Opinion: No goodbye for the general

Opinion piece posted to the Manila Times (Jul 25, 2021): No goodbye for the general (By Mauro Gia Samonte)

Today is the turnover ceremony for the Southern Luzon Command (SolCom) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. will bow out as the commanding chief and pass on the baton to the incoming commander, Maj. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Baccaro, Philippine Army commander, 2nd Infantry Division.

I have had good enough occasions of getting familiar with the outgoing commander such that if only because of my instincts as a film director, I should give vent to my predilection to bombast and bravura to portray his person in epic proportion, which I believe he deserves.

Yet strange that on the subject, I just am at a loss for words. And on emotions, it is some big void you feel, so deep it defies being expressed. You know, the kind of feeling that because incapable of being said at all, it turns out to be a feeling of nothing for nothing. Some smart psychologist would term it stoicism.

At any rate, an utter failure to lift someone to the pedestal you want him to be on. And failing thus, you simply drop into wordlessness.

But then again, how do you word a general like Parlade?

I wouldn't dare.

It's been only some three or so years ago that a common friend, Celso Cainglet, brought General Parlade to lunch with our exclusive group of stubborn Don Quixotes in Mentong Laurel's now defunct Mama Rosa Restaurant in Barrio Kapitolyo in Pasig City; Celso was Parlade's professor at the Philippine Military Academy.

That lunch meeting turned out to be a personal milestone for me. For long already, I had been on the lookout for someone to push an idea of finally putting a stop to the half-century old insurgency of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF). I had long decided that the armed struggle for the liberation of the working class had gone passé and that under the trends of the world at present, such liberation cannot but take place only as assimilation into the existing world dominant trend. In such a reckoning, the armed struggle of the CPP-NPA-NDF becomes a reactionary exercise; true enough, the CPP-NPA-NDF insurgency has been the major factor accounting for the retrogression of the Philippine economy. My idea was for that insurgency to be crushed through a two-pronged attack: all-out war against the leaders and blind followers of the insurgency; and all-out benevolence for those who return to the fold of the law.

"'Yang mga NPA, mabubuting tao 'yan. Hindi 'yan mag-i-NPA kung masasama 'yan. Ang masasama ay' 'yung mga lider. Kaya dapat pag-ibahin ng pamahalaan ang pagtingin sa mga lider at sa mga follower ng NPA. Sa mga follower, be all-benevolent. Buong pusong akitin sila pabalik sa batas. Pero sa mga lider, be all-out belligerent. Banatan na ang mga 'yan. Burahin na. Pulbusin na (Those NPA are good people. They will not turn NPA if they are bad. Those who are bad are the leaders. So, the government must make a distinction between the leaders and the followers of the NPA. To the followers, be all-benevolent. Attract them back to the fold of the law wholeheartedly. But to the leaders, be all-belligerent. Slam them. Erase them. Pulverize them)."

This was the gist of a television interview I had with Mentong Laurel, which I had made known to General Parlade when I visited him in his office at the J7 Camp Aguinaldo shortly after our first meeting.

And that was it. From then on, by a matter of course, our paths in countering the communist terrorists always converged.

He gets designated as SolCom chief, I text him promptly, afraid that the designation is a demotion, considering that he is down to regional command from the general staff.

"It's a promotion," he tells me.

My kumpadre assures me that the SolCom post normally is a steppingstone to the post of the Chief of Staff.

And then the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) was constituted, and General Parlade was designated as its spokesman. From the published dynamics of the task force, it becomes evident that it is an implementation of my own ideated counterinsurgency thrust cited above.

I keep track of the general's moves. How courageous of him to have come on his own in that Makabayan bloc forum in Quezon City in which he intended to debunk the lies of propagandists of the CPP-NP-/NDF against the government. He said then, he did not come with guns. He was armed with nothing but the truth.

Comes now the Liza Soberano controversy. I picked up from his Facebook page a fair warning to the actress about Gabriela. The warning is in defense of the celebrity from bashing from netizens for her appearance in the webinar organized by the CPP front party-list group. I took up the general's line that celebrities should be wary of the deceptive tactics of communist front organizations, expounding on it in this column. At the same time, General Parlade, gets to have his column in The Manila Times, accounting, each time, for a one-two punch combination with me on every issue in the counter-insurgency narrative.

As of last count, NTF-Elcac Vice Chairman Hermogenes Esperon Jr. reported that more than 800 barangay (villages) have been freed from NPA influence; by his own account, General Parlade is enthused at the fact that the NPA is crumbling in Bicol. Together with that enthusiasm is an expressed determination to be still in the thick of the fight even beyond his official service in the AFP.

This, then, must account for my apparent stoic feeling over General Parlade's retirement. He is not going after all. The turnover ceremony must only be just protocol. The counterinsurgency fight keeps on to the intended end.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2021/07/25/opinion/columns/no-goodbye-for-the-general/1808288

Duterte inspires groups to continue fight vs. Reds

 From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 25, 2021): Duterte inspires groups to continue fight vs. Reds (By Lade Jean Kabagani)

File photo

The government's whole-of-nation approach and concerted efforts to dismantle communist terrorist groups (CTGs) have inspired various multi-sectoral groups to also speak up against the deceptions of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its front organizations.

Liga Independencia Pilipinas (LIPI) secretary general, Jose Antonio “Ka Pep” Goitia, said communist activities have evidently declined during the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

"The President has inspired us to take an active role in combating those who oppose our ideals, rights, and way of life," he told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) over the weekend.

Goitia cited that several high-ranking officials of the New People's Army (NPA), the armed wing of the CPP, have surrendered and are now working with the government to denounce the atrocities of CTGs.

"The communists' activities have been on the decline. Thousands of NPA cadres have surrendered their arms in order to live in peace and become responsible citizens of the Philippines. This was the result of a concerted effort to abolish the CPP-NPA-NDF (National Democratic Front) under the whole-of-nation approach in order to achieve inclusive and sustainable peace," he said.

LIPI is one of the multi-sectoral groups that has been staging rallies to call out the CPP-NPA-NDF for its "relentless exploitation of youth and indigenous peoples".

Goitia said the communist rebels are also manipulating marginalized sectors to overthrow the government.

Duterte's term is in its final year but Goitia said the fight to end the communist revolution in the country must continue.

He said the Filipino people deserve freedom against the tyranny, oppression, violence, killings of the innocent, and the long-standing armed insurgency brought by CTGS nationwide.

"One of the President's greatest achievements in achieving everlasting peace in the countryside was signing Executive Order (EO) 70, which institutionalized the whole-of-nation approach to achieving inclusive and sustainable peace," he said.

Goitia said the creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) under EO 70 has been "greatly beneficial" to achieving long-lasting peace within the NPA-infiltrated areas.

"The NTF-ELCAC's Barangay Development Program is one of the government's most worthwhile initiatives. The program provided incentives and services that resulted in the communist threat being removed from more than 800 barangays," he added.

Duterte's tough response against insurgency has been crucial to defending national security, he said.

Goitia also lauded the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act that will free the country from the claws of terrorism and pave the way for improved lives of residents of conflict-afflicted communities.

During his final State of the Nation Address on Monday, Goitia said Duterte should present his final economic policies and programs for his remaining year.

"The President should speak about the ongoing Armed Forces of the Philippines’ modernization program and its implications for defending our sovereignty against internal and external threats. What military equipment we have acquired thus far, and what the next phase of the program would entail," he said.

"We also expect the President to discuss his policies going forward, but we would like him to focus on economic recovery, international relations, security, and social and political reforms," he added.

Meanwhile, Remy Rosadio, president of the League of Parents of the Philippines, said it is crucial that Duterte has responded positively to parents' call to end the illegal recruitment of minors by CTG front organizations.

"We are just lucky that we have President Rodrigo Duterte who is very supportive in our fight against deceptive recruitment and lies of CPP-NPA-NDF. Actually, we are risking our lives without security. We are doing this because we sympathize with some parents whose children were recruited by the legal front of CPP-NPA-NDF, and the children started as activists and later joined the armed struggle," Rosadio said in a separate interview.

Rosadio said they believe that Duterte will fulfill his promise to wipe out CTGs as "they have become a serious threat for the future of the youth".

Every child deserves a safe space free from the grip of communist ideologies, she said.

"Hearing his support for us makes us stronger and more determined to continue our fight against deception and lies of the legal front of CPP-NPA-NDF that are victimizing our children," she added.

Rosadio said there should be a continuity of the government's ultimate goal to end 52 long years of atrocities and violence committed by CTGs.

"We are sick and tired of the 52 years of the ruthless and unattainable war that the CPP-NPA-NDF is waging against the government and the ordinary people. Countless victims in the battlefields and innocent lives, particularly the youth, are being wasted," she said.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1148221

CORDS drastically reduces E. Visayas insurgency problem

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 24, 2021): CORDS drastically reduces E. Visayas insurgency problem (By Lade Jean Kabagani)

Contributed photo

President Rodrigo Duterte's designation of Cabinet secretaries as Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) is a huge step in ensuring the country's progressive development amid the threat of communist terrorist groups (CTGs).

Housing czar Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, also the CORDS for Region 8 (Eastern Visayas), said Duterte's strong political will and aggressive leadership to end insurgency "paved the way for development in previously conflict-hit areas in the region".

Del Rosario said the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) posted a 49-percent reduction on the insurgency problem in 310 communist-influenced villages since 2018.

Through the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches, del Rosario said security forces dismantled communist guerilla fronts.

"The remaining CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front) capability in Region 8 is continuously declining, hence we are declaring today that our timeline to neutralize and diminish the influence and fighting capability of the communist terrorists is achievable and doable within the President’s term," del Rosario said in an interview on Friday.

To date, del Rosario reported that 3,395 out of 4,390 barangays, or 77 percent of village officials in the entire region, declared persona non grata the members of CTGs.

All mayors and governors of the provinces of Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar did the same.

The government's Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) and the Barangay Development Program under the flagship framework of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) are currently enforced in Eastern Visayas.

For the E-CLIP alone, the RTF-ELCAC-8 in 2020 distributed about PHP13.85 million worth of assistance to 296 former rebels, comprised of members of the NPA and Militia ng Bayan.

The assistance was meant to establish communal gardens, house farm breeders, poultry houses, and slaughterhouses, as well as education facilities for the former combatants.

A total of PHP1.85 million cash aid was distributed to rebel returnees in Samar under the Peace towards Prosperity Initiative.

Del Rosario earlier announced the construction of housing projects worth PHP75 million for communist rebels who returned to the fold of the law.

“The government is fully committed to addressing the issues of insurgency in the region, particularly in the areas infiltrated by the CPP and its armed wing, the NPA,” he said.

The RTF-ELCAC-8 was created by the Regional Development Council 8 and Regional Peace and Order Council Eastern Visayas under the provisions of EO 70.

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

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1148178

CPP/NDF-CNL: The Filipino People’s Call on July 26 closing SONA: Oust Tyrant Duterte! Let him be arrested, tried and punished by the International Criminal Court for his crimes against the Filipino people!

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Jul 23, 2021): The Filipino People’s Call on July 26 closing SONA: Oust Tyrant Duterte! Let him be arrested, tried and punished by the International Criminal Court for his crimes against the Filipino people!

REV. FR. NEO PADRE AGLIPAY

SPOKESPERSON

CHRISTIANS FOR NATIONAL LIBERATION-NORTHERN LUZON

CHRISTIANS FOR NATIONAL LIBERATION (CNL)

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT OF THE PHILIPPINES

JULY 23, 2021

On his July 26 last State of the Nation Address (SONA), satanic and tyrant Duterte and his big dirty mouth with a Devil-like forked tongue will definitely blurt out rants against the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the New People’s Army (NPA) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), and repeat his earlier declaration that these are terrorist organizations with his clear objective of camouflaging his ceaseless terrorism against the Filipino people. He will again convey malicious lies to fool and deceive the Filipino masses that his top pro-US imperialist AFP-PNP commanders are “victorious” in the implementation of his National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in order to conceal his crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes which he has committed in the past five years of his tyrannical reign and continues to perpetuate against the Filipino people up to the present day.

Surely, he will address the nation and proclaim himself as the best “Filipino” leader, beside his idol, dictator Marcos, in order to obscure the fact that he is the 12th but, indeed, the nastiest president to head the reactionary and US imperialist puppet regime, which is composed of big landlords, big comprador bourgeoisie and bureaucrat capitalists who are jointly maintaining the Philippines as a semicolonial and semifeudal society under the diktats of their US imperialist masters. He will certainly and falsely project himself as the only forerunner who has the pipedream to end the communist insurgency in order to convince the Filipino people to elect his ambitious daughter or a Marcos-type fascist crony as president and himself as vice president in the 2022 national elections in order to avoid being tried and punished by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of his crimes against the Filipino people. But primarily, Duterte’s ambition to prolong himself in power beyond 2022 is undoubtedly within his framework of continuing his dictatorial regime that has put the whole Philippines under de facto martial law in the past five years. Since 2016, he has declared himself and remains as the Philippine dictator by means of: (1) his fake anti-drug war/oplan tokhang in order to control the drug syndicates with the Chinese imperialist agents and connections; (2) his anti-Moro war that destroyed Marawi City in the guise of ending the Maute group but with clear intent to stop the struggle of the Moro people against the oppressive Philippine government and their fight for genuine autonomy; (3) his fascist acts of suppressing the national minorities’ struggle against national oppression and for their right to national self-determination with the rest of the Filipino people; (4) his Whole of Nation Approach (WNA) through his NTF in the facade and pretense of ending the communist armed conflict but with the impeccably evil motives to red-tag, illegally arrest and detain, and kill activists, human rights defenders, critics and oppositionists; (5) his Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) in the pretext of stopping the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic but actually implementing militarist restrictions that have affected very much the freedom, the economic life as well as the political and cultural development of the masses; and (6) his Anti-Terrorism Law (ATL/ATA) that violates the fundamental human and civil rights of the Filipino people and conceals the state fascism of his terroristic regime. These six (6) contraptions have become and continue up to the present day to be the de facto martial law instruments of totalitarian Duterte and his pro-US imperialist top AFP-PNP fascist commanders and retired generals to kill democracy and continue fullblown terrorism throughout the country. And to maintain state fascism of his terroristic regime, tyrant Duterte has instigated and continues to promote various ways of corruption and increase foreign loans and debts, which already amount to P10.4 trillion as of February 2021, in order to fund with billions of money from the people’s coffers the aforesaid 6 contraptions of his de facto martial law.

The abovementioned six (6) terroristic contraptions of Duterte’s de facto martial law have led to more than 1,447,936 human rights victims (taken from the PRWC lists, June 2016 to June 2021). These are due to the following terroristic acts and human rights violations in the 5 years of Duterte’s de facto martial law: 30,397 massacres, political and extra-judicial killings, including the 30,000 people murdered by tyrant Duterte’s fake anti-drug war/Oplan Tokhang; 13 murders in violation of the rights of hors de combat revolutionary leaders and NDFP consultants; 16 abduction and enforced disappearance; 431 frustrated killings; 91,364 threats, harassments, intimidations and coercions; 369,688 victims of aerial bombing; 853,707 victims of forced evacuation and displacement, including 350,00 displaced Maranaos from 115,000 Maranao families during the bombardment of Marawi City; 42,823 victims of illegal occupation; 11,167 cases of destruction of property, including the 11,000 ruined houses of the 27,000 Maranao families during the bombardment of Marawi City; 133 cases and victims of illegal search and seizure; 155 cases of torture; 46 victims of physical assault and injury; 3,468 victims of demolition; 15,947 cases of food and economic blockade; and 28,581 curfew and Covid-19 militarist restrictions, including the various human rights violations done by Duterte’s fascist army and police during various community panties.

Tyrant Duterte’s crimes have escalated and continue to intensify the miserable conditions of the oppressed and exploited Filipino people, especially the workers, urban poor, peasants, fisherfolks, national minorities, the women, the youth, and other informal sectors, who belong to the majority of the national population and are living in hunger, poverty, malnutrition, landlessness and unemployment. On the other hand, autocrat Duterte’s crimes have encouraged and continue to embolden the Filipino people to join the national democratic revolution through protracted people’s war for national liberation and genuine people’s democracy, and the establishment of socialist structures that would commence upon the attainment of final victory at the national level in the years to come.

Killer Duterte’s acts of oppression and exploitation and the heartbreaking situation of subjugation and enslavement, that daily confront the Filipino people, are beseechingly calling all Christians and their Church leaders, all Muslims and their Moro leaders, all human rights defenders and activists, all patriotic and progressive forces, all victims of the oppression and exploitation by the satanic and tyrannical US-Duterte regime, and all critics and oppositionists of Duterte’s tyranny to unify, develop and consolidate a broad united convergence to oust autocrat Duterte in order to end his treacherous, dictatorial, terroristic, genocidal, pillaging and deceitful regime. One great step for the fast ejection of tyrant Duterte is for the Christian Churches’ institutions and the Filipino people’s organizations here in the country and abroad to seek the help of international agencies to fully support the ICC for the prompt arrest, speedy trial and punishment of murderer Duterte, the killer of the Filipino people and the exterminator of freedom, democracy and human rights in the Philippines.

The ICC prompt arrest, speedy trial and punishment of autocrat Duterte as well as his early ouster is also a great step to prevent the terroristic regime’s manipulation and control of the upcoming 2022 national elections by means of automated massive cheating, violations of election laws and colossal fraud that would subvert the people’s genuine will and participation in clean, free and honest election processes. Thus, ending Duterte’s tyrannical regime would be a significant event for the Filipino people to choose a patriotic president and other servant leaders who would be capable of establishing a patriotic and democratic government that would promote comprehensively the economic, political and cultural development and well-being of the Filipino people, defend and uphold the people’s human, civil, democratic and patriotic rights. And putting to an end Duterte’s terrorism and tyranny would also open up the road for the resumption of the peace negotiations between the GRP and the NDFP in order to address the roots of the armed conflict by drafting, finalizing and approving agreements on basic social, economic and political reforms.###

https://cpp.ph/statements/the-filipino-peoples-call-on-july-26-closing-sona-oust-tyrant-duterte-let-him-be-arrested-tried-and-punished-by-the-international-criminal-court-for-his-crimes-against-the-filipino-people/

CPP/NPA-Sorsogon: Biktima ng walang batayang red-tagging si Jun Hisarza

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Jul 23, 2021): Biktima ng walang batayang red-tagging si Jun Hisarza

SAMUEL GUERRERO

SPOKESPERSON

NPA-SORSOGON (CELSO MINGUEZ COMMAND)

BICOL REGIONAL OPERATIONAL COMMAND (ROMULO JALLORES COMMAND)

NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY

JULY 23, 2021

Nasa peligro ngayon ang buhay at kalayaan ni Pedro “Jun” Hisarza Jr, 47, residente ng Barangay San Ramon, Barcelona at kasapi ng Sorsogon People’s Organization (SPO), ligal na samahang nagtatanggol sa karapatang-tao sa probinsya.

Ito ang ipinarating sa amin ng ilang concerned citizen matapos tukuying “lider ng NPA” ang isang Jun Hizarza sa resolusyon ng probinsyal na piskalya para sampahan ng kaso ang mag-asawang sina Ruel Llamera at Annie Jean Castillo na mga myembro rin ng SPO.

Sina Llamera at Castillo ay dinakip ng mga elemento ng 1st Provincial Police Mobile Force Company nitong Hulyo 8 sa bayan ng Gubat habang bumibiyahe sila patungong Sorsogon City. Ang mag-asawa ay galing noon sa tirahan ni Hisarza sa Barcelona. Tinamnan sila ng ebidensyang rebolber at granada at sinampahan si Llamera ng kasong illegal possession of firearms at si Castillo, ng illegal possession of explosives.

Inimbento ng mga pulis ang kwentong NPA ang mag-asawa at nagtungo umano sila sa Barcelona para mag-report sa umano’y lider nilang si Hisarza. Nakagagalit naman ang mabilis pa sa alas-kwatrong pagdedesisyon ng reaksyunaryong piskalya na magsampa ng kaso batay sa gawa-gawang kwento at ilagay sa alanganin ang buhay ng mga taong walang sala.

Kahayupan ang mga hakbang na ito ng mga reaksyunaryong awtoridad. Militar o sibilyang ahensya man ng gobyerno ay wala nang galang sa karapatang sibil at nagsisilbi lamang na mga kasangkapan para sa pasistang tiranya.

Natatakot at naghahanap ngayon ng masusulingan si Hisarza. Umaapela kami sa Commission on Human Rights-Bicol, sa International Committee of the Red Cross at iba pang may malasakit sa kapakanan ng mga sibilyan sa gitna ng nagpapatuloy na gyera sibil sa bansa na siyasatin ang kasong ito at tumulong sa pagtiyak sa kaligtasan ni Hisarza. Umaapela rin kami para sa anumang asistensya na maibibigay sa mag-asawang Llamera at Castillo at sa iba pang biktima ng maruming gyera ng rehimeng Duterte.

https://cpp.ph/statements/biktima-ng-walang-batayang-red-tagging-si-jun-hisarza/

CPP/NDF-Negros Island: NDF Negros denounces terrorist-listing, warns of attacks against legitimate dissent

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Jul 23, 2021): NDF Negros denounces terrorist-listing, warns of attacks against legitimate dissent

BAYANI OBRERO

SPOKESPERSON

NDF-NEGROS ISLAND

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT OF THE PHILIPPINES

JULY 23, 2021

The National Democratic Front – Negros (NDF-Negros) in a statement strongly denounced the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) for designating the NDFP as a “terrorist” organization saying that the ATC’s resolution is closing all doors to just and lasting peace and the resolution of the roots of armed conflict.

“By designating the NDFP as a ‘terrorist’ organization, Duterte and his armed minions are clearly hell-bent on killing the peace negotiations and are focused, instead, on pursuing a brutal all-out war through the regime’s ‘counter-insurgency’ campaign,” said Ka Bayani Obrero, spokesperson of NDF-Negros.

Obrero also said that ATC Resolution No. 21 dated June 23 alongside other previous issuances such as Proclamation No. 370, Proclamation No. 374, Executive Order No. 70, Memorandum Order 32 and the so-called Anti-Terror Law of 2020 only demonstrates the cowardice and war-mongering character of Duterte and his fascist gang.

“The ATC designation of the NDFP is part of Duterte’s fascist scheme of unleashing state terror, violence, and repression to sweep all forms of opposition under his tyrannical reign. It will allow Duterte to control and rig the upcoming presidential elections, perpetuate his power beyond 2022 and prevent his arrest for crimes against humanity,” Obrero added.

NDF-Negros stated as well that the terrorist-listing further deteriorates the human rights situation in the country especially in Negros Island and will target legal patriotic and democratic activists, human rights defenders, critics and oppositionists who will be arbitrarily tagged as NDFP members and associates.

Negros Island has suffered from numerous cases of extrajudicial killings, and arbitrary arrests and detention of activists, critics and ordinary civilians perpetuated by state forces. With ATC resolution no. 21, terroristic fascist attacks against legitimate dissent by the Duterte regime is expected to escalate.

In addition, he said that clamors to free all political prisoners will resound all over the country in light of the dismissal of charges against two Aetas Jasper Gurong and Junior Ramos due to insufficiency of evidence. Both have been falsely charged and jailed using the dubious Terror Law. Obrero cited the arrest of Fr. Frank Fernandez with his wife and fellow NDF consultant Cleofe Lagtapon and of others who have been arrested and imprisoned based on so-called trumped up charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

“We call on all Negrosanons and the Filipino people to solidify their ranks and collectively wage all forms of revolutionary struggle, especially armed struggle, in order to defend national sovereignty, their democratic rights and well-being against Duterte’s regime of treason, tyranny, mass murder, plunder and mass deception,” Obrero concluded.###

https://cpp.ph/statements/ndf-negros-denounces-terrorist-listing-warns-of-attacks-against-legitimate-dissent/

CPP/NPA-Negros Island ROC: 3ID ignorant of rev movement in Negros, seized M16 in Tan-auan fake news

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Jul 24, 2021): 3ID ignorant of rev movement in Negros, seized M16 in Tan-auan fake news

JUANITO MAGBANUA

SPOKESPERSON

NEGROS ISLAND REGIONAL OPERATIONAL COMMAND (APOLINARIO GATMAITAN COMMAND)

NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY

JULY 24, 2021

Ka Juanito Magbanua, spokesperson of the Apolinario Gatmaitan Command – New People’s Army Regional Command in Negros Island (AGC-NPA), slammed Eric Vinoya, 3rd Infantry Division commander, for his ignorant comments on the revolutionary movement in Negros.

Magbanua pointed out that Vinoya does not understand the armed struggle waged by the people against the ruling class of big landlords, big bourgeois compradors and their master, US imperialism.

“The existence and strength of the five guerrilla fronts in Negros Island proves the intensive and extensive support of the people, which is why whatever the succeeding regimes do these guerrilla fronts remain from the northern to the southern parts of the Island,” said Magbanua.

Magbanua explained that the presence of many despotic land lords in Negros is the reason that it is a national priority of the [regimes’s] “counter-insurgency” campaign.

He remarked that the military leadership in Negros claims that the NPA is weak but contrary to this 14 battalions composed of the Philippine Army’s five infantry battalions (IB), Scout Ranger and Division Reconnaissance Company, the battalions of the Special Action Force and Regional Mobile Force of the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Civilian Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) are deployed to the Island.

“This shows that the revolutionary force in Negros Island have been revitalized since its rectification movement in the 1990s affecting the political and economic interests of the ruling class,” he said.

‘Fake news’

Magbanua also confirmed that Red fighters from the Mt. Cansermon Command – South Central Negros Front were in an encounter against elements of the 94th IB killing three soldiers and wounded more last July 22, 3:10PM at Sitio Manulaya, Brgy. Tan-auan, Kabankalan City.

“Reports from MCC-NPA verifies the encounter, however, no M16 rifle and ammunition were left behind. This is another case of fake news fabricated by the 94th IB, Philippine Army,” he added.

Combat ops harassed

Meanwhile, a team of the Armando Sumayang, Jr. Command (ASJC-NPA) in southwest Negros harassed 15th IB troops conducting focused military operations at Sitio Makapula, Brgy. Cabia-an, Candoni on July 23, 4:38 in the aftenoon.

This followed a series of encounters also in the municipality of Candoni last July 20 wherein ASJC-NPA spokesperson Ka Andrea Guerrero affirmed that five soldiers were killed in the first two waves of gunfight at Sitio Guinobatan, Barangay Caningay, Candoni, Negros Occidental.###

https://cpp.ph/statements/3id-ignorant-of-rev-movement-in-negros-seized-m16-in-tan-auan-fake-news/

CPP/NPA-Negros Island ROC: Nagaluntad kag nagadalum nga rebolusyonaryong kahublagan sa Negros bangud sa madalum kag malapad nga suporta sang pumuluyo

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Jul 24, 2021): Nagaluntad kag nagadalum nga rebolusyonaryong kahublagan sa Negros bangud sa madalum kag malapad nga suporta sang pumuluyo

JUANITO MAGBANUA

SPOKESPERSON

NEGROS ISLAND REGIONAL OPERATIONAL COMMAND (APOLINARIO GATMAITAN COMMAND)

NEW PEOPLE'S ARMY

JULY 24, 2021

Ang pahayag sang isa ka desperado nga heneral pareho ni Vinoya kaangot sa kahimtangan sa rebolusyonaryong kahublagan sa Negros nagapakita sang pagka-ignorante sa ginaduso nga armado nga paghimakas sang pumuluyo batok sa nagaharing sahi sang dalagku nga agalon may duta, dalagku nga komprador burgisya kag sang amu nila nga imperyalista nga US.

Ang pagluntad kag paglig-on sang lima ka larangan gerilya sa Isla sang Negros nagapamatuod sang madalum kag malapad nga suporta sang pumuluyo. Ini ang rason nga bisan ano nga pagpaninguha sang nagbulos-bulos nga mga rehimen nagpabilin nga malig-on nga nagaluntad ang ini nga mga larangan halin sa norte pakadto sa sur nga bahin sang Isla.

Indi malipud nga madamu ang mga poderoso nga mga agalon may duta sa Negros. Isa ka rason nga natalana nga prayoridad sang “kontra-insurhensya” nga kampanya sa pungsodnon nga lebel.

Nagahambal ang pamunuan sang militar sa Negros nga mahuyang na ang New People’s Army (NPA) apang naglab-ot sa lima ka batalyon sang Philippine Army kag Scout Ranger kag Division Reconnaissance Company sini, mga batalyon sang Special Action Force kag Regional Mobile Force sang Philippine National Police, kag mga CAFGU nga naglab-ot sa masobra 14 ka batalyon ang gin-deploy diri. Ini nagpakita lang sang pagpanumbalik sang rebolusyonaryo nga kusog sa Isla sang Negros halin sa pagpanadlong sini sadtong dekada ’90. Resulta sini, natandog ang politika kag ekonomiya nga interes sang nagahari nga sahi.

Klaro sa tanan nga Pulang hangaway kag Pulang kumander nga ang ginapakig-away para sa interes sang pumuluyo. Gani, bisan ang kamatayon handa nga atubangon kon kinahanglan. Ang pungsodnon demokratiko nga rebolusyon paagi sa pangmalawigon nga inaway banwa nga ginasulong sang NPA amo ang pagwasak sang sistema sang mala-pyudal kag mala-kolonyal nga nagtuga sang tuman nga kapigaduhon sang pumuluyo.

Ang NPA sa Negros malig-on nga nagapanindugan sa pagpadayon sang armado nga paghimakas sa pihak sang masingki nga operasyon kag pagpang-atake sang militar kag kapulisan. Magalunsar sang malapnagon nga taktikal nga opensiba agud pabayaron sang mahal ang mga may utang nga dugo kag depensahan ang pumuluyo batok sa pagpang-abuso kag paglapas sang ila tawhanon nga kinamatarung.

Mabuhay ang masang pigos!
Isulong ang Rebolusyon tubtob sa kadalag-an!

https://cpp.ph/statements/nagaluntad-kag-nagadalum-nga-rebolusyonaryong-kahublagan-sa-negros-bangud-sa-madalum-kag-malapad-nga-suporta-sang-pumuluyo/

CPP/CIO: Duterte promised peace, but delivered war

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Jul 25, 2021): Duterte promised peace, but delivered war

MARCO VALBUENA

CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER

COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE PHILIPPINES

JULY 25, 2021

In his first state of the nation address, then newly-elected president Rodrigo Duterte promised the country peace, and emphatically added, “not the peace of the dead, but the peace of the living.” It was an epic lie.

Not a year into his term, he delivered all-out war from Luzon to Mindanao, against the poor, against the Moro people and against the oppressed and exploited Filipino masses.

Duterte wasted months of peace negotiations with the NDFP by refusing to sign the prepared draft agreement on land reform and national industrialization. Instead, he pandered to the military and his US imperialist master by pledging “to crush” the revolutionary movement and declaring the CPP and NPA as “terrorist organizations.”

Duterte’s peace rhetoric faded fast. Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao as dress rehearsal to nationwide imposition of fascist rule. Indeed, soon after, he issued Memorandum Order 32 which place Bicol, Negros and Samar under emergency rule and ordered large military deployments.

He issued Executive Order #70 which established the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to declare “counterinsurgency” as his central policy to give the military full control over the entire government.

Duterte displayed insatiable thirst for blood and mass murder and ordered his men to “kill, kill, kill.” Duterte’s reign of terror is marked by widespread military and police abuses and violations of human rights of unarmed civilians.

Under Duterte, the AFP and PNP have resorted to the dirtiest methods in their desperate attempt to stop the people from supporting the NPA. The main tactic is to attack civilians and make them bow to Duterte’s power. He has resorted to the use of aerial bombs and artillery shelling to effect maximum fear.

Duterte’s declaration to crush the CPP/NPA through all-out war is a massive failure. In fact, Duterte has become the NPA’s No. 1 recruiter by showing the oppressed and exploited masses that there is no better way to fight back and defend their rights other than taking up arms and joining the armed resistance.

The demand for an end to Duterte’s reign of state terror and tyranny reverberates across the country. The people want him removed from power as soon as possible and take back their democratic rights. Duterte is a malignant outgrowth of the rotten semicolonial and semifeudal system who should be excised immediately.

https://cpp.ph/statements/duterte-promised-peace-but-delivered-war/

Kalinaw News: Philippine Army sends off team in Gabaldon town to bring the government closer to people

Posted to the Kalinaw News Website (Jul 25, 2021): Philippine Army sends off team in Gabaldon town to bring the government closer to people



BALER, Aurora-Government troops deployed its retooled community support program (RCSP) team in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija to bring the government closer to people.

Lt. Col. Reandrew P. Rubio, commander of 91st IB said in an interview that the personnel of Alpha Company led by 1st Lieutenant Jun Niño O. Espora attended the Send Off Ceremony of the RCSP headed by DILG MLGOO Gretchen A. Urgante; Gabaldon Mayor Jobby P. Emata together with Vice Mayor Victorino V. Sabino; and Deputy Chief of Police of Gabaldon Municipal Police Station Police Lieutenant Allan Lopez.

They were accepted by Barangay Captains Elmer T. Buenaobra of Barangay Sawmill; Eugenio C. Supian of Barangay Ligaya; Leah M. Heronimo of Barangay Tagumpay; Wenceslao E. Carbonel of Barangay Bagong Sikat; Isagani Sibayan of Barangay Calabasa; Alejandro L. Del Rosario of Barangay Malinao, and Roberto Laudencio of Barangay Bantug Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija.

The acceptance of the RCSP teams in the seven Barangays was held at the Municipal Basement of Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija.

Ltc Rubio said that the RCSP sendoff in Gabaldon town is in the bid to identify issues and concerns in remote communities threatened by the Communist Terrorist Groups (CTGs).

“Their mission is to address the issues of the people to the concerned government agencies and local government; to facilitate solutions for those identified problems through the convergence of efforts of different government agencies supervised by the local task force of ending local communist armed conflict (ELCAC),” Ltc Rubio said.

He added that the Armed Forces of the Philippines was in full force to support to sustain peace efforts; ensure security; and help maintain public order to foster the foundation for economic and human development.

“I encouraged all members of the provincial task force to continue working together to focus in the ELCAC activity particularly in Geographically Isolated and Displaced Areas (GIDAs),” Ltc Rubio said.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/philippine-army-sends-off-team-in-gabaldon-town-to-bring-the-government-closer-to-people/

Kalinaw News: Tabak Division welcomes 194 new soldiers

Posted to the Kalinaw News Website (Jul 24, 2021): Tabak Division welcomes 194 new soldiers



CAMP SANG-AN, Zamboanga Del Sur – The 1st Infantry Division has finally concluded the five-month training of the candidate soldiers belonging to CSC Class 651-2020 on July 23, 2021.

The 194 new batch of soldiers are recruits from the different parts of the country where 74% are from the Cebu area.

Class 651 is composed of 31 females and 163 males who were carefully selected to form the new breed of soldiers that are the best and the brightest among other recruits.

Major General Gene M Ponio, the 1ID commander, reminded the graduates to stay safe, especially now that new coronavirus strains are emerging. It can be recalled that the Covid-19 disease infected the majority of the class. But with the efforts of the Division to combat the spread of the disease, the trainees were finally cleared from Covid-19.

Major General Ponio personally thanked Hon. Darel Dexter T. Uy, the mayor of Dipolog City and the keynote speaker, and his father, Hon. Roberto Y. Uy, the governor of Zamboanga del Norte, for their continued support to the Tabak Division.

Hon. Uy is a reservist officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines with the rank of Major. He is currently the commander of the 1st Task Force, 2302nd Ready Reserve Combined Arms Brigade, 9th Regional Community Defense Group, Army Reserve Command.

“As new soldiers, the Filipino people expect that after you have taken your oath of affirmation, you will put that into heart as the highest order for you,” Mayor Uy said in his message. “I believe that this is the essence of this ceremony where the people entrust on to you, as soldiers, the protection of the people and State.”

Four candidate soldiers were recognized for their academic excellence and physical proficiency throughout the course.

Candidate Soldier Albert Firland M Petiluna graduated No. 1 after garnering the highest general average of 92 percent. Candidate Soldiers Clint Rey R Armada and Archie A Tizon are the Class Top 2 and Top 3, respectively.

Candidate Soldier Jimboy M Elopre received the Physical Proficiency Award after obtaining the highest rating in the physical fitness test.

The activity culminated with the symbolic entrustment of firearms, which is the Philippine Army’s way of instilling patriotism and reminding the soldiers of the Army’s core values: Honor, Patriotism, and Duty.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/tabak-division-welcomes-194-new-soldiers/

Kalinaw News: Sangguniang Kabataan, Army initiate Youth Symposium in Barangay Kabalantian

Posted to the Kalinaw News Website (Jul 24, 2021): Sangguniang Kabataan, Army initiate Youth Symposium in Barangay Kabalantian



ARAKAN, COTABATO – Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) of Barangay Kabalantian, Arakan in collaboration with Army’s 72nd Infantry “Gabay” Battalion (72IB) initiated the conduct of Barangay Youth Symposium to 50 youth from Barangay Kabalantian held at Barangay Covered Court earlier today, July 24, 2021.

As part of the unit’s sustainment efforts in the implementation of Executive Order (EO) 70 in institutionalizing a “Whole of Nation Approach” and in maintaining peace and order in the Municipality of Arakan, one of its objective is to empower and strengthen the youth as peace-builders and peace-advocates of our nation. This activity aims to educate the youth with the current issues and give them a wider perspective between truth and lies of Youth Infiltration and Communist Terrorist Groups (CTGs) recruitment. It encouraged them to live a life with a perspective as the “Kabataan ang Pag-asa ng Bayan”.

Further, the activity was steered thru series of lectures/discussions and open forums on how to increase the awareness of the youth on the schemes and methods of recruitment operation of the CTGs and how to prevent/counter it, and the history of the CTGs affected/influenced schools. One of the highlights of the said activity was the testimony of a young former rebel; his experiences inside the terrorist group and the reasons why he chose to return to the real Government and live peacefully together with his family and loved ones.

Present during the activity were Hon. Charlie Secugal, Barangay Captain of Kabalantian, Arakan; Hon. Bon Jovy Sorilla, SK Chairman; Lieutenant Colonel Jose C Regonay Jr, Commanding Officer, 72IB; 1st Lieutenant Jesal Masareta, Charlie Company Commander; 2nd Lieutenant Ailene Marieh Loria, CMO Officer, 72IB; 50 youth participants; Barangay Officials; and troops of 72IB.

“This activity is very significant especially to the youth since you are very vulnerable when it comes to recruitment. You have a very big role in maintaining peace and order here in our Barangay. Maximize all the learnings you can acquire in this symposium.” Hon. Secugal said in his message. He also expressed his gratitude to men and women in uniform for their support and cooperation in conducting the activities that promote peace and order in barangay Kabalantian.

In response, Lieutenant Colonel Jose C Regonay Jr, Commanding Officer 72IB also expressed his gratitude to Barangay Local Government Unit (BLGU) of Kabalantian and Sangguniang Kabataan for their unwavering support in empowering the youth and enhance their skills as peace builders of our country.

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/sangguniang-kabataan-army-initiate-youth-symposium-in-barangay-kabalantian/

Kalinaw News: Military holds Civic Activities near crash site

Posted to the Kalinaw News Website (Jul 24, 2021): Military holds Civic Activities near crash site



July 24, 2021, Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista, Jolo, Sulu – Yesterday, Joint Task Force – Sulu, local government units and agencies collaborate to aid those affected by the C-130 crash and also express gratitude to Tausug Heroes at Sitio Amman, Brgy Bangkal, Patikul Sulu.

The civic action program entitled “Nagpapasalamat at Nagpupugay” housed several services to include Department of Social Welfare and Development Region IX’s distribution of relief goods for 83 families, haircut courtesy of Army and Air Force personnel, as well as a medical check-up offered by the Patikul Rural Health Unit. The event was attended by military officials led by JTF-Sulu and 11th Infantry Division Commander Major General William N Gonzales, Patikul Mayor Kabir Hayudini, DSWD Region IX Chief Hja Jamila Arasid and BARMM Ministry of Public Order and Safety (MPOS) Director General Atty Al-rashid Balt.

Notably, a ground breaking ceremony and turnover of construction materials to Mr Ibrahim Muksan and Aggah Ahaddi – owners of the two houses damaged during the crash – was held earlier that day. The materials were bought by BARMM MPOS with the aid of 35th Infantry Battalion and 45th Infantry Battalion. Per 1102nd Infantry Brigade Commander Brigadier General Benjamin I Batara Jr, the mentioned battalions are tasked to provide manpower for the construction of the house which will be erected the soonest possible time.

In an interview, Ahaddi expressed his appreciation to all offices which provided support for their family. “We’ve received cash aids from the office of the President, the Governor, Patikul Mayor and the Philippine Air Force. Now, we have these materials from BARMM. The idea that the Army insists on building the house for my family is beyond heartwarming,” Ahaddi said in the vernacular.

Likewise, Major General Gonzales expressed his own feelings towards the event. “I am still disheartened by the fact that we have lost lives in the C-130 mishap. They shall never be forgotten but we cannot continue to live in sorrow. The memories we have of this incident should bind us to remain unified. Today, I see smiles from the residents of Sitio Amman and in these smiles I see hope. This hope is what will help us rise up and come out stronger.”

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/military-holds-civic-activities-near-crash-site/

Kalinaw News: Matatag Fighters run after Reds in AgNor

Posted to the Kalinaw News Website (Jul 24, 2021): Matatag Fighters run after Reds in AgNor

KITCHARAO, Agusan del Norte – On July 23, 2021, at around 5:15 in the morning, troops of the 29th Infantry “Matatag Fighters” Battalion (29IB) while on combat security patrol encountered seven (7) Communist NPA Terrorists (CNTs) believed to be members of Sandatahang Yunit Pampropaganda (SYP) 16A, Guerilla Front16 of North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC) under Samuel Batican alias @Popo at Sitio Cabadiangan, Brgy. Jaliobong, Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte.

Before the said encounter, the unit received several reports from concerned and displeased civilians regarding the presence of armed men in the vicinity of the said sitio which the unit has immediately responded to.

The said firefight lasted for about 25 minutes which resulted in the death of one male CNT member and apprehension of one (1) M16 rifle with magazine, 2 rolls of command firing wire for Improvised Explosive Device (IED), 10 meters of utility rope, 10 pcs Panasonic Battery A, 1 unit of LG Android Cellphone with charger and sim card, 1 backpack, 1 pc knife, assorted food supplies, and other personal belongings.

Lieutenant Colonel Aristotle Antonio, Commanding Officer of 29IB said in his statement, “We are grateful for the positive response of the civilians who provided us reliable information about the enemies. Your reports have been a great help not just for us but also for you and your community. A proof that if we work together in unity, surely, truth, peace, and development will always follow.

Likewise, our troops have also been saddened, because we know that despite what others call ‘win against the enemy’ has actually never been and will never become a success, especially that there is a fellow Filipino who died just because he was fooled and deceived for a senseless cause.”

[Kalinaw News is the official online source of information on the pursuit for peace in the Philippines This website is a property of the Civil-Military Operations Regiment, Philippine Army located at Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. Contact us: kalinawnews@cmoregiment.com]

https://www.kalinawnews.com/matatag-fighters-run-after-reds-in-agnor/

2nd ‘NPA lair’ falls in NegOcc

From Panay News (Jul 24, 2021): 2nd ‘NPA lair’ falls in NegOcc (BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA)

Another lair of the New People’s Army (NPA) was overrun by the Philippine Army’s (PA) 94th Infantry Battalion (94IB) in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental on Thursday.

PA’s 3rd Infantry Division spokesperson, Army Major Cenon Pancito III, said the 94IB conducted combat operations in the city’s Barangay Tan-awan after receiving information of the NPA’s presence in the area.

Pancito said the 94IB engaged to at least 20 NPA insurgents in a gun battle that lasted for at least 30 minutes.

Pancito said they believed that the NPA suffered casualties in the battle as there were bloodstains at the encounter site, as well as the route where the rebels withdrew.

One soldier was also wounded in the gun battle, although he was noted to be in stable condition.

Pancito said the NPA lair was capable of accommodating some 30 individuals.

The encampment was the second to fall after a separate engagement in the town of Candoni earlier this week.

Recovered from the NPA encampment was a M16 assault rifle, four short magazines with ammunition, components for an improvised explosive device, and gun parts.

Also recovered were the insurgents’ personal belongings, an NPA manual, food stuffs, and P105 cash.

https://www.panaynews.net/2nd-npa-lair-falls-in-negocc/

3ID backs ATC classification of NDF as terror org

From Panay News (Jul 24, 2021): 3ID backs ATC classification of NDF as terror org (By Ruby Silubrico)

PANCITO

The Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) based in Jamindan, Capiz expressed support to the Anti-Terrorism Council’s (ATC) classification of the National Democratic Front (NDF) as a terrorist organization.

“We should not allow ourselves to be deceived by their propaganda,” said 3ID spokesperson, Major Cenon Pancito III, “using the common tao to advance their selfish motives of overthrowing the government, gain power and steal resources from the people themselves.”

He said 3ID joins the Department of National Defense (DND) in backing the move of the ATC.

“It is common knowledge that these terrorists or the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) are deceitful,” Pancito said.

The classification would also “affirm the duplicity” of the CPP.

“We have to draw the line as to who are the enemies of the state,” Pancito said. “Our problem with insurgency does not end with the armed rebels and their brains, the CPP. Our problem also includes those legal fronts that operate their extortion machinery and recruit individuals as their fighters.”

ATC said the NDF is “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP and NPA, which were already designated as terror groups.

The ATC, in a resolution dated June 23, emphasized that “Article X [of the 2016 CPP Constitution] showed that the NDF aka NDFP (National Democratic Front of the Philippines) is the core and most consolidated group that provides support to the armed and organizational expansion of the CPP-NPA.”

“Members of the NDF aka NDFP continue to lure and/or recruit people to join the NPA, while the CPP itself admitted and maintained, through public media releases as well as in CPP documents and revelations of former members, the direct and indispensable role of the NDF aka NDFP in its armed operations,” the resolution added.

Pancito further said the classification would allow the government to freeze assets of the NDF, which was established in April 1973.

The ATC has also designated as terrorists exiled CPP founding chairman Jose Maria Sison, his wife Julieta, and the rest of the 19-member central committee of the CPP.

In a statement on July 20, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the DND is hoping the classification will push government efforts to solve the security issues in the Philippines.

“The Department hopes that this development justifies and enables the defense sector to move forward in its efforts to address internal security concerns and lay the foundations of sustainable, lasting peace and national development,” Lorenzana said.

https://www.panaynews.net/3id-backs-atc-classification-of-ndf-as-terror-org/

Rebel lair seized, NPA leader nabbed

From the Visayan Daily Star (Jul 24, 2021): Rebel lair seized, NPA leader nabbed (BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN)

Assorted war materials recovered by 94IB soldiers during an encounter with suspected NPA rebels in Brgy. Tan-awan, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental Thursday* PA photo

Army soldiers overran another temporary encampment of the New People’s Army in Kabankalan City Thursday, while pursuit operations against another group of rebels who figured in an earlier encounter in Candoni, all in Negros Occidental, led to the arrest of an armed team leader of the South West Front.

Maj. Cenon Pancito, 3rd Infantry Division spokesperson, said yesterday that 94th Infantry Battalion soldiers seized a temporary camp of the NPA, following an encounter in Sitio Manulaya, Brgy. Tan-awan, Kabankalan City.

Pancito said the firefight lasted for about 30 minutes before the rebels, estimated to number about 20, and are members of Central Negros Front 2, withdrew and left an M16 rifle with four magazines containing ammunition, improvised explosive device components, including a 150-meter electric wire and a battery switch, an M16 hand guard, a jungle hammock, a bolo, three ponchos, a civilian backpack containing assorted clothes including a shirt with a Paghimakas NPA logo, a pair of rain boots, seven kilos of corn, P105 in cash, and assorted subversive documents.

SOLDIER HIT

He also confirmed that an Army soldier was injured in the encounter, after being hit in the left thigh. But Pancito said the soldier is now in stable condition.

Pancito said the 94IB soldiers were still pursuing the fleeing rebels, using the traces of bloodstains along the withdrawal route as guide, among others.

The rebel camp discovered in Sitio Buko, Brgy. Tan-awan, Kabankalan City, can accommodate about 30 persons, he added.

Pancito also reported the capture of Adrian Gallendo Omilig, alias Nico, a suspected team leader of the NPA Southwest Front. He and his comrades were hunted down by 15th Infantry Battalion soldiers, following an encounter on July 20 in Sitio Guinobatan, Brgy. Caningay in Candoni.

Recovered from the encounter site were a hand grenade, a 9mm pistol with a magazine containing 10 ammunition, four spare magazines with 56 rounds of ammunition, a solar panel, empty cartridges of an M60 machine gun, M16 and AK47 assault rifles, and personal belongings.

‘USUAL LINE’

Pancito said the encounter site in Sitio Guinobatan had been used also as a temporary encampment of the NPA, and can accommodate about 40 persons.

He strongly debunked rebel claims that five Army soldiers died in the Candoni encounter, adding that this was a usual line of rebel propaganda during encounters with soldiers in Negros Island.

https://news.visayandailystar.com/rebel-lair-seized-npa-leader-nabbed/

Doctor killed in North Cotabato

From MindaNews (Jul 23, 2021): Doctor killed in North Cotabato (By FERDINANDH B. CABRERA)

Town plaza in Pikit, North Cotabato. MindaNews file photo

A retired municipal physician was shot dead while jogging in Pikit, North Cotabato early morning on Friday.

The victim was identified as Dr. Robert Cadulong, Al Haj, who also owned a hospital in the town.

Police said the incident took place around 5:45 a.m.

Several slugs of caliber .45 pistol were found at the crime scene. No suspects have been arrested yet.

As a municipal physician, Cadulong served in the towns of Pagalungan and Datu Montawal in Maguindanao.

Dr. Kadil Sinolinding, a health minister of the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao who also runs a hospital in Kabacan town, North Cotabato called for justice for his colleague.

“Justice for our health comrade Dr. Robert Cadulong. Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Rajion,” Sinolinding said.

“Let the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) and PNP (Philippine National Police) conduct a deeper investigation,” Sinolinding posted in his Facebook account.

He said the incident must be thoroughly investigated, as killings have become rampant in Pikit.

A member of the Civilian Armed Force Geographical Unit was killed Thursday while two military intelligence agents were ambushed in Pikit on Wednesday.

https://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2021/07/doctor-killed-in-north-cotabato/

Ex-Reds informed gov't forces of 26 NPA arms caches

From the Mindanao Examiner (Jul 21, 2021): Ex-Reds informed gov't forces of 26 NPA arms caches

INFORMATION PROVIDED by former New People's Army (NPA) guerrillas led to the recovery of arms caches of communist terrorist groups, an official of the Department of National Defense (DND) said.

"Twenty-six arms caches of the NPA (New People's Army) were revealed by former rebels. And these revelations led to the recovery of 144 assault firearms, such as M-60 multi-purpose machine guns, .30 (caliber machine guns), AK-47 rifles, mortars, M-16 rifles, as well as grenade launchers and pistols," Task Force Balik-Loob (TFBL) chair, Defense Undersecretary Reynaldo Mapagu, said during the "Tagged: Debunking Lies By Telling the Truth" virtual presser on Monday.

This year alone, Mapagu said, disclosures made by former rebels led to the recovery of 15 assorted anti-personnel mines (APMs), including materials for making explosives.

"And these are banned under the international humanitarian law for these explosives do not distinguish between civilians and combatants similar to the death of Kieth Absalon in Masbate just recently," he added.

Mapagu also reported that Task Force Balik Loob has so far received 2,061 firearms from surrendered former rebels and that these weapons would be compensated under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) created by virtue of Administrative Order 10, series of 2018, issued by President Rodrigo R. Duterte on April 3, 2018.

The money given in exchange for these firearms will serve as additional start-up capital for the livelihood program for rebel returnees.

The E-CLIP is a government program that aims to help reintegrate former rebels back to the community, be with their families, and start over with new and normal lives.

"And as part of assisting former rebels, a total 6,418 individuals, former rebels have been assisted by the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) amounting to PHP485,500,000 so far," Mapagu said.

The assistance extended by the DILG to rebel returnees includes PHP15,000 worth of immediate assistance, livelihood assistance worth PHP50,000, reintegration assistance worth PHP21,000, and firearms remuneration, the valuation of which depends on the type and serviceability of the surrendered firearms.

"On the part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, we have recorded a total of 623 former rebels that have joined the AFP. And this includes 66 former rebels that have already enlisted in the regular force, while 557 were enlisted as part of the CAFGU (Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit). Worth mentioning here is Pfc. or Private First Class Albert Diaz, a former political instructor of the NPA's GF or Guerilla Front 33 operating in Davao de Oro who graduated as the top or the Number One in his Candidate Soldier Course last 2019, and this is from the 10th Infantry Division," Mapagu said.(Priam Nepomuceno)

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

http://mindanaoexaminernewspaper.blogspot.com/2021/07/ex-reds-informed-govt-forces-of-26-npa.html