sa palayan at unti-unting pagpatay ng industriya ng palay sa Mindoro at buong bansa!
NPA-Mindoro propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 20, 2019): Rehimeng US-Duterte, utak sa kagutuman ng magsasaka sa palayan at unti-unting pagpatay ng industriya ng palay sa Mindoro at buong bansa!
MADAAY GASIC
NPA-MINDORO
LUCIO DE GUZMAN COMMAND
NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY
SEPTEMBER 21, 2019
Dapat panagutin ang rehimeng US-Duterte sa harap ng sumisidhing kagutumang bunsod ng Republic Act No. 11203 o Rice Liberalization Law (RLL).
Sa halip na lutasin ang dantaong pang-aalipin sa masang magsasaka ng palay, kinukumpleto pa ng RLL ang mga rekisitos upang patayin ang lokal na industriya ng palay sa Pilipinas. Hindi na mapasubalian kahit ng reaksyunaryong pamahalaan ang kahungkagan ng bumabahang imported na bigas sa lokal na merkado na hindi epektibong nagpababa sa presyo ng bigas. Iniuulat mismo nito ang pagkabangkarote ng milyun-milyong magsasaka sa harap ng pagsadsad ng presyo ng palay sa halagang P7 hanggang P10 kada kilo lamang.
Hindi maiwasang maging pinakamainit na isyu ngayon ang RLL sapagkat isang pampulitikang kalakal ang palay-bigas sa isang agraryo at atrasadong lipunan tulad ng sa Pilipinas. Bilang pangunahing pagkain ng mga Pilipino, mapupwersa ang sinumang maghigpit ng sinturon o kumahig nang triple upang makapaghain ng kanin sa lamesa gaano man kamura ang palay o kamahal ang bigas. Hindi lamang ang mga magsasaka—na bumubuo ng 75 porsyento ng populasyon ng buong bansa—kundi ang buong sambayanan ang binabayo ng krisis na ito.
Ramdam na ramdam sa lahat ng sulok ng Mindoro ang krisis na dulot ng RLL. Umaabot ng mahigit 337,000 metro-tonelada ang produksyon ng palay sa Occidental Mindoro–pinakamalaki sa buong rehiyonf Mimaropa. Sa Oriental Mindoro, palay ang pangunahing pananim. Kung kaya, nakaasa rito ang kabuhayan ng may isang milyong Mindoreño. Ngunit sa harap ng krisis na dulot ng RLL, napapawi na ang katiting na ilusyon ng pag-asa ng mga magsasakang Mindoreño na makababangon pa sila sa kasalukuyang sistema.
Hindi mapakali ang naghaharing uri kung paano reremedyuhan ang matinding krisis na likha mismo nito bunsod ng walang-kontrol na importasyon ng bigas. Pakitang tao at pagsasalba ng kanyang mukha ang utos ng pasistang pangulong si Rodrigo Duterte sa National Food Authority (NFA) na bilhin ang palay ng mga magsasaka sa halagang P19 kada kilo. Nais ni Duterte na magmahika ang NFA samantalang ginawa na itong inutil ng RLL sa pag-aalis dito ng anumang regulatory powers sa kalakalan ng palay at bigas sa lokal na merkado. Ang totoo pa, walang kapasyahan ang administrasyong Duterte na punan ang kakarampot na pondong 50-bilyong piso ng Department of Agriculture. Dahil dito, higit na nadodomina ng mga malalaking rice trader ang bentahan ng palay. Nasa isla ng Mindoro ang isa sa pinakamalaking rice traders sa buong Pilipinas. Kasama sa tinatawag na “Binondo 7,” ang Pag-asa Grains (o Valiant) sa San Jose, Occidental Mindoro ngayon ang poon ng rice cartel sa isla at siyang nagdidikta ng presyo ng palay dito. Katunayan, bodega lamang ng Pag-asa Grains ang iba pang maliliit na rice traders sa isla. Hindi kayang sawatahin ng mga tiwaling upisyal ng NFA ang sindikatong operasyon ng Pag-asa Grains na nabubundat din sa labis-labis na pagsasamantala sa mga magsasaka.
Ang mga tunay na nagmamalasakit sa kapakanan ng sambayanang Pilipino, laluna sa kapakanan ng masang magsasaka sa palayan ay dapat agad na kumilos upang ibasura ang RLL. Sa kagyat, dapat itaas ang presyo ng palay, laluna sa panahon ngayon ng anihan upang protektahan ang masang magsasaka sa palayan. Dapat na ipaglaban na maglaan ng sapat na pondo ang reaksyunaryong gubyerno para dito. Kaakibat nito, dapat na ipanawagan at ilaban ang pagpapataas ng parte ng magsasaka, pagpapataas ng sahod ng manggawang bukid at pawiin ang usura.
Sa pangmatagalang solusyon, dapat na ipatupad ang tunay na reporma sa lupa sa palayan at iba pang lupain sa Pilipinas, kaakibat na ipatupad ang pambansang industriyalisasyon. Nararapat na isabansa ang industriya ng palay!
Hinahamon namin ang lahat ng lingkod ng bayan na lutasin ang pangunahing problemang ito ng masang Mindoreño at ng sambayanang Pilipino. Ito ang dapat na pangunahing lutasin imbes na tutukan ang mga hungkag at pakitang taong mga programa at proyektong inilalako ng 203rd Brigade at ng AFP-PNP at tustusan ng milyun-milyong piso ang mga mararahas na focus military operations at mga community support program na inilulunsad nito laban sa mamamayang Mindoreño sa balangkas ng Joint Campaign Plan-Kapanatagan. Nararapat ilaan ang pondo na ginagastos sa mga operasyong militar sa pondo para itaas ang presyo ng palay at bigyan ng subsidyo ang masang magsasaka.
Tinatayang gumagastos ng mahigit P4 milyon ang bawat operasyong pinamumunuan ng 203rd Brigade sa loob lamang ng tatlong linggo hanggang isang buwan. Kasama na dito ang gastos sa gasolina ng mga helicopter at eroplano at ng mga bomba at balang ginagamit ng mga ito mula sa himapapawid na walang ibang tinatamaan kundi ang mga magsasaka at katutubo at ang kanilang mga bukirin. Sa ganito, matatayang aabot na sa humigit-kumulang P15-20 milyon ang nawawaldas ng 203rd Brigade sa inilulunsad nilang focus military operation sa nakaraang anim na buwan sa isla lamang ng Mindoro. Karumal-dumal ito sa gita ng kagutuman ng masang magsasaka sa palayan at kawalan ng makaing kanin ng mamamayang Pilipino. Imbes na gamitin ang pondo para patayin ang mamamayan, dapat na gamitin na lamang ang mga ito para sa kabuhayan.
Gagawin ng NPA-Mindoro ang lahat ng kanyang makakaya upang suportahan at maipagtagumpay ng masang magsasaka ang kanyang pakikibaka para itaas ang presyo ng palay, ibaba ang upa sa lupa, pawiin ang pagpapautang na may mataas na interes at ang pakikibaka ng mga ito para lumaya sa pagkaaliping pyudal. Gayundin ang pakikibaka upang ibasura ang RLL, ibaba ang presyo ng bigas at isabansa ang industriya ng bigas sa Pilipinas.
Magsama-sama tayo sa pakikibaka upang magtagumpay sa layunin nating ito. Tinatawagan namin ang lahat ng mamamayan, laluna ang masang magsasaka na magkaisa at kumilos sa dakilang layuning ito. Ito ang nararapat gawin sa gitna ng karahasan at panlilinlang dulot ng umiiral na de facto Martial Law ng rehimeng US-Duterte. Sa gitna ng kagutuman, wala tayong masusulingan kundi ang lumaban–at lumaban hanggang sa magtagumpay!
LUPA AT BIGAS, HINDI BALA!
ITAAS ANG PRESYO NG PALAY NG MASANG MAGSASAKA!
RICE LIBERALIZATION LAW, IBASURA!
https://cpp.ph/statement/rehimeng-us-duterte-utak-sa-kagutuman-ng-magsasaka-sa-palayan-at-unti-unting-pagpatay-ng-industriya-ng-palay-sa-mindoro-at-buong-bansa/
Dapat panagutin ang rehimeng US-Duterte sa harap ng sumisidhing kagutumang bunsod ng Republic Act No. 11203 o Rice Liberalization Law (RLL).
Sa halip na lutasin ang dantaong pang-aalipin sa masang magsasaka ng palay, kinukumpleto pa ng RLL ang mga rekisitos upang patayin ang lokal na industriya ng palay sa Pilipinas. Hindi na mapasubalian kahit ng reaksyunaryong pamahalaan ang kahungkagan ng bumabahang imported na bigas sa lokal na merkado na hindi epektibong nagpababa sa presyo ng bigas. Iniuulat mismo nito ang pagkabangkarote ng milyun-milyong magsasaka sa harap ng pagsadsad ng presyo ng palay sa halagang P7 hanggang P10 kada kilo lamang.
Hindi maiwasang maging pinakamainit na isyu ngayon ang RLL sapagkat isang pampulitikang kalakal ang palay-bigas sa isang agraryo at atrasadong lipunan tulad ng sa Pilipinas. Bilang pangunahing pagkain ng mga Pilipino, mapupwersa ang sinumang maghigpit ng sinturon o kumahig nang triple upang makapaghain ng kanin sa lamesa gaano man kamura ang palay o kamahal ang bigas. Hindi lamang ang mga magsasaka—na bumubuo ng 75 porsyento ng populasyon ng buong bansa—kundi ang buong sambayanan ang binabayo ng krisis na ito.
Ramdam na ramdam sa lahat ng sulok ng Mindoro ang krisis na dulot ng RLL. Umaabot ng mahigit 337,000 metro-tonelada ang produksyon ng palay sa Occidental Mindoro–pinakamalaki sa buong rehiyonf Mimaropa. Sa Oriental Mindoro, palay ang pangunahing pananim. Kung kaya, nakaasa rito ang kabuhayan ng may isang milyong Mindoreño. Ngunit sa harap ng krisis na dulot ng RLL, napapawi na ang katiting na ilusyon ng pag-asa ng mga magsasakang Mindoreño na makababangon pa sila sa kasalukuyang sistema.
Hindi mapakali ang naghaharing uri kung paano reremedyuhan ang matinding krisis na likha mismo nito bunsod ng walang-kontrol na importasyon ng bigas. Pakitang tao at pagsasalba ng kanyang mukha ang utos ng pasistang pangulong si Rodrigo Duterte sa National Food Authority (NFA) na bilhin ang palay ng mga magsasaka sa halagang P19 kada kilo. Nais ni Duterte na magmahika ang NFA samantalang ginawa na itong inutil ng RLL sa pag-aalis dito ng anumang regulatory powers sa kalakalan ng palay at bigas sa lokal na merkado. Ang totoo pa, walang kapasyahan ang administrasyong Duterte na punan ang kakarampot na pondong 50-bilyong piso ng Department of Agriculture. Dahil dito, higit na nadodomina ng mga malalaking rice trader ang bentahan ng palay. Nasa isla ng Mindoro ang isa sa pinakamalaking rice traders sa buong Pilipinas. Kasama sa tinatawag na “Binondo 7,” ang Pag-asa Grains (o Valiant) sa San Jose, Occidental Mindoro ngayon ang poon ng rice cartel sa isla at siyang nagdidikta ng presyo ng palay dito. Katunayan, bodega lamang ng Pag-asa Grains ang iba pang maliliit na rice traders sa isla. Hindi kayang sawatahin ng mga tiwaling upisyal ng NFA ang sindikatong operasyon ng Pag-asa Grains na nabubundat din sa labis-labis na pagsasamantala sa mga magsasaka.
Ang mga tunay na nagmamalasakit sa kapakanan ng sambayanang Pilipino, laluna sa kapakanan ng masang magsasaka sa palayan ay dapat agad na kumilos upang ibasura ang RLL. Sa kagyat, dapat itaas ang presyo ng palay, laluna sa panahon ngayon ng anihan upang protektahan ang masang magsasaka sa palayan. Dapat na ipaglaban na maglaan ng sapat na pondo ang reaksyunaryong gubyerno para dito. Kaakibat nito, dapat na ipanawagan at ilaban ang pagpapataas ng parte ng magsasaka, pagpapataas ng sahod ng manggawang bukid at pawiin ang usura.
Sa pangmatagalang solusyon, dapat na ipatupad ang tunay na reporma sa lupa sa palayan at iba pang lupain sa Pilipinas, kaakibat na ipatupad ang pambansang industriyalisasyon. Nararapat na isabansa ang industriya ng palay!
Hinahamon namin ang lahat ng lingkod ng bayan na lutasin ang pangunahing problemang ito ng masang Mindoreño at ng sambayanang Pilipino. Ito ang dapat na pangunahing lutasin imbes na tutukan ang mga hungkag at pakitang taong mga programa at proyektong inilalako ng 203rd Brigade at ng AFP-PNP at tustusan ng milyun-milyong piso ang mga mararahas na focus military operations at mga community support program na inilulunsad nito laban sa mamamayang Mindoreño sa balangkas ng Joint Campaign Plan-Kapanatagan. Nararapat ilaan ang pondo na ginagastos sa mga operasyong militar sa pondo para itaas ang presyo ng palay at bigyan ng subsidyo ang masang magsasaka.
Tinatayang gumagastos ng mahigit P4 milyon ang bawat operasyong pinamumunuan ng 203rd Brigade sa loob lamang ng tatlong linggo hanggang isang buwan. Kasama na dito ang gastos sa gasolina ng mga helicopter at eroplano at ng mga bomba at balang ginagamit ng mga ito mula sa himapapawid na walang ibang tinatamaan kundi ang mga magsasaka at katutubo at ang kanilang mga bukirin. Sa ganito, matatayang aabot na sa humigit-kumulang P15-20 milyon ang nawawaldas ng 203rd Brigade sa inilulunsad nilang focus military operation sa nakaraang anim na buwan sa isla lamang ng Mindoro. Karumal-dumal ito sa gita ng kagutuman ng masang magsasaka sa palayan at kawalan ng makaing kanin ng mamamayang Pilipino. Imbes na gamitin ang pondo para patayin ang mamamayan, dapat na gamitin na lamang ang mga ito para sa kabuhayan.
Gagawin ng NPA-Mindoro ang lahat ng kanyang makakaya upang suportahan at maipagtagumpay ng masang magsasaka ang kanyang pakikibaka para itaas ang presyo ng palay, ibaba ang upa sa lupa, pawiin ang pagpapautang na may mataas na interes at ang pakikibaka ng mga ito para lumaya sa pagkaaliping pyudal. Gayundin ang pakikibaka upang ibasura ang RLL, ibaba ang presyo ng bigas at isabansa ang industriya ng bigas sa Pilipinas.
Magsama-sama tayo sa pakikibaka upang magtagumpay sa layunin nating ito. Tinatawagan namin ang lahat ng mamamayan, laluna ang masang magsasaka na magkaisa at kumilos sa dakilang layuning ito. Ito ang nararapat gawin sa gitna ng karahasan at panlilinlang dulot ng umiiral na de facto Martial Law ng rehimeng US-Duterte. Sa gitna ng kagutuman, wala tayong masusulingan kundi ang lumaban–at lumaban hanggang sa magtagumpay!
LUPA AT BIGAS, HINDI BALA!
ITAAS ANG PRESYO NG PALAY NG MASANG MAGSASAKA!
RICE LIBERALIZATION LAW, IBASURA!
https://cpp.ph/statement/rehimeng-us-duterte-utak-sa-kagutuman-ng-magsasaka-sa-palayan-at-unti-unting-pagpatay-ng-industriya-ng-palay-sa-mindoro-at-buong-bansa/
CPP/NDF-Negros: NDF-Negros message to Negrosanons
NDF-Negros propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 20, 2019): NDF-Negros message to Negrosanons
BAYANI OBRERO
SPOKESPERSON
NDF-NEGROS
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT OF THE PHILIPPINES
SEPTEMBER 20, 2019
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) is the most consolidated alliance of underground organizations of basic revolutionary forces advancing democratic revolution through protracted people’s war. This is a united front for the unity, cooperation and coordination of allied organizations and other democratic and progressive sectors of society to oppose and overthrow a dictator, fascist, corrupt, butcher and tyrant US-Duterte regime.
In Negros, the NDF recognizes comrade Frank Fernandez for his golden contributions for more than four decades and his continuing service to the revolutionary movement and the toiling masses in Negros island. As the spokesperson of NDF-Negros, he gave a clear stance and elucidated the correctness of revolutionary principles to repudiate revisionist traitors during the deviation from the correct line in late 1980s. He was in the forefront together with cadres, red fighters and the masses in the education movement and stood for the Second Great Rectification Movement. Comrade Frank Fernandez also greatly contributed in his prompt response and sharp analyses of burning issues and the issuance of statements consisting of the standpoint and policies of the revolutionary movement which served as guide for the entire revolutionary forces and struggling masses.
Comrade Frank Fernandez, the people in Negros salute your courage and firm standpoint. Do not fret for we will continue what you have started. The revolutionary movement in Negros is on the right track and is a strong force that cannot be subdued by any bloody ”counter-insurgency” oplan/campaign of the AFP/PNP. The capture of comrade Frank Fernandez with his wife comrade Cleofe Lagtapon cannot weaken the revolutionary movement in Negros, rather it further strengthens our determination to frustrate the butcher regime of Duterte.
To the people of Negros, revolutionary forces, red fighters, sympathizers and supporters of the revolutionary movement, your servant, Bayani Obrero, will continue the work of Ka Frank Fernandez as the new spokesperson of NDF-Negros in representing the voice of the toiling masses on issues and the stand of the whole revolutionary movement in Negros regarding economic and political matters that directly affect the people.
The dictator and fascist reign of the Duterte regime is more brutal compared to the past Marcos dictatorship. Duterte’s hands are bloody in his “all-out war” declaration against the revolutionaries which actually turned out as a crackdown against legal and progressive forces. Negros Island became Duterte’s laboratory for his “counter-insurgency” campaign where widespread human rights violations, extrajudicial killings, illegal arrests of innocent civilians, trumped-up charges, planting of fake evidences, forcing people to surrender as rebels, spreading of fake news and accusing victims of “fighting back” to cover up the crimes of the butchers AFP/PNP are implemented.
The Negrosanons are already aware that BGen. Benedict Arevalo of the 303rd Brigade and Col. Noel Baluyan of the 302nd Brigade are big liars and serial killers. They are staunch followers of Duterte’s orders to capture and behead the mastermind of the killings of four intelligence officers of the police. This only shows the barbaric character of the Duterte regime.
Terrorism spread by the state has not gained any victory instead, it earned the wrath of the people because of injustices. They present fake surrenderees as members of the New People’s Army (NPA), used the LGUs to declare the NPA as persona non-grata and launched a delusive localized peace talks. Under the “counter-insurgency” campaign of the Duterte regime that employs the “whole-of-nation” approach, it will make use of all government agencies to transform these to a coercive machinery of the state against the struggling masses.
The NDF-Negros strongly condemns the military’s sabotage of the Escalante Massacre commemoration. The AFP’s implementation of a hoax “peace summit”, fabrication of an encounter in Old Poblacion, Escalante City and filing of trumped-up charges against members of progressive groups all come from the mastermind of lies, Gen. Benedict Arevalo.
The coercive state and its butcher machinery, the AFP/PNP, will not succeed in continually exploiting the Negrosanons, on the contrary, they will further push the people to firmly fight for the realization of genuine social justice.
The NDF-Negros calls on progressive organizations, church people, professionals, youth and students and all Negrosanons to unite and bind our strength to defeat and overthrow the dictator and fascist regime. We need to wage an extensive fight from the countryside to the urban centers to show the Duterte regime the decisive strength of the toiling masses. While the tyrannical reign of Duterte continues, armed revolution will persist in gaining strength and will advance.
Negrosanon, unite and fight!!!
Advance the revolution!!!
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) is the most consolidated alliance of underground organizations of basic revolutionary forces advancing democratic revolution through protracted people’s war. This is a united front for the unity, cooperation and coordination of allied organizations and other democratic and progressive sectors of society to oppose and overthrow a dictator, fascist, corrupt, butcher and tyrant US-Duterte regime.
In Negros, the NDF recognizes comrade Frank Fernandez for his golden contributions for more than four decades and his continuing service to the revolutionary movement and the toiling masses in Negros island. As the spokesperson of NDF-Negros, he gave a clear stance and elucidated the correctness of revolutionary principles to repudiate revisionist traitors during the deviation from the correct line in late 1980s. He was in the forefront together with cadres, red fighters and the masses in the education movement and stood for the Second Great Rectification Movement. Comrade Frank Fernandez also greatly contributed in his prompt response and sharp analyses of burning issues and the issuance of statements consisting of the standpoint and policies of the revolutionary movement which served as guide for the entire revolutionary forces and struggling masses.
Comrade Frank Fernandez, the people in Negros salute your courage and firm standpoint. Do not fret for we will continue what you have started. The revolutionary movement in Negros is on the right track and is a strong force that cannot be subdued by any bloody ”counter-insurgency” oplan/campaign of the AFP/PNP. The capture of comrade Frank Fernandez with his wife comrade Cleofe Lagtapon cannot weaken the revolutionary movement in Negros, rather it further strengthens our determination to frustrate the butcher regime of Duterte.
To the people of Negros, revolutionary forces, red fighters, sympathizers and supporters of the revolutionary movement, your servant, Bayani Obrero, will continue the work of Ka Frank Fernandez as the new spokesperson of NDF-Negros in representing the voice of the toiling masses on issues and the stand of the whole revolutionary movement in Negros regarding economic and political matters that directly affect the people.
The dictator and fascist reign of the Duterte regime is more brutal compared to the past Marcos dictatorship. Duterte’s hands are bloody in his “all-out war” declaration against the revolutionaries which actually turned out as a crackdown against legal and progressive forces. Negros Island became Duterte’s laboratory for his “counter-insurgency” campaign where widespread human rights violations, extrajudicial killings, illegal arrests of innocent civilians, trumped-up charges, planting of fake evidences, forcing people to surrender as rebels, spreading of fake news and accusing victims of “fighting back” to cover up the crimes of the butchers AFP/PNP are implemented.
The Negrosanons are already aware that BGen. Benedict Arevalo of the 303rd Brigade and Col. Noel Baluyan of the 302nd Brigade are big liars and serial killers. They are staunch followers of Duterte’s orders to capture and behead the mastermind of the killings of four intelligence officers of the police. This only shows the barbaric character of the Duterte regime.
Terrorism spread by the state has not gained any victory instead, it earned the wrath of the people because of injustices. They present fake surrenderees as members of the New People’s Army (NPA), used the LGUs to declare the NPA as persona non-grata and launched a delusive localized peace talks. Under the “counter-insurgency” campaign of the Duterte regime that employs the “whole-of-nation” approach, it will make use of all government agencies to transform these to a coercive machinery of the state against the struggling masses.
The NDF-Negros strongly condemns the military’s sabotage of the Escalante Massacre commemoration. The AFP’s implementation of a hoax “peace summit”, fabrication of an encounter in Old Poblacion, Escalante City and filing of trumped-up charges against members of progressive groups all come from the mastermind of lies, Gen. Benedict Arevalo.
The coercive state and its butcher machinery, the AFP/PNP, will not succeed in continually exploiting the Negrosanons, on the contrary, they will further push the people to firmly fight for the realization of genuine social justice.
The NDF-Negros calls on progressive organizations, church people, professionals, youth and students and all Negrosanons to unite and bind our strength to defeat and overthrow the dictator and fascist regime. We need to wage an extensive fight from the countryside to the urban centers to show the Duterte regime the decisive strength of the toiling masses. While the tyrannical reign of Duterte continues, armed revolution will persist in gaining strength and will advance.
Negrosanon, unite and fight!!!
Advance the revolution!!!
CPP/NPA-Negros Island: 303rd Brigade attempt sabotage of ESCAM commemoration, exhibit present-day de facto martial instead
NPA-Negros Island propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 20, 2019): 303rd Brigade attempt sabotage of ESCAM commemoration, exhibit present-day de facto martial instead
JUANITO MAGBANUA
NPA-NEGROS ISLAND
APOLINARIO GATMAITAN COMMAND
NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY
SEPTEMBER 20, 2019
Remembering Marcos’ martial law and its brutality here in Negros highlighted in the Escalante massacre is highly relevant today because Duterte is a worst dictator and the correctness of engaging in protracted people’s war to counter escalating fascism remains.
This according to Ka Juanito Magbanua, spokesperson of Apolinario Gatmaitan Command (AGC), regional command of the New People’s Army in Negros Island.
Magbanua claims that guerrilla fronts of the NPA in Negros have doubled their efforts to achieve tactical victories against the de facto martial law and all-out war declaration of tyrant Rodrigo Duterte.
Ever since Memorandum Order 32 (MO 32) and Oplan Sauron 1 late last year, the NPA in Negros has successfully intensified its military actions against the forces of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) in response to the people’s deafening clamor for justice and to defend them from these fascist troops.
Meanwhile, the 303rd Brigade of the AFP attempted to sabotage activities commemorating the martial law period in Negros under Marcos by staging a fake encounter between the military and the NPA in Old Poblacion, Escalante City and illegally arresting and planting evidence on members of progressive groups also in Escalante accusing them to be NPA members days before the Escalante Massacre commemoration.
In a statement, Cecil Estrella of the Roselyn Jean Pelle Command (RJPC) refutes the 303rd Brigade’s claim of an encounter with the NPA in Sitio Maitom, Old Poblacion, Escalante City last September 17, 2019.
RJPC-NPA clarifies that 303rd Brigade Commander Gen. Benedict Arevalo’s talk of “hot pursuit operations” in Escalante is after nothing but their own spectre.
It is clear that the fascists under the US-Duterte regime are determined and desperate to sabotage the people’s commemoration of the Escalante massacre or ESCAM using fake news of staged encounters and by forcing civilians to attend the anti-people “peace summit” on the same day as the ESCAM anniversary, added Estrella.
Estrella compares the latest fake encounter with that of Puting Bato, Barangay Washington last year where the residents were also dislocated and forced to evacuate and the area was cordoned and checkpoints among other measures controlled the movement of the population.
The RJPC delivered the most recent blow to the AFP’s 79th Infantry Battalion in North Negros last August 31, 2019 at Sitio Moreno, Barangay Paitan, Escalante City using command-detonated explosives. However, the 79th IB’s heavy casualties, at least 10 soldiers killed-in-action and many others wounded, resulted from its own machine gun indiscriminately firing at the ambush site despite the presence of their own soldiers.
After the bloody Sagay 9 massacre in October 2018, the AFP declared “all-out war” in Negros followed by the issuance of MO 32 effectively placing Negros, Samar and Bicol under de facto martial law. Much like Marcos’ fascist rule, extrajudicial killings and human rights violations perpetrated by state forces heightened in Negros preying on peasant leaders, progressive groups and open critics of the Duterte regime.
“Duterte and his cabal are unwittingly exhibiting present-day martial law with intensified fascism and brazen corruption agitating the people, leaving them with no choice but to take up arms and join the NPA,” Magbanua added.
Finally, according to Magbanua, the NPA enjoys the all out support of the people especially the broad masses, thus, it will not fail the Philippine Revolution.###
Remembering Marcos’ martial law and its brutality here in Negros highlighted in the Escalante massacre is highly relevant today because Duterte is a worst dictator and the correctness of engaging in protracted people’s war to counter escalating fascism remains.
This according to Ka Juanito Magbanua, spokesperson of Apolinario Gatmaitan Command (AGC), regional command of the New People’s Army in Negros Island.
Magbanua claims that guerrilla fronts of the NPA in Negros have doubled their efforts to achieve tactical victories against the de facto martial law and all-out war declaration of tyrant Rodrigo Duterte.
Ever since Memorandum Order 32 (MO 32) and Oplan Sauron 1 late last year, the NPA in Negros has successfully intensified its military actions against the forces of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) in response to the people’s deafening clamor for justice and to defend them from these fascist troops.
Meanwhile, the 303rd Brigade of the AFP attempted to sabotage activities commemorating the martial law period in Negros under Marcos by staging a fake encounter between the military and the NPA in Old Poblacion, Escalante City and illegally arresting and planting evidence on members of progressive groups also in Escalante accusing them to be NPA members days before the Escalante Massacre commemoration.
In a statement, Cecil Estrella of the Roselyn Jean Pelle Command (RJPC) refutes the 303rd Brigade’s claim of an encounter with the NPA in Sitio Maitom, Old Poblacion, Escalante City last September 17, 2019.
RJPC-NPA clarifies that 303rd Brigade Commander Gen. Benedict Arevalo’s talk of “hot pursuit operations” in Escalante is after nothing but their own spectre.
It is clear that the fascists under the US-Duterte regime are determined and desperate to sabotage the people’s commemoration of the Escalante massacre or ESCAM using fake news of staged encounters and by forcing civilians to attend the anti-people “peace summit” on the same day as the ESCAM anniversary, added Estrella.
Estrella compares the latest fake encounter with that of Puting Bato, Barangay Washington last year where the residents were also dislocated and forced to evacuate and the area was cordoned and checkpoints among other measures controlled the movement of the population.
The RJPC delivered the most recent blow to the AFP’s 79th Infantry Battalion in North Negros last August 31, 2019 at Sitio Moreno, Barangay Paitan, Escalante City using command-detonated explosives. However, the 79th IB’s heavy casualties, at least 10 soldiers killed-in-action and many others wounded, resulted from its own machine gun indiscriminately firing at the ambush site despite the presence of their own soldiers.
After the bloody Sagay 9 massacre in October 2018, the AFP declared “all-out war” in Negros followed by the issuance of MO 32 effectively placing Negros, Samar and Bicol under de facto martial law. Much like Marcos’ fascist rule, extrajudicial killings and human rights violations perpetrated by state forces heightened in Negros preying on peasant leaders, progressive groups and open critics of the Duterte regime.
“Duterte and his cabal are unwittingly exhibiting present-day martial law with intensified fascism and brazen corruption agitating the people, leaving them with no choice but to take up arms and join the NPA,” Magbanua added.
Finally, according to Magbanua, the NPA enjoys the all out support of the people especially the broad masses, thus, it will not fail the Philippine Revolution.###
CPP/NPA-Abra: 47 taong walang katarungan; Never Again to Martial Law
NPA-Abra propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 20, 2019): 47 taong walang katarungan; Never Again to Martial Law
FLORENCIO BALUGA
SPOKESPERSON
NPA-ABRA
NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY
SEPTEMBER 20, 2019
Nakikiisa ang Agustin Begnalen Command NPA-Abra sa paggunita sa ika-47 taong anibersaryo ng pagdedeklara ni Ferdinand Marcos ng Batas Militar sa buong bansa noong September 21,1972, para di umano para mapigilan ang lumalakas na Armadong Paglaban ng mamamayan. Ngunit ginamit nya ito para sa pansariling interes ng pamilya at kanyang mga cronies, sinikil at pilit na sinupil ng rehimen ang kalayaan ng sambayanang Pilipino sa kanilang pakikibaka para sa mga demokratikong karapatan. Dinanas ng sambayanan ang madilim na yugto ng kasaysayan sa ilalim ng pasistang diktadorang US-Marcos. Pinakawalan nito ang malupit na anti-Komunistang panunugis para patahimikin ang mga kritiko ng reaksyonaryong gobyerno, mga progresibo at makabayang institusyon at indibidwal. Naging target ng karahasan hindi lamang ang mga tinatatakang maka-kaliwang organisyon, kundi pati mga progresibong indibidwal, grupo at pampulitikang oposisyon.
Ibayong naging masahol ang pagsasampa ng mga inimbentong kaso at mga itinanim na ebidensya upang bulukin sa kulungan ang kanilang mga karibal sa pulitika at mga kritiko ng rehimen, higit na sumahol ang culture of impunity ng mga militar at pulis. Dumami ang mga pwersahang pagkawala, tortyur, pagpatay, pananakot at samo’t-saring paglabag sa karapatan-tao. Sa kasalukuyan 47 taon patuloy ang pagsigaw ng mga kaanak, indibidwal, mga progresibong grupo para sa hustisya at katarungan ng mga biktima sa panahon ng Martial Law ni Ferdinand Marcos.
Sa ngayon sa ilalim ni Rodrigo Duterte, mahigit 2 taon na ang Martial Law sa Mindanao, napakaraming paglabag sa karapatan-tao ang naiulat, di mabilang na pagbabakwit, pagpapasara sa mga paaralan ng mga Lumad, ginagamit rin ang mga Militar ng mga Multi-AgriKorporasyon para supilin ang pagwewelga ng mga manggagawa para sa nakakabuhay na sahod(Hal; ang SUMIFRU, DEL MONTE CORPS, DOLE PHILS) naitala rin ang mga extrajudicial killings (EJK), pagbabakwit, pananakot, paniniktik at pagbibilanggo sa mga probinsya ng Negros, Samar at Bicol, halos araw-araw rin ang pamamaslang sa Isla ng Negros. Nagmimistulang killing fields na ang buong bansa na tela bumabaha ng dugo sa dami ng kawalang katarungang pamamaslang. Sa Luzon at Visayas ay De facto Martial Law (Undeclared Martial Law) ang umiiral sa tabing ng Memorandum Order No.32, Executive Order No.70, Oplan Kapanatagan, Oplan Tokhang at Implementing Plan Kalasag sa NCR. Nakakaranas rin ng pambobomba, istraping at matinding militarisasyon ang mga nasa liblib na komunidad. May mga pekeng labanan rin na pinapakalat ang AFP-PNP para mabigyan ng daan ang mga operasyong militar, maramihan din ang kanilang sapilitang pagpapasurender sa mga sibilyan. Mula ng kenansela ang usapang pangkapayapaan noong November,2017 hanggang sa ideklarang terorista ang CPP-NPA, mas lalong tumindi ang pamamasista at teranikong pamamayagpag ng rehimen ni Duterte, gamit ang mga mapanupil na batas laban sa mamamayan, kasabwat ang AFP-PNP at DILG pwersahang pinapadeklara sa mga LGU na Persona Non Grata ang CPP-NPA-NDF. Ang panukalang muling buhayin naman ang kontra-mamamayan at kontra-demokratikong Anti-Subversion Law at tangkang militarisasyon sa mga pamantasan ay panibagong pakana ng kriminal at tiranikong rehimeng Duterte upang supilin at sikilin ang saligang demokratikong karapatan ng mamamayang Pilipino sa ngalan ng anti-Komunismo. Ang isa sa malinaw na batayan sa martial law ni Duterte ay isang huntang sibil-militar ang nagpapatakbo sa sibilyang burukrasya ng rehimeng US-Duterte, 65 na pusisyong sibilyan sa gubyerno ang hawak ng retiradong mga sundalo at pulis. Ang karamihan sa kanila ay nasa gabinete at namumuno sa mayor na mga ahensya. Halos buong bansa na rin ang deployment ng mga sundalo at pulis sa ngalan ng counter-insurgency na whole of nation approach. Nagdeklara na rin si Rodrigo Duterte nito lamang September, 2019 ng All Out War laban sa CPP-NPA, inatasan nya ang mga tutang AFP PNP na lipulin na raw ang New People’s Army. Ang mga disperadong isinasagawaid ni Duterte at ng AFP-PNP ay bigo at patuloy na bibiguin ng BHB sa pamamagitan ng mga taktikal na opensiba (TO) at tuloy-tuloy na pagpropaganda sa masa at pagpapaintindi sa kung anu ang tunay na kalagayan ng lipunan sa kasalukuyan.
Ang mga hakbang ng rehimen at ng naghaharing-uri sa pagpapatupad ng higit na mapanupil na mga batas ay hindi tatapos kundi magpapalagablab sa armadong paglaban ng mamamayan sa buong kapuluan. Itutulak nito ang sambayanan na tahakin ang landas ng rebolusyonaryong paglaban at ituturo bilang solusyon ang landas ng demokratikong rebolusyon ng bayan. Huwag na nating hayaang muling danasin ng sambayanang Pilipino ang paghahari ng kadilimang lumukob sa bansa sa panahon ng diktadurang Marcos, ang iniidolo ng pasista at tiranikong si Duterte. Samantala, mananatiling bukas ang larangan ng Agustin Begnalen Command – NPA-Abra sa lahat ng mga mamamayang naghahanap ng kanlungan mula sa kamay ng pasistang rehimen upang ipagtanggol ang kanilang mga sarili laban sa panunugis ng pasista at tiranikong rehimeng US-Duterte.
Never Again to Martial Law!
Hustisya para sa mga biktima ng batas Militar ni Marcos!
Singilin si Duterte sa mga pamamaslang!
Yanigin ang rehimeng US-Duterte!
Kabataan at mamamayan sumapi sa NPA
https://cpp.ph/statement/47-taong-walang-katarungan-never-again-to-martial-law/
Nakikiisa ang Agustin Begnalen Command NPA-Abra sa paggunita sa ika-47 taong anibersaryo ng pagdedeklara ni Ferdinand Marcos ng Batas Militar sa buong bansa noong September 21,1972, para di umano para mapigilan ang lumalakas na Armadong Paglaban ng mamamayan. Ngunit ginamit nya ito para sa pansariling interes ng pamilya at kanyang mga cronies, sinikil at pilit na sinupil ng rehimen ang kalayaan ng sambayanang Pilipino sa kanilang pakikibaka para sa mga demokratikong karapatan. Dinanas ng sambayanan ang madilim na yugto ng kasaysayan sa ilalim ng pasistang diktadorang US-Marcos. Pinakawalan nito ang malupit na anti-Komunistang panunugis para patahimikin ang mga kritiko ng reaksyonaryong gobyerno, mga progresibo at makabayang institusyon at indibidwal. Naging target ng karahasan hindi lamang ang mga tinatatakang maka-kaliwang organisyon, kundi pati mga progresibong indibidwal, grupo at pampulitikang oposisyon.
Ibayong naging masahol ang pagsasampa ng mga inimbentong kaso at mga itinanim na ebidensya upang bulukin sa kulungan ang kanilang mga karibal sa pulitika at mga kritiko ng rehimen, higit na sumahol ang culture of impunity ng mga militar at pulis. Dumami ang mga pwersahang pagkawala, tortyur, pagpatay, pananakot at samo’t-saring paglabag sa karapatan-tao. Sa kasalukuyan 47 taon patuloy ang pagsigaw ng mga kaanak, indibidwal, mga progresibong grupo para sa hustisya at katarungan ng mga biktima sa panahon ng Martial Law ni Ferdinand Marcos.
Sa ngayon sa ilalim ni Rodrigo Duterte, mahigit 2 taon na ang Martial Law sa Mindanao, napakaraming paglabag sa karapatan-tao ang naiulat, di mabilang na pagbabakwit, pagpapasara sa mga paaralan ng mga Lumad, ginagamit rin ang mga Militar ng mga Multi-AgriKorporasyon para supilin ang pagwewelga ng mga manggagawa para sa nakakabuhay na sahod(Hal; ang SUMIFRU, DEL MONTE CORPS, DOLE PHILS) naitala rin ang mga extrajudicial killings (EJK), pagbabakwit, pananakot, paniniktik at pagbibilanggo sa mga probinsya ng Negros, Samar at Bicol, halos araw-araw rin ang pamamaslang sa Isla ng Negros. Nagmimistulang killing fields na ang buong bansa na tela bumabaha ng dugo sa dami ng kawalang katarungang pamamaslang. Sa Luzon at Visayas ay De facto Martial Law (Undeclared Martial Law) ang umiiral sa tabing ng Memorandum Order No.32, Executive Order No.70, Oplan Kapanatagan, Oplan Tokhang at Implementing Plan Kalasag sa NCR. Nakakaranas rin ng pambobomba, istraping at matinding militarisasyon ang mga nasa liblib na komunidad. May mga pekeng labanan rin na pinapakalat ang AFP-PNP para mabigyan ng daan ang mga operasyong militar, maramihan din ang kanilang sapilitang pagpapasurender sa mga sibilyan. Mula ng kenansela ang usapang pangkapayapaan noong November,2017 hanggang sa ideklarang terorista ang CPP-NPA, mas lalong tumindi ang pamamasista at teranikong pamamayagpag ng rehimen ni Duterte, gamit ang mga mapanupil na batas laban sa mamamayan, kasabwat ang AFP-PNP at DILG pwersahang pinapadeklara sa mga LGU na Persona Non Grata ang CPP-NPA-NDF. Ang panukalang muling buhayin naman ang kontra-mamamayan at kontra-demokratikong Anti-Subversion Law at tangkang militarisasyon sa mga pamantasan ay panibagong pakana ng kriminal at tiranikong rehimeng Duterte upang supilin at sikilin ang saligang demokratikong karapatan ng mamamayang Pilipino sa ngalan ng anti-Komunismo. Ang isa sa malinaw na batayan sa martial law ni Duterte ay isang huntang sibil-militar ang nagpapatakbo sa sibilyang burukrasya ng rehimeng US-Duterte, 65 na pusisyong sibilyan sa gubyerno ang hawak ng retiradong mga sundalo at pulis. Ang karamihan sa kanila ay nasa gabinete at namumuno sa mayor na mga ahensya. Halos buong bansa na rin ang deployment ng mga sundalo at pulis sa ngalan ng counter-insurgency na whole of nation approach. Nagdeklara na rin si Rodrigo Duterte nito lamang September, 2019 ng All Out War laban sa CPP-NPA, inatasan nya ang mga tutang AFP PNP na lipulin na raw ang New People’s Army. Ang mga disperadong isinasagawaid ni Duterte at ng AFP-PNP ay bigo at patuloy na bibiguin ng BHB sa pamamagitan ng mga taktikal na opensiba (TO) at tuloy-tuloy na pagpropaganda sa masa at pagpapaintindi sa kung anu ang tunay na kalagayan ng lipunan sa kasalukuyan.
Ang mga hakbang ng rehimen at ng naghaharing-uri sa pagpapatupad ng higit na mapanupil na mga batas ay hindi tatapos kundi magpapalagablab sa armadong paglaban ng mamamayan sa buong kapuluan. Itutulak nito ang sambayanan na tahakin ang landas ng rebolusyonaryong paglaban at ituturo bilang solusyon ang landas ng demokratikong rebolusyon ng bayan. Huwag na nating hayaang muling danasin ng sambayanang Pilipino ang paghahari ng kadilimang lumukob sa bansa sa panahon ng diktadurang Marcos, ang iniidolo ng pasista at tiranikong si Duterte. Samantala, mananatiling bukas ang larangan ng Agustin Begnalen Command – NPA-Abra sa lahat ng mga mamamayang naghahanap ng kanlungan mula sa kamay ng pasistang rehimen upang ipagtanggol ang kanilang mga sarili laban sa panunugis ng pasista at tiranikong rehimeng US-Duterte.
Never Again to Martial Law!
Hustisya para sa mga biktima ng batas Militar ni Marcos!
Singilin si Duterte sa mga pamamaslang!
Yanigin ang rehimeng US-Duterte!
Kabataan at mamamayan sumapi sa NPA
https://cpp.ph/statement/47-taong-walang-katarungan-never-again-to-martial-law/
CPP/NPA-Kalinga: Itigil ang karahasan! De facto Martial Law wakasan!
NPA-Kalinga propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 20, 2019): Itigil ang karahasan! De facto Martial Law wakasan!
KA TIPON GIL-AYAB
NPA-KALINGA
NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY
SEPTEMBER 20, 2019
Nitong mga nagdaang buwan ay parating nasa usap-usapan ng pandaigdigang saklaw ang Pilipinas. Hindi nga lang ito dapat ikagalak kung hindi isang bagay dapat ikabahala. Ayon sa grupong Global Witness, ang Pilipinas ang pinakadelikadong bansa para sa mga aktibistang pangkalikasan. Base sa datos ng grupo, tatlumpong tagapagtanggol ng lupa at aktibistang pangkalikasan ang napapatay sa ilalim ng rehimeng Duterte sa taong 2018 lamang. Ito ang pinakamataas na naitala sa Asya. Itinuturing din ng grupong Armed Conflict Location and Event Project o ACLED ang Pilipinas bilang pang-apat na pinakapeligrosong bansa para sa mga sibilyan. Sa taong 2019 lamang ay mayroong 490 mga sibilyan na ang napaslang, 450 rito ay direktang pinaslang ng mga pwersa ng estado. Sa kabuuan, tinatayang aabot na sa 30,000 katao ang pinaslang sa loob ng tatlong taong panunungkulan ni Duterte. Pero ayon mismo sa kanya, kulang pa ang bilang na ito at kahit umabot sa tatlong milyon ang mamatay ay ayos lang basta maisakatuparan niya ang kanyang mga plano.
Ano nga ba ang plano niya? Gaya ng nauna na niyang pinatunayan, si Duterte ay nangangarap maging isang diktador gaya ng mga idolo niyang si Marcos at Hitler. Isa siyang militarista na nakaasa sa paggamit ng karahasan at panlilinlang upang makapagkamal ng yaman at makapagpalawig ng kapangyarihang pulitikal. Isa siyang tuta na sunod-sunuran sa mga imperyalistang bansa kapalit ng dayuhang kapital.
Sa ilalim ng nag-aastang diktador na si Duterte, nasa “de facto” martial law ang bansa. Ibig sabihin, kaiba man noong panahon ni Marcos na nagdeklara mismo ng batas militar ay pareho naman sa esensya na umiiral sa bansa ang walang-habas na karahasan, kawalang-hustisya at matinding paglabag sa karapatang-tao. Sa pamamagitan ng iba’t ibang mga operational plan o OPLAN, ipinatutupad ni Duterte sa tulong ng AFP at PNP ang kanyang sariling bersyon ng martial law sa bansa. Nariyan ang Oplan Tokhang, Oplan Kapayapaan at ngayon ang Oplan Kapanatagan.
Pormal na pinirmahan noong Enero 2019, ang Internal Security Operation Joint AFP-PNP Campaign Plan: Oplan Kapanatagan ay naglalayon di umano na wakasan ang insurhensiya sa taong 2022. Ito ang ipinalit ni Duterte sa bigong Oplan Kapayapaan. Ngunit nag-iba man ang katawagan ay iisa pa rin ang kahulugan, ito ay isang kontra-mamamayang plano na naglalayong sikilin ang paglaban ng masa para sa kanilang mga makatarungang karapatan.
Nakapakete sa Oplan Kapanatagan ang patuloy na pagpapaupo ni Duterte sa pwesto ng mga retiradong opisyal ng pulis at militar upang isigurado na nasa kontrol nito ang mga mahahalagang sangay ng gobyerno. Ipinatutupad ni Duterte at ng militar ang whole-of-nation approach kung saan ginagamit nito ang lahat ng sangay ng gobyerno, AFP-PNP-death squads, at mga sibilyang organisasyon upang durugin ang lahat ng tinuturing kaaway ng rehimen. Direktang nakikialam ang AFP at PNP sa mga usapin at panukala mula sa nasyunal hanggang sa mga local government unit. Sa pamamagitan ni DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano, ipinipilit ng militar na ideklara ng mga LGU ang CPP-NPA at mga pinaghihinalaang organisasyon bilang persona non grata kahit na tutol dito ang mga mamamayan. Ginagamit din ang mga limos na proyekto gaya ng 4Ps (DSWD), PAMANA (OPAPP) at CHARM-NGP-ENREM (DENR) upang ipamukha na may ginagawa ang rehimen upang solusyunan ang kahirapan ng mamamayang Pilipino.Sa kabilang banda, tuloy-tuloy ang mga pagpatay at iligal na pag-aresto bunsod ng mga gawa-gawang kaso at pagtatanim ng mga ebidensya laban sa mga sibilyan, aktibista at mga tagapagtanggol ng karapatan.
Sa mga lugar ng pambansang minorya gaya ng Kalinga – liban pa sa naunang nabanggit – patuloy na ginagamit ng AFP at PNP ang IP-centric approach upang samantalahin ang katutubong kultura at magamit ito kontra-mamamayan. Patuloy na ipinipilit ng AFP at PNP na maipaloob ito at ang NPA sa kasunduan ng “bodong” o peace pact ng mga tribu gayong maliwanag na labas sa saklaw ng tribu ang armadong pakikibaka na may pambansang saklaw. Sinasamantala rin ng reaksyunaryong gobyerno ang iilang mga “pangat” o elders ng ilang mga tribu upang maipatupad ang mga proyektong aagaw at sisira sa mga lupang ninuno ng mga i-Kalinga. AFP at PNP naman ang security forces o panakot ng mga dambuhalang kumpanya ng enerhiya upang supilin ang pagtutol dito ng mamamayan.
Ang mga karahasang ito at ang di-makataong pamamahala ni Duterte ay sumasalamin lamang sa lalong pagkabulok at papalalang krisis ng mala-pyudal at mala-kolonyal na lipunan. Walang signipikanteng iniunlad sa buhay ng mamamayang Pilipino kahit pa pinipilit itong pagtakpan ng mga survey at fake news ng rehimen. Lalong itinutulak ni Duterte ang mamamayan upang mag-aklas at igiit ang kanilang mga karapatan sa pamamagitan ng mga di-makataong panukala nito sa usapin ng ekonomiya (train law, rice tarrification), militar (Oplan Kapanatagan, martial law sa Mindanao at Negros), pulitika (relasyon sa China) at kultura (panghihimasok-militar sa mga paaralan at unibersidad). Si Duterte mismo ang humuhukay ng sarili nitong libingan habang patuloy nitong ginagalit ang sambayanang Pilipino.
Buong giting na hinaharap ng sambayanang Pilipino ang pasismo ni Duterte. Tuloy-tuloy man ang mga pandarahas at paglabag sa karapatang-tao ay sinasalubong ito ng malalaki at malawakang kilos-protesta ng mamamayan upang pagbayarin si Duterte sa kanyang mga krimen. Paulit-ulit ng pinatunayan sa kasaysayan na kahit na anong dahas ay kayang labanan at harapin basta’t sama-samang lumalaban at kumikilos ang sambayanan. Ito ay panahon ng matitinding pagsubok at ito ay panahon na dapat mas mahigpit nating panghawakan ang ating mga paninindigan. Pahigpitin natin ang ating hanay at sama-samang kumilos sa iba’t ibang mapanlikhang porma upang labanan ang pasismo at terorismo ng estado. Patuloy na ilantad ang kabulukan ng rehimeng Duterte. Tuloy-tuloy na magtungo sa kanayunan at sumampa sa NPA at makibahagi sa pagkamit ng tunay na pagbabagong panlinpunang magwawakas sa kahirapan at pagsasamantala.
Hanggang may pagsasamantala at pang-aapi ay mayroong titindig at lalaban dito. Hanggang nagugutom ang kalakhan ng sambayang nabubuhay sa busabos na kalagayan ay may magrerebolusyon. Ito ang batas ng kasaysayan na siyang nagdikta kung bakit napabagsak natin ang diktaturyang Marcos noon. Ito rin ang batas ng kasaysayang nagdidikta kung bakit mabibigo si Duterte ngayon.
Itigil ang karahasan! De facto Martial Law wakasan!
Patuloy na ilantad at biguin ang Oplan Kapanatagan ni Duterte!
Mamamayan magkaisa laban sa tiraniya! Ipagtanggol ang buhay, dangal, at karapatan!
Magtungo sa kanayunan, sumampa sa Bagong Hukbong Bayan!
https://cpp.ph/statement/itigil-ang-karahasan-de-facto-martial-law-wakasan/
Nitong mga nagdaang buwan ay parating nasa usap-usapan ng pandaigdigang saklaw ang Pilipinas. Hindi nga lang ito dapat ikagalak kung hindi isang bagay dapat ikabahala. Ayon sa grupong Global Witness, ang Pilipinas ang pinakadelikadong bansa para sa mga aktibistang pangkalikasan. Base sa datos ng grupo, tatlumpong tagapagtanggol ng lupa at aktibistang pangkalikasan ang napapatay sa ilalim ng rehimeng Duterte sa taong 2018 lamang. Ito ang pinakamataas na naitala sa Asya. Itinuturing din ng grupong Armed Conflict Location and Event Project o ACLED ang Pilipinas bilang pang-apat na pinakapeligrosong bansa para sa mga sibilyan. Sa taong 2019 lamang ay mayroong 490 mga sibilyan na ang napaslang, 450 rito ay direktang pinaslang ng mga pwersa ng estado. Sa kabuuan, tinatayang aabot na sa 30,000 katao ang pinaslang sa loob ng tatlong taong panunungkulan ni Duterte. Pero ayon mismo sa kanya, kulang pa ang bilang na ito at kahit umabot sa tatlong milyon ang mamatay ay ayos lang basta maisakatuparan niya ang kanyang mga plano.
Ano nga ba ang plano niya? Gaya ng nauna na niyang pinatunayan, si Duterte ay nangangarap maging isang diktador gaya ng mga idolo niyang si Marcos at Hitler. Isa siyang militarista na nakaasa sa paggamit ng karahasan at panlilinlang upang makapagkamal ng yaman at makapagpalawig ng kapangyarihang pulitikal. Isa siyang tuta na sunod-sunuran sa mga imperyalistang bansa kapalit ng dayuhang kapital.
Sa ilalim ng nag-aastang diktador na si Duterte, nasa “de facto” martial law ang bansa. Ibig sabihin, kaiba man noong panahon ni Marcos na nagdeklara mismo ng batas militar ay pareho naman sa esensya na umiiral sa bansa ang walang-habas na karahasan, kawalang-hustisya at matinding paglabag sa karapatang-tao. Sa pamamagitan ng iba’t ibang mga operational plan o OPLAN, ipinatutupad ni Duterte sa tulong ng AFP at PNP ang kanyang sariling bersyon ng martial law sa bansa. Nariyan ang Oplan Tokhang, Oplan Kapayapaan at ngayon ang Oplan Kapanatagan.
Pormal na pinirmahan noong Enero 2019, ang Internal Security Operation Joint AFP-PNP Campaign Plan: Oplan Kapanatagan ay naglalayon di umano na wakasan ang insurhensiya sa taong 2022. Ito ang ipinalit ni Duterte sa bigong Oplan Kapayapaan. Ngunit nag-iba man ang katawagan ay iisa pa rin ang kahulugan, ito ay isang kontra-mamamayang plano na naglalayong sikilin ang paglaban ng masa para sa kanilang mga makatarungang karapatan.
Nakapakete sa Oplan Kapanatagan ang patuloy na pagpapaupo ni Duterte sa pwesto ng mga retiradong opisyal ng pulis at militar upang isigurado na nasa kontrol nito ang mga mahahalagang sangay ng gobyerno. Ipinatutupad ni Duterte at ng militar ang whole-of-nation approach kung saan ginagamit nito ang lahat ng sangay ng gobyerno, AFP-PNP-death squads, at mga sibilyang organisasyon upang durugin ang lahat ng tinuturing kaaway ng rehimen. Direktang nakikialam ang AFP at PNP sa mga usapin at panukala mula sa nasyunal hanggang sa mga local government unit. Sa pamamagitan ni DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano, ipinipilit ng militar na ideklara ng mga LGU ang CPP-NPA at mga pinaghihinalaang organisasyon bilang persona non grata kahit na tutol dito ang mga mamamayan. Ginagamit din ang mga limos na proyekto gaya ng 4Ps (DSWD), PAMANA (OPAPP) at CHARM-NGP-ENREM (DENR) upang ipamukha na may ginagawa ang rehimen upang solusyunan ang kahirapan ng mamamayang Pilipino.Sa kabilang banda, tuloy-tuloy ang mga pagpatay at iligal na pag-aresto bunsod ng mga gawa-gawang kaso at pagtatanim ng mga ebidensya laban sa mga sibilyan, aktibista at mga tagapagtanggol ng karapatan.
Sa mga lugar ng pambansang minorya gaya ng Kalinga – liban pa sa naunang nabanggit – patuloy na ginagamit ng AFP at PNP ang IP-centric approach upang samantalahin ang katutubong kultura at magamit ito kontra-mamamayan. Patuloy na ipinipilit ng AFP at PNP na maipaloob ito at ang NPA sa kasunduan ng “bodong” o peace pact ng mga tribu gayong maliwanag na labas sa saklaw ng tribu ang armadong pakikibaka na may pambansang saklaw. Sinasamantala rin ng reaksyunaryong gobyerno ang iilang mga “pangat” o elders ng ilang mga tribu upang maipatupad ang mga proyektong aagaw at sisira sa mga lupang ninuno ng mga i-Kalinga. AFP at PNP naman ang security forces o panakot ng mga dambuhalang kumpanya ng enerhiya upang supilin ang pagtutol dito ng mamamayan.
Ang mga karahasang ito at ang di-makataong pamamahala ni Duterte ay sumasalamin lamang sa lalong pagkabulok at papalalang krisis ng mala-pyudal at mala-kolonyal na lipunan. Walang signipikanteng iniunlad sa buhay ng mamamayang Pilipino kahit pa pinipilit itong pagtakpan ng mga survey at fake news ng rehimen. Lalong itinutulak ni Duterte ang mamamayan upang mag-aklas at igiit ang kanilang mga karapatan sa pamamagitan ng mga di-makataong panukala nito sa usapin ng ekonomiya (train law, rice tarrification), militar (Oplan Kapanatagan, martial law sa Mindanao at Negros), pulitika (relasyon sa China) at kultura (panghihimasok-militar sa mga paaralan at unibersidad). Si Duterte mismo ang humuhukay ng sarili nitong libingan habang patuloy nitong ginagalit ang sambayanang Pilipino.
Buong giting na hinaharap ng sambayanang Pilipino ang pasismo ni Duterte. Tuloy-tuloy man ang mga pandarahas at paglabag sa karapatang-tao ay sinasalubong ito ng malalaki at malawakang kilos-protesta ng mamamayan upang pagbayarin si Duterte sa kanyang mga krimen. Paulit-ulit ng pinatunayan sa kasaysayan na kahit na anong dahas ay kayang labanan at harapin basta’t sama-samang lumalaban at kumikilos ang sambayanan. Ito ay panahon ng matitinding pagsubok at ito ay panahon na dapat mas mahigpit nating panghawakan ang ating mga paninindigan. Pahigpitin natin ang ating hanay at sama-samang kumilos sa iba’t ibang mapanlikhang porma upang labanan ang pasismo at terorismo ng estado. Patuloy na ilantad ang kabulukan ng rehimeng Duterte. Tuloy-tuloy na magtungo sa kanayunan at sumampa sa NPA at makibahagi sa pagkamit ng tunay na pagbabagong panlinpunang magwawakas sa kahirapan at pagsasamantala.
Hanggang may pagsasamantala at pang-aapi ay mayroong titindig at lalaban dito. Hanggang nagugutom ang kalakhan ng sambayang nabubuhay sa busabos na kalagayan ay may magrerebolusyon. Ito ang batas ng kasaysayan na siyang nagdikta kung bakit napabagsak natin ang diktaturyang Marcos noon. Ito rin ang batas ng kasaysayang nagdidikta kung bakit mabibigo si Duterte ngayon.
Itigil ang karahasan! De facto Martial Law wakasan!
Patuloy na ilantad at biguin ang Oplan Kapanatagan ni Duterte!
Mamamayan magkaisa laban sa tiraniya! Ipagtanggol ang buhay, dangal, at karapatan!
Magtungo sa kanayunan, sumampa sa Bagong Hukbong Bayan!
https://cpp.ph/statement/itigil-ang-karahasan-de-facto-martial-law-wakasan/
CPP/NDF-EV: Remembrance and resistance: In solidarity with the march against dictatorship
NDF-Eastern Visayas propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Sep 20, 2019): Remembrance and resistance: In solidarity with the march against dictatorship
FR. SANTIAGO “KA SANNY” SALAS
SPOKESPERSON
NDF-EV
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT OF THE PHILIPPINES
SEPTEMBER 20, 2019
The National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas expresses its solidarity with the demonstrations under the United People’s March Against Tyranny and Dictatorship in Tacloban City and nationwide today for the 47th commemoration of Marcos’s imposition of martial law. These put forward the timely call for people’s resistance and democracy over dictatorship. In particular, the people of the Eastern Visayas Region are also fighting the intensified fascist campaign of the Duterte regime and its rising human rights violations and calling on their friends and allies to stand with Samar and Leyte.
It is correct to remember the people’s bitter experiences under the Marcos fascist dictatorship. One of these, also commemorated only a week ago, is the Sept. 15, 1981 massacre of 45 civilians who were accused of supporting the New People’s Army in the village of Sag-od, Las Navas, Northern Samar. Until today, the relatives of the victims and other villagers continue to remember the tragedy – no one has ever been brought to account for the heinous crime. The Marcoses have in fact been fully rehabilitated under Rodrigo Duterte, an avowed admirer of the fascist dictator.
Such bloody events are coming back with a vengeance under Duterte, who has surpassed 14 years of the Marcos dictatorship by launching mass killings in “counterinsurgency” and “anti-drug” wars. At least 21 have been killed in the region since Memo 32 and Executive Order 70 imposed a state of virtual martial law in Samar, Negros and Bicol. Up to to 545 barrios have been militarized and as many as 300,000 have been affected by the Duterte regime’s fascist campaign Oplan Kapayapaan in the Eastern Visayas Region. But Oplan Kapayapaan is nothing a but a rehash of previous strategic campaigns except with with even more horrific human rights violations under the most bloodthirsty puppet president in Philippine history.
The country is thus reliving the nightmare of martial law. Like his despicable idol Marcos, Duterte can no longer rule in the old way and wants to monopolize political power and plunder for his family, cronies and imperialist masters. But Duterte can no more recreate the past than can he make the people go through another fascist dictatorship again. History is on the side of the United People’s March Against Tyranny and Dictatorship. Duterte is too drunk with power as to be oblivious that the people have proven twice they can effect regime change through mobilizing millions and convincing the military to withdraw their support of the sitting president.
We are fully confident that the people’s march can go on and generate millions more in the future who can surround Malacañang and oust Duterte, expunging him as deservingly as his ugly expletives. We urge the people to stand fast and fight for their democratic rights and their sovereign right to rise up and depose an unjust ruler. We invite those who are persecuted and endangered by Red-tagging and martial law conditions to go to the countryside and join the armed struggle. In remembering and resisting martial law, in the final analysis it is not enough to change regimes, we must continue to fight until the reactionary ruling system can be overthrown and national and social liberation attained. Only then can we conclusively say, Never again.
https://cpp.ph/statement/remembrance-and-resistance-in-solidarity-with-the-march-against-dictatorship/
The National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas expresses its solidarity with the demonstrations under the United People’s March Against Tyranny and Dictatorship in Tacloban City and nationwide today for the 47th commemoration of Marcos’s imposition of martial law. These put forward the timely call for people’s resistance and democracy over dictatorship. In particular, the people of the Eastern Visayas Region are also fighting the intensified fascist campaign of the Duterte regime and its rising human rights violations and calling on their friends and allies to stand with Samar and Leyte.
It is correct to remember the people’s bitter experiences under the Marcos fascist dictatorship. One of these, also commemorated only a week ago, is the Sept. 15, 1981 massacre of 45 civilians who were accused of supporting the New People’s Army in the village of Sag-od, Las Navas, Northern Samar. Until today, the relatives of the victims and other villagers continue to remember the tragedy – no one has ever been brought to account for the heinous crime. The Marcoses have in fact been fully rehabilitated under Rodrigo Duterte, an avowed admirer of the fascist dictator.
Such bloody events are coming back with a vengeance under Duterte, who has surpassed 14 years of the Marcos dictatorship by launching mass killings in “counterinsurgency” and “anti-drug” wars. At least 21 have been killed in the region since Memo 32 and Executive Order 70 imposed a state of virtual martial law in Samar, Negros and Bicol. Up to to 545 barrios have been militarized and as many as 300,000 have been affected by the Duterte regime’s fascist campaign Oplan Kapayapaan in the Eastern Visayas Region. But Oplan Kapayapaan is nothing a but a rehash of previous strategic campaigns except with with even more horrific human rights violations under the most bloodthirsty puppet president in Philippine history.
The country is thus reliving the nightmare of martial law. Like his despicable idol Marcos, Duterte can no longer rule in the old way and wants to monopolize political power and plunder for his family, cronies and imperialist masters. But Duterte can no more recreate the past than can he make the people go through another fascist dictatorship again. History is on the side of the United People’s March Against Tyranny and Dictatorship. Duterte is too drunk with power as to be oblivious that the people have proven twice they can effect regime change through mobilizing millions and convincing the military to withdraw their support of the sitting president.
We are fully confident that the people’s march can go on and generate millions more in the future who can surround Malacañang and oust Duterte, expunging him as deservingly as his ugly expletives. We urge the people to stand fast and fight for their democratic rights and their sovereign right to rise up and depose an unjust ruler. We invite those who are persecuted and endangered by Red-tagging and martial law conditions to go to the countryside and join the armed struggle. In remembering and resisting martial law, in the final analysis it is not enough to change regimes, we must continue to fight until the reactionary ruling system can be overthrown and national and social liberation attained. Only then can we conclusively say, Never again.
https://cpp.ph/statement/remembrance-and-resistance-in-solidarity-with-the-march-against-dictatorship/
Kalinaw News: Convinced of Duterte administration’s program for former rebels, more Guerillas surrender
Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 20, 2019): Convinced of Duterte administration’s program for former rebels, more Guerillas surrender
CAMP ELIAS ANGELES, Pili, Camarines Sur-Exhausted and tired of its useless cause, another armed rebel decided to abandon the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) and start his life anew in Sorsogon province.
According to a report, personnel of 31st Infantry Battalion received surrender feelers from a 73-year old NPA member.
Thus, they immediately confirmed the information and placed the rebel under the Army’s custody.
Larry (not his real name) entered the armed movement in the early 80’s and a present member of Sentrong Depensang Grupo, Komiteng Probinsya 3 of Bicol Regional Party Committee (BRPC).
For more than two decades, he spent his life hiding in the mountains while holding different significant positions inside the CTG.
Though old and sickly, Larry is still being obliged to recruit new members of the armed group and often times, his house serves as temporary shelter for the cadres.
Fearing for his life and convinced of President Rodrigo Duterte’s programs for former rebels especially the Whole-of-Nation Approach thru Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC), he finally opted to surrender and live a peaceful life.
Meanwhile, in Camarines Sur, personnel of 9th Infantry Battalion (9IB) conducted an operation which resulted in the surrender of an SPL member and the recovery of four live ammunition of 12 gauge shot gun, one Philippine Army uniform and subversive documents.
In Tagkawayan town, in Quezon province, a member of Squad 1, Platoon 1, Larangan 1, Komiteng Probinsya 1 of the Bicol Regional Party Committee (BRPC) also surrendered to the personnel of 96th Infantry Battalion (96IB).
It can be recalled that just last September 11, 65 armed rebels and their supporters surrendered to the 903rd Infantry Brigade.
Joint Task Force Bicolandia (JTFB) under MGEN FERNANDO TRINIDAD AFP said that the growing numbers of rebels who are now leaving the CTG and withdrawing their support to the group is a result of the massive operations and Community Support Program (CSP) in different conflict-affected areas conducted by the government troops.
With RTF-ELCAC now determined to bring all the needed services to the people especially to the far-flung areas, JTFB is confident that the insurgency will finally be resolved.
Division Public Affairs Office 9th Infantry Division Philippine Army
Cpt Joash Pramis
Chief, Division Public Affairs Office, 9ID
Camp Elias Angeles, Pili, Camarines Sur, Philippines
Cell number: 09151434816
email: dpao.9id.pa@gmail.com
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
https://www.kalinawnews.com/convinced-of-duterte-administrations-program-for-former-rebels-more-guerillas-surrender/
CAMP ELIAS ANGELES, Pili, Camarines Sur-Exhausted and tired of its useless cause, another armed rebel decided to abandon the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) and start his life anew in Sorsogon province.
According to a report, personnel of 31st Infantry Battalion received surrender feelers from a 73-year old NPA member.
Thus, they immediately confirmed the information and placed the rebel under the Army’s custody.
Larry (not his real name) entered the armed movement in the early 80’s and a present member of Sentrong Depensang Grupo, Komiteng Probinsya 3 of Bicol Regional Party Committee (BRPC).
For more than two decades, he spent his life hiding in the mountains while holding different significant positions inside the CTG.
Though old and sickly, Larry is still being obliged to recruit new members of the armed group and often times, his house serves as temporary shelter for the cadres.
Fearing for his life and convinced of President Rodrigo Duterte’s programs for former rebels especially the Whole-of-Nation Approach thru Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC), he finally opted to surrender and live a peaceful life.
Meanwhile, in Camarines Sur, personnel of 9th Infantry Battalion (9IB) conducted an operation which resulted in the surrender of an SPL member and the recovery of four live ammunition of 12 gauge shot gun, one Philippine Army uniform and subversive documents.
In Tagkawayan town, in Quezon province, a member of Squad 1, Platoon 1, Larangan 1, Komiteng Probinsya 1 of the Bicol Regional Party Committee (BRPC) also surrendered to the personnel of 96th Infantry Battalion (96IB).
It can be recalled that just last September 11, 65 armed rebels and their supporters surrendered to the 903rd Infantry Brigade.
Joint Task Force Bicolandia (JTFB) under MGEN FERNANDO TRINIDAD AFP said that the growing numbers of rebels who are now leaving the CTG and withdrawing their support to the group is a result of the massive operations and Community Support Program (CSP) in different conflict-affected areas conducted by the government troops.
With RTF-ELCAC now determined to bring all the needed services to the people especially to the far-flung areas, JTFB is confident that the insurgency will finally be resolved.
Division Public Affairs Office 9th Infantry Division Philippine Army
Cpt Joash Pramis
Chief, Division Public Affairs Office, 9ID
Camp Elias Angeles, Pili, Camarines Sur, Philippines
Cell number: 09151434816
email: dpao.9id.pa@gmail.com
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
https://www.kalinawnews.com/convinced-of-duterte-administrations-program-for-former-rebels-more-guerillas-surrender/
Kalinaw News: PRLEC holds dialogue to next target brgy in Sursur town
Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 20, 2019): PRLEC holds dialogue to next target brgy in Sursur town
Tago, Surigao del Sur – The Poverty Reduction, Livelihood and Employment Cluster holds dialogue to the locals of Brgy Umalag yesterday, September 19, 2019 held at New Umalag, town of San Miguel, this province.
The said dialogue aims to inform the locals of Brgy Umalag about the different programs of the different line agencies, since the said barangay is one of the chosen for the implementation of livelihood and skills trainings of PRLEC. It also aims to identify the issues and concerns of the locals.
The objective of the activity is to elevate the communities and to reduce the poverty thru introducing livelihood for sustainable programs, in which every agencies will respond to the needs of the communities by committing their support to the programs.
A total of 300 participants from Brgy Umalag, and neighboring barangays namely Brgy Castillo and Brgy Bolhoon attended the said activity and raise their issues and concerns to the different line agencies.
The activity was actively participated by the head of agencies spearheaded by Dir. Rey M Cueva, PD, Tesda, Sur sur and Ltc Xerxes Trinidad, CO, 36IB with the different line agencies from Provincial Police Office (PPO), DAR, DOLE, PCA, DILG, NCIP, DA, DSWD-SDS, Provincial Tourism, NFA, OPAG, DOST, Land bank and the locals of Brgy Umalag, SMSDS.
In his statement, Ltc Xerxes Trinidad requested the commitment of the different agencies in responding to the call of the local community in ending insurgency.
“Military is not only the solution in ending the local communist armed conflict but rather by the convergence of efforts of every one, the convergence of all line agencies working in unison and commitment of every one to serve the Filipino people.,” Ltc Trinidad said 4TH INF DIV He further added that the program given by the government must be fully accepted and fully supported by the locals. The commitment of the community towards the services given by government is one of the key factor to end this 50 year of futile armed struggle.
PRLEC is one of the 12 lines of effort of the government in ending the local communist armed conflict anchored on president Duterte EO 70 or the institutionalization of Whole of Nation Approach.
36th Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Division PA
1LT Jonald D Romorosa
CMO Officer, 36th Infantry Battalion
Sitio Upper Mambago, Dayo-an, Tago, Surigao del Sur
valor_36@yahoo.com
0917-1466-326/09491243886
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
Tago, Surigao del Sur – The Poverty Reduction, Livelihood and Employment Cluster holds dialogue to the locals of Brgy Umalag yesterday, September 19, 2019 held at New Umalag, town of San Miguel, this province.
The said dialogue aims to inform the locals of Brgy Umalag about the different programs of the different line agencies, since the said barangay is one of the chosen for the implementation of livelihood and skills trainings of PRLEC. It also aims to identify the issues and concerns of the locals.
The objective of the activity is to elevate the communities and to reduce the poverty thru introducing livelihood for sustainable programs, in which every agencies will respond to the needs of the communities by committing their support to the programs.
A total of 300 participants from Brgy Umalag, and neighboring barangays namely Brgy Castillo and Brgy Bolhoon attended the said activity and raise their issues and concerns to the different line agencies.
The activity was actively participated by the head of agencies spearheaded by Dir. Rey M Cueva, PD, Tesda, Sur sur and Ltc Xerxes Trinidad, CO, 36IB with the different line agencies from Provincial Police Office (PPO), DAR, DOLE, PCA, DILG, NCIP, DA, DSWD-SDS, Provincial Tourism, NFA, OPAG, DOST, Land bank and the locals of Brgy Umalag, SMSDS.
In his statement, Ltc Xerxes Trinidad requested the commitment of the different agencies in responding to the call of the local community in ending insurgency.
“Military is not only the solution in ending the local communist armed conflict but rather by the convergence of efforts of every one, the convergence of all line agencies working in unison and commitment of every one to serve the Filipino people.,” Ltc Trinidad said 4TH INF DIV He further added that the program given by the government must be fully accepted and fully supported by the locals. The commitment of the community towards the services given by government is one of the key factor to end this 50 year of futile armed struggle.
PRLEC is one of the 12 lines of effort of the government in ending the local communist armed conflict anchored on president Duterte EO 70 or the institutionalization of Whole of Nation Approach.
36th Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Division PA
1LT Jonald D Romorosa
CMO Officer, 36th Infantry Battalion
Sitio Upper Mambago, Dayo-an, Tago, Surigao del Sur
valor_36@yahoo.com
0917-1466-326/09491243886
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
Kalinaw News: NPA Militia and his Supporter Surrender, Yields Firearm in Lanao Sur
Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 20, 2019): NPA Militia and his Supporter Surrender, Yields Firearm in Lanao Sur
CAMP SANG-AN, Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur – A Communist NPA Militia and his supporter surrendered and yielded high-powered firearm to Army’s 82nd Infantry Battalion at their headquarters in Saguiaran, Lanao del Sur 12:40 p.m. Thursday, September 19, 2019.
“The NPA Militia, who has the M16 rifle, was eager to surrender and influenced the supporter to follow him”, said Lt. Col. Rafman Altre, 82nd Infantry Battalion commander.
“Our initial custodial debriefing also found out that, their surrender was the result of our relentless combat operation in the province of Lanao del Sur”, added Altre.
Custodial debriefing is still ongoing as of this posting.
On Wednesday, three young local terrorist group members were arrested by the operating Battalions of 103rd Infantry Brigade in the municipality of Piagapo.
The young terrorists also yielded two M14 and Bushmaster 5.56 assault rifles, one caliber 38 pistol, magazines, ammunitions and bandoliers.
According to Brig. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., 103rd Infantry Brigade Commander, who has operational jurisdiction of Lanao del Sur “We are gaining grounds in our relentless operation in the province and we are thankful to the local populace and the local government unit for their continued trust and support”.
“We also want an unhampered recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the most affected areas which was brought by the terrorist groups in Marawi”, added Brawner.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Roberto Ancan, the 1st Infantry Division and Joint Task Force Zampelan (Zamboanga Peninsula and Lanao Provinces) commander, commended the efforts of the troops that led to the surrender of the NPA Militia and his supporter.
“We are confident that the Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) in the respective regions were properly managed by various government agencies and will continuously encourage and facilitate our former rebels to return into the mainstream society”, said Ancan.
CAMP SANG-AN, Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur – A Communist NPA Militia and his supporter surrendered and yielded high-powered firearm to Army’s 82nd Infantry Battalion at their headquarters in Saguiaran, Lanao del Sur 12:40 p.m. Thursday, September 19, 2019.
“The NPA Militia, who has the M16 rifle, was eager to surrender and influenced the supporter to follow him”, said Lt. Col. Rafman Altre, 82nd Infantry Battalion commander.
“Our initial custodial debriefing also found out that, their surrender was the result of our relentless combat operation in the province of Lanao del Sur”, added Altre.
Custodial debriefing is still ongoing as of this posting.
On Wednesday, three young local terrorist group members were arrested by the operating Battalions of 103rd Infantry Brigade in the municipality of Piagapo.
The young terrorists also yielded two M14 and Bushmaster 5.56 assault rifles, one caliber 38 pistol, magazines, ammunitions and bandoliers.
According to Brig. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., 103rd Infantry Brigade Commander, who has operational jurisdiction of Lanao del Sur “We are gaining grounds in our relentless operation in the province and we are thankful to the local populace and the local government unit for their continued trust and support”.
“We also want an unhampered recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the most affected areas which was brought by the terrorist groups in Marawi”, added Brawner.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Roberto Ancan, the 1st Infantry Division and Joint Task Force Zampelan (Zamboanga Peninsula and Lanao Provinces) commander, commended the efforts of the troops that led to the surrender of the NPA Militia and his supporter.
“We are confident that the Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) in the respective regions were properly managed by various government agencies and will continuously encourage and facilitate our former rebels to return into the mainstream society”, said Ancan.
Source: 1003rd Infantry Brigade
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
Kalinaw News: AFP, Makati Medical Center agree on partnership to strengthen military hospitals
Posted to Kalinaw News (Sep 20, 2019): AFP, Makati Medical Center agree on partnership to strengthen military hospitals
CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City–The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Makati Medical Center Foundation (MMCF) signed a Memorandum of Agreement today, September 20, to strengthen the capabilities of military hospitals and treatment facilities nationwide.
The MOA was signed by AFP Chief of Staff General Benjamin Madrigal Jr and MMCF Chairman Manny Pangilinan and will be submitted for the approval of Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana.
This is designed to strengthen the human resources of AFP hospitals and treatment facilities through conferences, workshops, training sessions, coaching and mentoring, and other interventions,” the agreement said.
The MMCF shall also share technical resources and open its medical facilities for training and learning exchange sessions at no cost to the AFP.
It will also conduct capabilities, resources, and competencies assessment and help in the development of strategic operational plans on policy, systems development, and human resource management.
The signing renews and expands the agreement that started in 2013. The original MOA involves the enhancement of the AFP Medical Center and since then has expanded to 23 AFP medical facilities. The new MOA seeks to strengthen the 46 AFP hospitals and treatment centers nationwide.
“We are happy to announce that MMC Foundation is again partnering with the AFP, but this time for the organizational strengthening of 46 of its hospitals and treatment facilities throughout the country. This is our way of saying ‘thank you’ for the kind of service that you render to all of us,” Chairman Pangilinan said.
The partnership has since benefited the AFP through cross-trainings, donations of medical equipment, employment of joint disaster preparedness measures, and computerization of medical records.
Up to 200 military personnel including battle casualties were also provided with medical services in the MMC facilities under its Health Service Program.
“It is certainly reassuring to know, that as our soldiers are engaged in combat, that the chances of survival is higher with more skilled and capacitated doctors and having well-equipped hospitals,” General Madrigal said.
“I would like to extend our gratitude to the MMC Foundation for the different services that you offer, especially in the capacity-building and training of our doctors and the equipment that you provide particularly in areas where we have more battle casualties,” General Madrigal added.
Public Affairs Office, Armed Forces of the Philippines
COL NOEL J DETOYATO GSC (INF) PA
Public Affairs Office AFP
Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo Quezon City
911-6001 Local 6000 & 6700
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
https://www.kalinawnews.com/afp-makati-medical-center-agree-on-partnership-to-strengthen-military-hospitals/
CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City–The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Makati Medical Center Foundation (MMCF) signed a Memorandum of Agreement today, September 20, to strengthen the capabilities of military hospitals and treatment facilities nationwide.
The MOA was signed by AFP Chief of Staff General Benjamin Madrigal Jr and MMCF Chairman Manny Pangilinan and will be submitted for the approval of Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana.
This is designed to strengthen the human resources of AFP hospitals and treatment facilities through conferences, workshops, training sessions, coaching and mentoring, and other interventions,” the agreement said.
The MMCF shall also share technical resources and open its medical facilities for training and learning exchange sessions at no cost to the AFP.
It will also conduct capabilities, resources, and competencies assessment and help in the development of strategic operational plans on policy, systems development, and human resource management.
The signing renews and expands the agreement that started in 2013. The original MOA involves the enhancement of the AFP Medical Center and since then has expanded to 23 AFP medical facilities. The new MOA seeks to strengthen the 46 AFP hospitals and treatment centers nationwide.
“We are happy to announce that MMC Foundation is again partnering with the AFP, but this time for the organizational strengthening of 46 of its hospitals and treatment facilities throughout the country. This is our way of saying ‘thank you’ for the kind of service that you render to all of us,” Chairman Pangilinan said.
The partnership has since benefited the AFP through cross-trainings, donations of medical equipment, employment of joint disaster preparedness measures, and computerization of medical records.
Up to 200 military personnel including battle casualties were also provided with medical services in the MMC facilities under its Health Service Program.
“It is certainly reassuring to know, that as our soldiers are engaged in combat, that the chances of survival is higher with more skilled and capacitated doctors and having well-equipped hospitals,” General Madrigal said.
“I would like to extend our gratitude to the MMC Foundation for the different services that you offer, especially in the capacity-building and training of our doctors and the equipment that you provide particularly in areas where we have more battle casualties,” General Madrigal added.
Public Affairs Office, Armed Forces of the Philippines
COL NOEL J DETOYATO GSC (INF) PA
Public Affairs Office AFP
Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo Quezon City
911-6001 Local 6000 & 6700
[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace by the Philippine Army. It provides information on the activities of Army Units nationwide in the performance of their duty of Serving the People and Securing the Land. This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Contact us: contact@kalinawnews.com]
https://www.kalinawnews.com/afp-makati-medical-center-agree-on-partnership-to-strengthen-military-hospitals/
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