Don't vote for NPA-linked party-lists, ex-NPA cadre to youths

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 27, 2022): Don't vote for NPA-linked party-lists, ex-NPA cadre to youths (By Che Palicte)

Ariane Jane Ramos alias Marikit, former secretary of the NPA Guerrilla Front 55, SRC 5 – Southern Mindanao Regional Command. (PNA file photo)

A former cadre of the New People’s Army (NPA) has warned the youth not to fall prey to communist legal front organizations that are aiming for a House seat through the party-list system in the May 9 elections.

Ariane Jane Ramos, former secretary of the NPA Guerrilla Front 55 of the Southern Mindanao Regional Command, said various legal front organizations of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA—such as the Anakbayan, League of Filipino Students, and the Gabriela Youth—are running for seats in the House of Representatives.

“We already know them and we know what the destiny awaits the young people who participated in their group. If you can't become a full-time activist, you will eventually become a full-time NPA member,” Ramos said.

While there is nothing wrong with being an activist, the former rebel said joining an armed group espousing the violent overthrow of the government is wrong.

“It is true that they are touting legitimate issues of the poor and the minority. However, these issues do not serve the interest of the people per se, but rather serve the interest of the CPP-NPA to overthrow the current government,” she said.

As the election approaches, Ramos warned the youth about "the real goal" of the leftist Makabayan bloc, which she said, "pretends to be the ones who carry the grievances and interests of the people."

In reality, she said the bloc uses and exploits the vulnerable sectors of the society to get themselves into the government and influence its policies for the NPA's advantage.

“One of our main duties today is to save the lives of our fellow youth on the brink of death caused by the twisted ideology of the CPP-NPA-NDF. So let us not join and vote on all the legal fronts of the CPP-NPA, and all we have to do is reveal all the real facts and intentions of the leftist group,” Ramos said.

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

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

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1173127