29 activists, 2 journalists implicated in Doc Naty case

From the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Feb 24, 2022): 29 activists, 2 journalists implicated in Doc Naty case (By: Chris V. Panganiban)

RED-TAGGING | A poster put up by the group Movement Against Terrorism (MAT)-Surigao Chapter in November 2020 claims to expose 17 “NPA terrorists,” including Dr. Maria Natividad Castro whose photo appears on the top row, fourth from left. —PHOTO COURTESY OF KARAPATAN

The human rights group Karapatan Caraga on Wednesday said 29 other social activists and two radio journalists were among those implicated in the case that was the basis for the arrest warrant against community health advocate Dr. Maria Natividad “Naty” Castro last week.

They were among the 486 accused of involvement in the abduction of a member of the government-armed civilian militia unit in Barangay Kolambugan, Sibagat town in Agusan del Sur on Dec. 29, 2018, in Criminal Case 6527 at the Bayugan City Regional Trial Court (RTC).

The 31 respondents included 18 from the “lumad” group Malahutayong Pakigbisog Alang sa Sumusunod (Mapasu), one former teacher of the Tribal Filipino Program of Surigao del Sur (Trifps), another former teacher of the Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural Development (Alcadev), two from the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), three from the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), two from Gabriela Women’s Party, an elderly nun and a pastor who advocated for lumad rights, and two radio reporters.

Based on court documents, Castro was not properly identified as one of the suspects. The closest name to hers was “Dra. Maria Natividad,” the same one that appeared in the warrant used by the police to arrest her.

Karapatan Caraga declined to identify the others implicated in the case for security reasons.
PNP allegation

Mapasu, Trifps, Alcadev, KMP, KMU, and the Gabriela party have been openly described by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) as front organizations of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA).

According to the Philippine National Police, Castro is a member of the central committee of the CPP and head of its health bureau.

Her lawyer, Fred Asis, said she vehemently denied the allegation and was “furious” about the charges against her.

On Monday, the state-run Philippine News Agency reported that a woman who claimed that she used to be a communist rebel told a press briefing arranged by the NTF-Elcac that Castro recruited medical workers, trained NPA medics, and raised funds from Europe for the rebel movement in Mindanao.
Case folder lost

Gleceria Balangiao, who said she had worked as a liaison officer for the Rural Missionary of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao Region, told the NTF-Elcac that she met Castro several times between 2006 and 2009 during meetings and first aid trainings for NPA fighters.

Balangiao did not directly implicate Castro in the abduction case.

The Sibagat police station declined to provide more information about the allegations against Castro, saying their case folder was lost and the files stored in a computer had been deleted.

The warrant used to arrest Castro showed at least 10 names of persons who were implicated in three cases arising from an NPA attack on an Army patrol base in Barangay Tubigon, also in Sibagat town, on Dec. 19, 2018, or 10 days prior to the abduction incident.

The 10 are among the 17 activists whose charges were quashed last year by the same court that was hearing Castro’s case.

A fourth case lodged against the 17 activists, for kidnapping and serious illegal detention, was dismissed by the Bayugan RTC for “inordinate delay.”

Of the 17, only one was arrested, Teresita Naul, a staff of the Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in Mindanao, five were in detention for other charges, and 11 remained free.

Naul was freed in October last year after the four cases against her were quashed.
More protests

In Manila, a coalition of human rights groups on Wednesday condemned the “arbitrary” arrest of Castro and demanded that she be released and the charge against her, which they said was trumped-up, be dropped.

In a joint statement, at least 14 groups and several individual human rights advocates said they were “gravely concerned” over Castro’s arrest, as well as reports that her family and lawyers were denied access to her.

They also condemned the refusal by the police to allow the 53-year-old community health advocate to get her medication for hypertension and diabetes from one of her sisters shortly after she was taken away by the arresting team.

Castro, who graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine in 1995, is known for setting up community-based health programs with the lumad in the Agusan provinces.

“Dr. Castro is not a criminal or a terrorist,” the coalition said in the statement. “She is a respected public health practitioner who has helped set up community centers and programs among the poorest and marginalized Filipinos in far-flung areas in Mindanao.”

The groups — which include MovePH, Center for Trade Union and Human Rights, the Coalition for People’s Rights to Health, Health Action for Human Rights, iDefend, Kapatid and Karapatan — reminded the PNP that human rights work was not a crime.

“In the middle of a public health crisis, arresting a community health worker like Castro is a disservice to the communities she was working with,” they said.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1559052/29-activists-2-journalists-implicated-in-doc-naty-case

CHR 'confirms' rebels' recruitment of minors

From the Manila Times (Feb 25, 2022): CHR 'confirms' rebels' recruitment of minors (By Cris Diaz)

Photo shows minor combatants who were allegedly recruited to join the outlawed New People’s Army at age 16. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The military on Thursday claimed that the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Northern Mindanao has confirmed allegations of recruitment of minors as combatants of the New People's Army (NPA).

The military quoted reports of Reynaldo Saligan, of "Sulong Peace," that cited two cases reported to the CHR-Region 10 about grave child rights violation (GCRV) allegedly committed by the NPA.

Lt. Vincent Mark Maddul, civil military officer of the Philippine Army's Claveria-based 58th Infantry Battalion (58IB), said the CHR reports were substantiated by minors who were recruited as NPA combatants.

He added that a 16-year-old girl identified only as Alias May told the military that she was then a high school student from Lagonglong, Misamis Oriental, when recruited by the NPA to join the insurgency movement with a promise of a brighter future.

Maddul said two days after May surrendered, 12 rebels also surrendered on Nov. 8, 2020 telling the military that eight of them were still minors when they were recruited sometime in 2016.

Like May, the 12 surrenderers decided to return to the fold of the law after realizing the indecision, hunger and hardship that they suffered while with the rebel movement, he added.

Lt. Col. Ricky Canatoy, 58IB commanding officer, said "the nine surrenderers were considered children involved in armed conflict because they were recruited when they were still below 18 years old and, therefore, minors."

Canatoy added that the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict have been incorporated into domestic laws and is considered as grave child rights violations.

Under the GCRV, the recruitment refers to the compulsory, forced, or voluntary enlistment and conscription of children into the armed group, he said.

He added that as an active member of the Technical Working Group of the United Nations Country Task Force for Monitoring and Reporting of grave child rights violations, the CHR-Region 10 has reported the two cases of GCRV to the Child Rights Center of the rights body.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/02/25/news/regions/chr-confirms-rebels-recruitment-of-minors/1834152

CPP/Ang Bayan: AFP deploys 2 battalions to Masbate

Propaganda editorial from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Feb 21, 2022): AFP deploys 2 battalions to Masbate

 

This article is available in PilipinoBisaya

February 21, 2022

Two battalions are currently deployed in Masbate (population: 908,920) in a desperate attempt to quell the people’s struggle and defeat the New People’s Army (NPA) in the island. It was reported in February that the transfer of the 96th IB to the island from Camarines Norte has been completed. This brings the soldier-to-civilian ratio to 6.6 soldiers for every 10,000 population in the island, as opposed to 2.7 healthworkers per 10,000 individuals in recent years.

The 96th IB’s deployment purportedly covers 300 barangays in the island which are alleged election hotspots. In reality, this aims to entrench the military’s domination in many parts of the island. The battalion was formerly deployed in Camarines Norte.

The 96th IB has a bloody record while under the 902nd Ibde covering Camarines Norte and several towns in Camarines Sur. Three farmers were tortured, killed and buried in shallow graves in Ragay, Camarines Sur in May 2018. A father and his son were also killed by this unit in Labo, Camarines Norte in March 2020.

With the battalion’s transfer to Masbate, violations of human rights in the province are set to intensify. According to the records of the National Democratic Front-Bicol, 74 of 229 victims of extrajudicial killings from 2016 to January 2022 were recorded in Masbate. This is the highest number of cases in the region.

The masses of Masbate are already suffering from the presence of the 2nd IB, a unit of the 31st IB, the 93rd Civil Military Operations Company, a military intelligence company, and around three battalions of police forces.

[Ang Bayan is the official news organ of the Communist Party of the Philippines and is issued by the CPP Central Committee. It provides news about the work of the Party as well as its analysis of and views on current issues. Ang Bayan comes out fortnightly and is published in Pilipino, Bisaya, Ilokano, Waray, Hiligaynon and English.]

https://cpp.ph/2022/02/21/afp-deploys-2-battalions-to-masbate/

CPP/Ang Bayan: NPA-Negros ambushes police

Propaganda editorial from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Feb 21, 2022): NPA-Negros ambushes police

 

This article is available in PilipinoBisaya

February 21, 2022

The New People’s Army-South Central Negros ambushed police forces along the highway of Sitio Candida 2, Barangay Bi-ao, Binalbagan, Negros Occidental last February 13. Two police personnel were wounded. The NPA belied police reports that a 15-year old civilian was wounded in the NPA action. According to the NPA unit which carried out the attack, the victim was hit by a bullet when a policeman fired his gun indiscriminately while fleeing towards the community.

In Negros Oriental, a 62nd IB trooper was wounded in a sniping operation against its detachment in Barangay Guba, Vallehermoso last February 10. In Bukidnon, two 8th IB troopers were killed in an NPA harassment operation last February 11 in Sitio Bendum, Barangay Busdi, Malaybalay City. An NPA unit in Agusan del Norte fired at a 65th IB detatchment in Barangay Tagbungabong, Remedios T. Romualdez last February 6, wounding a solder.

Meanwhile, the NPA-Central Negros seized four pistols and a shotgun when it raided the house of intelligence assets of the 62nd IB in Barangay Malansa, Vallehermoso, Negros Oriental last February 16. Three military assets were killed in the gunfight.

[Ang Bayan is the official news organ of the Communist Party of the Philippines and is issued by the CPP Central Committee. It provides news about the work of the Party as well as its analysis of and views on current issues. Ang Bayan comes out fortnightly and is published in Pilipino, Bisaya, Ilokano, Waray, Hiligaynon and English.]

https://cpp.ph/2022/02/21/npa-negros-ambushes-police/

CPP/Ang Bayan: NPA mounts checkpoints in Surigao del Sur

Propaganda editorial from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Feb 21, 2022): NPA mounts checkpoints in Surigao del Sur

 

This article is available in PilipinoBisaya

February 21, 2022

For two hours, the New People’s Army (NPA) held a portion of the national highway in Surigao del Sur (SDS) last February 10. The Red fighters mounted checkpoints in Barangay Mabahin, Cortes while carrying an operation to disarm three former soldiers in their home by the roadside. The measure was part of carrying out the revolutionary movement’s policy on reactionary elections.

Seized from the soldiers were three short firearms, bullets and other matériel. Red fighters advised them against conducting any act that could harm the peasants and civilians, and the revolutionary movement. One of the soldiers is running for a local position in Cortes.

The checkpoints were set up a kilometer away from a CAFGU detachment and three villages away a police station. Four police personnel attempted to respond but withdrew after seeing that they were outnumbered by the Red fighters. While holding the checkpoints, the comrades were aware how some police and soldiers mixed with civilians to take videos. Some soldiers armed with short firearms stood at a distance where they monitored the Red fighters.

Ka Sandara Sidlakan, NPA-Surigao del Sur spokesperson, belied claims of the 901st Brigade that the operation violated international humanitarian law. “They know fully well that civilians were not frisked, harassed or threatened by the comrades.”
Preparation for the action

In an interview by Ang Bayan, Ka Sandara narrated how the NPA unit conducted its preparations. Because the armed action will take place along the highway, Red fighters gathered detailed intel and studied the area and characteristic of the target community.

They conducted dry-runs to ensure that the action will be carried out swiftly. Forces were assigned to disarm, man the checkpoints and interact with the residents. Of the entire force, 25% were women.

“I was tense as we were approaching the target and feared that the action might fail,” said a Red fighter who was joining an armed action for the first time. But when the comrades reached the house of the target and those manning the checkpoint appeared calm, his anxieties faded away.

Ka Sandara said that a firefight would likely have erupted had they encountered soldiers passing through the highway that morning. The NPA allowed the military vehicle to pass through, aware that the area was populated.

“At first, residents were taken by surprise when they first saw armed people flagging vehicles on the road,” related Ka Sandara. “But when they realized they were Red fighters, most of them relaxed.” Some were happy because it was the first time that they saw a Red fighter.

Residents saw comrades were “tidy and impressive” in their uniform of black pants and shirts printed with the image of Ka Oris. With a smile, they calmly explained the objectives of the armed action. “They were so excited on seeing the NPA, some approached and prac-tically embraced the comrades!” Ka Sandara narrated. Some drivers and passengers passing through the checkpoints waved at the comrades. “This is not the army that Duterte claims to have crushed,” she said. While adding to the strength of the people’s army, it also helped embolden the masses.

It was unavoidable that the checkpoints caused delays for some passengers and drivers who comrades dutifully talked to. Some passengers feared of being caught in a crossfire, but were assured by the NPA of their safety.

The Red fighters took the opportunity to explain the importance of the NPA’s armed revolution. They also explained that the checkpoints were there to ensure that the armed action will be carried out orderly and for the safety of the civilians in the area.
Policy on elections

The checkpoint and disarming operation are part of the policy on the conduct of campaigns during the reactionary elections. “The checkpoints ensured that candidates will not bring armed goons, police and military forces to harass and intimidate the people,” said Ka Sandara.

These also serve to remind candidates not to belittle the revolutionary movement and its political power.

Ka Sandara said that during the election period, people of Surigao del Sur must unite to make the candidates listen to their demands. These include standing against the construction of detachments in the villages, military occupation on the pretext of the Retooled Community Support Program and the forced surrender of civilians as members or supporters of the NPA.

They must also unite to defend the environment against widespread mining, illegal and large-scale logging and expansion of plantations. She said peasants must also demand a raise in their wages, as well as in the price of their products, lowering of land rent and others.

[Ang Bayan is the official news organ of the Communist Party of the Philippines and is issued by the CPP Central Committee. It provides news about the work of the Party as well as its analysis of and views on current issues. Ang Bayan comes out fortnightly and is published in Pilipino, Bisaya, Ilokano, Waray, Hiligaynon and English.]

https://cpp.ph/2022/02/21/npa-mounts-checkpoints-in-surigao-del-sur/

CPP/Ang Bayan: Mark the Edsa uprising and persevere on the revolutionary path

Propaganda editorial from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Feb 21, 2022): Mark the Edsa uprising and persevere on the revolutionary path

This article is available in PilipinoHiligaynonBisaya

February 21, 2022

It is especially relevant to mark in the coming days the Edsa Uprising in the face of attempts of the Marcos family, in collusion with the ruling Duterte clique, to steal the upcoming elections and install themselves in power. Holding to history’s lessons, the Filipino people must firmly resist the Marcos-Duterte schemes, while persevering on the revolutionary path to end the rotten system giving rise to fascist hardliners and dictators and ruled by exploiters and oppressors.

The uprising of millions in Edsa and other major streets in Manila and across the country in February 22-26, 1986 is the culmination of the 14-year perseverance in all forms of resistance. Previous years were marked by relentless giant mass actions, along with the expansion and strengthening of nationwide armed resistance led by the Party and New People’s Army. These shattered all fears and ceaselessly rocked the dictatorship.

In this year’s commemoration, the people, especially the youth, must recall how Marcos wielded absolute power to aggrandize himself, his family and cronies. How Imelda and their children wallowed in luxury and extravagance. How the congress and courts were padlocked and Marcos became sole law maker and judge of all. How he corrupted the military and police and used both in his campaign of suppression to terrorize and paralyze the people. How peasants were massacred in Culatingan, Palimbang, Daet, Sag-od, Escalante, Culasi and other places. How he bankrupted the economy and burdened the country with mountains of debt. How different forms of exploitation and oppression intensified, unemployment worsened, prices skyrocketed, the peso devalued and poverty and hunger aggravated.

The Edsa Uprising is the Filipino people’s historical judgement of the Marcos dictatorship. The ouster of Marcos from Malacañang is a show of the people’s power draw from their unity and collective action.

Inconsistent with the people’s judgement in 1986, the Marcoses were able to return to the country after a few years after US imperialism brought together and settled conflicts between rival factions of the ruling classes with the aim of stablizing the neocolonial state. Not soon after, big businesses were restored in the hands of Danding Cojuangco and other big compradors and bureaucrat capitalist cronies of Marcos. A large portion of the billions upon billions of the Marcos stolen wealth remain in their hands. The Marcoses and Romualdezes returned to Ilocos and Leyte politics, and later in congress and the senate.

Using the billions of pesos of stolen wealth, the Marcoses are spreading disinformation to deceive the people through mass media, social media, schools, the church and other means. Memories of the dark days in the country’s history are being deleted even as illusions of progress and prosperity under martial law are conjured to obscure the Marcos dictatorship’s plunder and crimes. The apex of this deception was reached when Duterte allowed Marcos’s remains to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani in 1986.

In line with the long-standing ambition of the Marcoses to return to Malacañang, Marcos Jr. is now running as president in tandem with Duterte daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio as vice. They are handing out left and right seemingly bottomless amounts of stolen wealth to create the illusion of widespread support. Marcos Jr. is using the slogan of “unity” to fool and make people forget all the Marcos crimes and sins against them.

In commemorating the Edsa uprising, all the Marcoses’ lies and distortion of historical truths must be determinedly exposed, condemned and resisted. There is need for a daring, clamorous and widespread education and propaganda campaign, street actions and other measures to counter the Marcos-Duterte lies and manifest how they are hated and rejected by the people. Further broaden the ranks of democratic classes and forces to block the path of the Marcoses and Dutertes and prepare for a widespread uprising.

Exert all efforts to intensify mass struggles amid intensifying economic and social crisis. Mount valiant, daring, creating and broadening mass actions in streets, communities, factories and campuses to fight the incessant increases prices of oil products, food and other necessities, low wages, joblessness, more burdensome taxes, dumping of imported rice, meat and vegetables and other anti-people policies. Show the people’s wrath against Duterte’s thieving, murderous, treacherous and terrorist reign.

The attempt to restore the Marcoses and perpetuate the tyrannical reign of the Dutertes show the further rottening of the ruling system, where political and economic power is being concentrated more in the hands of the worst fascist and criminal cliques of the ruling classes, while people are made to suffer worse poverty and oppression. While it rots, the system engenders the likes of the Marcoses and Dutertes whose hunger for power is insatiable.

The people should take advantage of the elections to aggressively and openly promote the national democratic analysis and program on issues. Put forward clearly the call for a revolutionary end to the semicolonial and semifeudal system.

Use every opportunity to strengthen the Party and revolutionary mass organizations and intensify recruitment to the people’s army. While fighting the Marcos and Duterte schemes, assiduously carry forward the revolutionary struggle to overthrow the puppet and bureaucrat capitalist state, and the exploitative and oppressive class rule of big landlords and big bourgeois compradors, and to establish the people’s democratic government.

https://cpp.ph/2022/02/21/mark-the-edsa-uprising-and-persevere-on-the-revolutionary-path/

CPP/NDF-Negros Island: NDF-Negros slams PNP-AFP attack on Odette survivors’ community, illegal arrest of peasant youth leader

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Feb 24, 2022): NDF-Negros slams PNP-AFP attack on Odette survivors’ community, illegal arrest of peasant youth leader

NDF-Negros Island

National Democratic Front of the Philippines

February 24, 2022

The National Democratic Front-Negros (NDF-Negros) expresssed its vehement condemnation over the February 19 early dawn raid by police and military forces of a farming village situated in Sitio Montara, Barangay Camangcamang in the town of Isabela, Negros Occidental just recently devastated by the super typhoon Odette.

At about 2 am, eight houses were simultaneously raided traumatizing its residents and disturbing community peace. As pretext for the said unwarranted and unlawful raid, Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office and 303rd Infantry Brigade fancied a script in the media about enforcing a warrant of arrest against NPA-Negros (Apolinario Gatmaitan Regional Operational Command) spokesperson Ka Juanito Magbanua.

The script further went into wildy alleging that Ka Juanito managed to escape, giving them a blanket justification to arrest peasant organizer and youth leader Harlyn Balora without warrant and terrorized its populace. To give semblance of legitimacy, several firearms and explosives were planted against Balora continuing the prevalent practice in the PNP and AFP of manufacturing evidence against activists.

Residents of Montara and adjacent areas have lately been organizing themselves into community disaster associations to push for food and livelihood assistance and rehabilitation support in lieu of US-Duterte regime’s callous neglect of their plight.

More than two months after the calamity, the majority of people in these Oddette-ravaged communities has yet to receive significant aid from the government to facilitate recovery.

Through collective efforts and with the support of Balora’s organization, the people in these affected villages were able secure hundreds of sacks of rice and sizeable quantity of other basic food stuffs from a Cebu-based NGO.

Several sacks of rice, scheduled for distribution to another batch of families, were reportedly wasted by the raid as these were ransacked by the raiding units looking for supposed weapons.

As per NPA-Negros personnel records Balora is not a member of the NPA. She hails from family of peasant organizers and activists long red tagged by the government and targeted for neutralization.

For merely taking on the initiative in demanding for their rights and welfare most especially after Odette devastated their homes and livelihoods, the people of Montara and other areas have been subjected to vicious red tagging by the fascist minions of Duterte regime and state terrorism adding to their hardship and suffering.

They have every right and just ground to wages all forms struggles to advance their democratic interests and aspirations.

NDF-Negros are one with the Negrosanons in condemning this dastardly act of suppressing people’s just and legitimate struggle. Those responsible should be held accountable and brought to justice.

Finally, NDF-Negros strongly demands for the immediate and unconditional release of Balora. Her continuing detention is unjust and violative of human rights and international humanitarian law. ###

https://cpp.ph/statements/ndf-negros-slams-pnp-afp-attack-on-odette-survivors-community-illegal-arrest-of-peasant-youth-leader/

CPP/CIO: Uphold JASIG-guaranteed rights of NDFP consultant Esteban Manuel

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Feb 24, 2022): Uphold JASIG-guaranteed rights of NDFP consultant Esteban Manuel

Marco Valbuena

Chief Information Officer

Communist Party of the Philippines

February 24, 2022

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) demands the immediate release of Esteban Manuel, peace consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in negotiations with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP).

Ka Esteban was arrested a week ago, February 16, in Villareal town, Samar by the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Joint Task Force Storm, along with another civilian. Ka Esteban holds official documents of identification under the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG). The JASIG was signed by the GRP and NDFP in 1995 which provides guarantees for negotiators, personnel and consultants of both parties against reprisals, including surveillance and arrests.

We denounce the AFP and the Philippine National Police (PNP) for filing trumped up charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives against Ka Esteban, who is around 70 years old. Claims of the military that a fragmentation grenade and a cal.45 pistol were seized from Esteban are false. All of these are planted evidences to charge him with an unbailable crime and thus prolong his detention.

We call on local and international human rights and humanitarian organizations, as well as peace advocates, to extend assistance to Ka Esteban. He must be immediately afforded legal representation. We enjoin all democratic forces to close ranks and raise the demand for Ka Esteban to be immediately released.

The arrest of Ka Esteban forms part of the Duterte regime’s campaign of terror and suppression against the people of Eastern Visayas. The region has one of the highest incidence of human rights abuses since it was placed under military and police rule with the implementation of Duterte’s Memorandum Order No. 32 in 2018.

Recent months have seen rising cases of aerial bombing and shelling. A growing number of communities have been placed under military occupation and subjected to abuses. From 2020, at least 12 cases of indiscriminate firing have been recorded.

The Filipino people must stand united and demand an immediate stop to this campaign of terror against the region.

https://cpp.ph/statements/uphold-jasig-guaranteed-rights-of-ndfp-consultant-esteban-manuel/

CPP/NDF-Southern Tagalog RC: Sa paggunita sa ika-36 anibersaryo ng Pag-aalsang EDSA ng 1986:Maghanda para ibunsod ang gahiganteng kilusang masa laban sa nagbabadyang diktadura ng alyansang Marcos-Arroyo-Duterte!

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Feb 24, 2022):

Sa paggunita sa ika-36 anibersaryo ng Pag-aalsang EDSA ng 1986:Maghanda para ibunsod ang gahiganteng kilusang masa laban sa nagbabadyang diktadura ng alyansang Marcos-Arroyo-Duterte! (In commemoration of the 36th anniversary of the 1986 EDSA Uprising: Get ready to launch the giant mass movement against the looming dictatorship of the Marcos-Arroyo-Duterte alliance!)

Southern Tagalog Regional Committee

Communist Party of the Philippines

February 24, 2022

Napapanahon ang paggunita sa kabayanihang ipinamalas ng kolektibong lakas ng sambayanang Pilipino para pabagsakin ang 14-taong paghahari ng pasistang diktadura ni Ferdinand Marcos sa pamamagitan ng isang popular na pag-aalsa noong Pebrero 22-25, 1986. Kaisa ng mamamayang Pilipino ang Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas sa pag-alaala at muling pananariwa sa mga aral ng Pag-aalsang EDSA ng 1986.

Malaki ang pagkakahalintulad ng sitwasyong pampulitika sa bansa noong 1986 at sa kasalukuyan. Matindi ang krisis pang-ekonomya ng bansa na nagbubunsod ng krisis sa pulitika sa anyo ng lantarang pagkakabitak-bitak sa hanay ng mga naghaharing-uri. Matindi na ang galit ng taumbayan sa kasalukuyang rehimen at umaalingasaw na ang baho ng presidente sa buong bansa hanggang sa internasyunal na komunidad. Matindi ang pananalasa ng pasismo at terorismo ng estado laban sa lahat ng oposisyon at humahamon sa kasalukuyang administrasyon. Ang kaibhan nga lamang noon, lantaran ang diktadurang paghahari ni Ferdinand Marcos Sr habang di-deklaradong Batas Militar ang ipinatutupad ng nakatayong civillian-military junta ni Rodrigo Duterte—ang NTF-ELCAC. Nahaharap ang buong bansa sa nalalapit na eleksyon na magtatakda ng kasunod na kabanatang sasapitin ng mamamayang Pilipino—mananatili ba ang diktadura o manunumbalik ang demokrasya?

Tulad noon, malilinaw ang indikasyon ng pagsisikap ng naghaharing pangkatin na manipulahin ang resulta ng eleksyon sa kasalukuyan. Tulad ng matandang Marcos, hawak at kontrolado ni Duterte sa kasalukuyan ang COMELEC, AFP, mga kumpanyang nangangasiwa sa mga kagamitan sa halalan, at ang karamihan sa mga local executive officials ng gubyerno. Ang pinakamalaking yaman ng bayan at mga rekursong nakulimbat ng pinakakurap na mga rehimeng Marcos, Estrada, Arroyo at Duterte ay pinagsama-sama para ipanalo ang mga kandidato ng kanilang alyansang sila Bongbong Marcos bilang presidente at Sara Duterte-Carpio bilang bise presidente, kapwa tagapagmana ng trono ng tiranya ng kanilang mga ama. Nakapangingilabot na ang mga rehimen at angkan ng pinakakurap, mandarambong, mamamatay-tao at pasista na naluklok sa kapangyarihan sa nagdaan hanggang sa kasalukuyan ay nagsanib-pwersa para kontrolin at hawakan ang kapangyarihang pang-estado. Higit sa lahat, masakit at hindi katanggap-tanggap para sa mamamayang Pilipino na manumbalik ang angkan ng mga Marcos na pusakal na kriminal, magnanakaw at sinungaling matapos pabagsakin at palayasin ng mamamayan na nagpunyaging makibaka at nagsama-sama sa isang pag-aalsang bayan.

Hindi dapat makabalik ang mga Marcos, Arroyo at Estrada sa kapangyarihan, tulad din ng hindi dapat makapanatili ang mga Duterte sa kapangyarihan. Ang muling pag-akyat ng mga Marcos sa tore ng kapangyarihang pang-estado ay palatandaan ng lalong pagkabulok ng sistemang pampulitika sa Pilipinas na monopolisado ng malalaking burgesya kumprador at ng mga burukratang kapitalista. Para sa mga katulad nilang nanghaharing uri ng malalaking burgesya komprador at panginoong maylupa, walang permanenteng kaibigan at kaaway, ang permanente lamang at pinakamahalaga sa kanila ay ang pagpapanatili ng kanilang mga paksyunal na interes—ang makapaghari at patuloy na magpayaman sa ngalan ng ibayong pang-aapi at pagsasamantala sa mamamayang Pilipino.

Sa reaksyunaryo’t bulok na pulitika, kung sino ang makapagbibigay ng proteksyon sa kanilang mga makasariling interes, dati mang kaaway, o itinakwil na kaibigan, ay kakalingain nila’t susuportahan. Tulad na lamang nila Juan Ponce Enrile at Fidel Ramos na sumakay sa malawak na disgusto at pagkamuhi ng taumbayan kay Marcos at sumama sa pag-aalsang EDSA, subalit ngayo’y nakakanlong, kundiman nasa likod ng mga Marcos at alyansa nito sa mga Arroyo at Duterte. Tulad ng mga Marcos, Arroyo at Duterte, isinusuka ng mamamayang Pilipino ang mga balimbing at oportunistang na sina Enrile, Ramos at napakarami pang katulad nila na ipinagkanulo ang tagumpay ng Pag-aalsang Edsa at ngayo’y nagkakarerahan para manalo sa papalapit na eleksyon.

Panahon na para muling itanghal ng sambayanang Pilipino ang kanilang kolektibong lakas para ilantad, pigilan at labanan ang nagbabadyang diktadura ng Marcos, Arroyo at Duterte at ng anumang pakana nila upang manipulahin ang resulta ng nalalapit na eleksyon sa Mayo 9. Kailangang muling pabulwakin sa mga lansangan ang malalaking kilos-protesta para tuligsain ang mga maniobra ng rehimeng Duterte at alyansang MAD nang isinasaalang-alang ang mga kinakailangang restriksyong pangkalusugan sa gitna ng pandemya. Pinatunayan ng mga aral ng Pag-aalsang EDSA ng 1986 na hindi sapat ang popular na pag-aalsang bayan para pabagsakin at palayasin ang mga rehimeng kurap at pasista. Kailangang kumpletuhin at lubusin ang tagumpay ng demokratikong rebolusyon ng bayan sa buong kapuluan sa pamamagitan ng matagalang digmang bayan at ang kasunod na sosyalistang rebolusyon bilang tanging maggagarantiya ng isang lipunang tunay na malaya, demokratiko, masagana at makatarungan para sa lahat ng mga Pilipino na pinagsasamantalahan at inaapi.###

https://cpp.ph/statements/maghanda-para-ibunsod-ang-gahiganteng-kilusang-masa-laban-sa-nagbabadyang-diktadura-ng-alyansang-marcos-arroyo-duterte/

CPP/NDF-Southern Tagalog: BBM, NTF-ELCAC at localized peace talks: Mga balakid sa tunay na kapayapaan

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Feb 24, 2022): BBM, NTF-ELCAC at localized peace talks: Mga balakid sa tunay na kapayapaan (BBM, NTF-ELCAC and localized peace talks: Obstacles to true peace)

Patnubay de Guia

Spokesperson

NDF-Southern Tagalog

National Democratic Front of the Philippines

February 24, 2022

Umaalingasaw ang pagiging anti-kapayapaan at sagadsaring pasista ni Bongbong Marcos (BBM) sa kanyang pagpapahayag ng suporta para sa mga programa ng kinamumuhiang NTF-ELCAC at mapanlinlang na localized peace talks na inilalako ng rehimeng Duterte. Layunin nitong kabigin ang suporta ng civilian-military junta na pasimuno ng mapaniil na anti-komunistang kampanya upang magkonsolida ng kapangyarihan at tiyaking maluklok siya sa Malakanyang. Hayagan rin ang kanyang pagtutol sa pagtutuloy ng negosasyong pangkapayapaan sa NDFP at naninindigang hindi siya makikipag-usap sa mga komunista.Talagang nananalaytay kay BBM ang dugo ng kanyang amang pasistang diktador na si Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. kaya hindi siya dapat hayaang makapwesto sa estado poder.

Matapos mahiwalay sa mga kapwa kandidato sa pagka-presidente, tila bahagyang nagbago ang pahayag ni BBM. Sa nilahukan niyang presidential debate noong Pebrero 16 na inorganisa ng anti-komunista, maka-Duterte’t maka-Marcos na SMNI, ibinandera ni BBM ang localized peace engagement (LPE) at pagpapalawig sa mga programa ng NTF-ELCAC kabilang ang kampanyang pagpapasuko para “lutasin” ang ugat ng armadong tunggalian. Aniya, dapat i-“expand” ang peace talks na katumbas lang ng pagpapatupad ng LPE. Pinuri din niyang “epektibo” ang mga programa ng NTF-ELCAC sa pagsupil sa “insurhensya” kagaya ng kampanyang pagpapasuko at barangay development program. Palatandaang talagang nakikisakay lang siya sa naunang pahayag ng apat na presidentiable noong Enero na bukas sila sa peace talks sa NDFP sakaling manalo.

Tulad ng aasahan sa isang Marcos, pulos panlilinlang at pambabaluktot sa katotohanan ang kaya lang niyang ibuladas at ipagkalat. Matagal nang nalantad ang NTF-ELCAC, ang LPE at iba pang huwad nitong programa bilang mga kasangkapan ng marahas na kampanyang supresyon na nakatudla laban sa mamamayan sa tabing ng gera kontra-terorismo. Palibhasa’y isa ding mangungurakot, walang kahihiyang tinataguyod ni BBM ang barangay development program ng NTF-ELCAC na malaon nang nalantad bilang gatasan at pinagmumulan ng kurakot ng mga tiwaling Heneral ng AFP at PNP kasabwat ang kapwa nilang mangungurakot na mga lokal na upisyal ng gubyerno.

Ginagamit ang LPE upang maghasik ng teror at manghati sa mga komunidad na nakikibaka para sa kanilang kagalingan, karapatan at kapayapaan. Bahagi nito ang mga kampanyang pagpapasuko, mga operasyong saywar at mga huwad at pakitang-taong proyektong ginagawang palabigasan ng mga opisyal militar at LGU. Kasabay nito ang pagbabad ng mga yunit ng AFP-PNP-CAFGU sa mga komunidad na inilulunsad matapos ang ilang linggong walang-patumanggang pambobomba, panganganyon, at pamamaril sa mga sakahan at kabundukan

Sa TK, palasak ng itim na propaganda ng SOLCOM ang diumanong paglahok ng mga larangang gerilya sa mga localized peace talks para siraan ang rebolusyonaryong kilusan at pagmukhaing humihina na ito. Ang totoo, walang nagaganap at magaganap na localized peace talks dahil matatag at nagkakaisa ang buong CPP-NPA-NDFP sa paninindigang dapat ilunsad ang peace talks sa pambansang saklaw.

Samantala, hindi dapat purihin ang NTF-ELCAC, bagkus, dapat na itong buwagin alinsunod sa dati nang panawagan ng mamamayan at maging ng ibang progresibong grupo at personahe.

Hindi nalalayo ang panloloko ni BBM tungkol sa “epektibong” programang kontra-insurhensya ng rehimeng Duterte sa pagrerebisa sa malagim na kasaysayan ng diktadurang Marcos. Gaya ng pagtatakip nila sa puu-puong libong kaso ng paglabag sa karapatang tao noong Martial Law, pilit nilang itinatanggi ngayon ang mga kalabisan at krimeng isinasagawa ng pasistang rehimeng Duterte sa ngalan ng hibang na pangarap na durugin ang CPP-NPA-NDFP. Ang masahol pa, nagpapanggap si BBM na kuno’y panig sa kapayapaan subalit sa pamamagitan ng mapanlinlang na LPE.

Hinihimok ng NDFP-ST ang mga progresibo, makabayan at tunay na lingkod-bayan na suportahan ang muling pagbubukas ng peace talks sa pagitan ng GRP at NDFP sa pambansang saklaw sa susunod na rehimen. Doon maihahapag ang Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms na nagbabalangkas ng tunay na reporma sa lupa, pambansang industriyalisasyon at kumprehensibong programang panlipunan na pakikinabangan ng mamamayang Pilipino.

Balakid si BBM at ang kinabibilangan niyang alyansang Marcos-Arroyo-Duterte (MAD) sa hangarin ng mamamayang Pilipino na kamtin ang tunay, makatarungan at pangmatagalang kapayapaan sa bansa. Dapat gawin ng sambayanan ang buong makakaya upang pigilan ang pakana ng MAD na iluklok si BBM sa tuktok ng kapangyarihan. Nais ipagpatuloy ng MAD ang diktadurang paghahari at pasidhiin pa ang malakolonyal at malapyudal na sistemang ugat ng armadong tunggalian. Pinatunayan ng kasaysayan na sa ilalim ng mga rehimeng Marcos, Arroyo at Duterte, nasadlak ang Pilipinas sa labis na kahirapan at sinikil ang demokrasya gamit ang teroristang paghahari. Imbes na lutasin ang panlipunang ugat ng armadong tunggalian, ang kanilang mga pasistang patakaran at higit pang pambubusabos sa bayan ang nagtutulak sa mamamayan na mag-armas at lumaban.###

https://cpp.ph/statements/bbm-ntf-elcac-at-localized-peace-talks-mga-balakid-sa-tunay-na-kapayapaan/

CPP/CIO: AMLC decision to freeze assets of NDFP allies is ridiculous, but at the same time, dangerous

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Feb 24, 2022): AMLC decision to freeze assets of NDFP allies is ridiculous, but at the same time, dangerous

This article is available in Bisaya

Marco Valbuena

Chief Information Officer

Communist Party of the Philippines

February 24, 2022

It is ridiculous that the Anti-Money Laundering Council yesterday declared that it will freeze the accounts and assets of 16 organizations allied with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) earlier “designated as terrorists” by the NTF-Elcac/ATC.

In the first place, these organizations are underground and operate clandestinely. Their members numbering in the hundreds of thousands are incognito with no public or secret records of their membership. They do not have properties under their names, and especially, no accounts in Philippine banks. Because they operate outside legal processes, these organizations are outside the jurisdiction of the AMLC. Having experience in fighting martial law and persevered through decades of struggle, these organizations can continue to secure and expand their ranks.

But the AMLC declaration is dangerous because it can be used against social activists, progressives and patriotic forces, human rights defenders and critics of the tyrannical regime who have been repeatedly red-tagged by the NTF-Elcac/ATC. The recent arrest of Dr. Natividad Castro is a portent of the schemes of the NTF-Elcac to mount a general crackdown before or after the elections to suppress the people’s resistance.

Also, recall how the AMLC froze the assets of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines which the NTF-Elcac has baselessly accused of being a “communist front” merely for being staunch defenders of the rights of Lumad people in Mindanao.

We urge all progressive, patriotic and democratic forces, peace advocates and human rights defenders both in the Philippines and overseas to denounce the resolution of the NTF-Elcac/ATC and AMLC against the NDFP and its allied organizations and the heightening state terrorism and political repression in the Philippines.

https://cpp.ph/statements/amlc-decision-to-freeze-assets-of-ndfp-allies-is-ridiculous-but-at-the-same-time-dangerous/

CPP/CIO: Response to 8th ID coverup of killing children in Catubig, Northern Samar

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Feb 24, 2022): Response to 8th ID coverup of killing children in Catubig, Northern Samar

Marco Valbuena

Chief Information Officer

Communist Party of the Philippines

February 24, 2022

1.The 8th ID is distorting the truth to coverup the killing of two young children by soldiers of the 20th IB last February 8 in Barangay Roxas, Catubig, Northern Samar.

2. Contrary to claims that they are concerned with the welfare of children and civilians, soldiers of the 20th IB left the three children dying after firing their weapons indiscriminately at the group of peasants. People in the village had to run to the area to rescue the children and bring them to the hospital.

3. Contrary to the 8th ID’s lies, one of the victims was able to state that it was soldiers of the AFP that fired at them.

4. The residents of Barangay Roxas know very well the truth to the incident. Their barangay, however, is under heavy military presence and people are being terrorized and threatened. A unit of the 20th IB is permanently stationed in their village. The military has approached the families and provided them with a few thousand pesos as “remuneration” and induce their silence. Against the AFP, the peasant masses in the area are being overwhelmed by fear.

5. We encourage human rights defenders, church groups, advocates of children’s rights, humanitarian associations, media and other interested groups to conduct an independent fact-finding mission to look into the incident of indiscriminate firing which resulted in the killing of the two children.

We challenge the AFP to withdraw its forces from the area in order to allow the people to freely express themselves and reveal the truth.

5. The officers of the 8th ID do not have the balls to humbly admit their mistake and ask make a public apology. They spew nothing but lies to cover up their fascist crimes. This is one of the reasons why people continue to distrust and reject them, and continue to support and join the New People’s Army.

https://cpp.ph/statements/response-to-8th-id-coverup-of-killing-children-in-catubig-northern-samar/

CPP/NDF-Sison: On the NTF-Elcac and ATC Resolution No. 28

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Website (Feb 24, 2022): On the NTF-Elcac and ATC Resolution No. 28

Jose Maria Sison

Chief Political Consultant

National Democratic Front of the Philippines

February 24, 2022

As Chief Political Consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines in previous peace negotiations with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, I condemn the Duterte tyrannical regime for using the National Task Force-Elcac and the so-called Anti-Terror Council as instruments of state terrorism to issue NTF-Elcac/ATC Resolution No. 28, dated January 22, 2022 but published only on February 22, 2022, and thereby declare as “terrorist” 16 patriotic and democratic organizations allied with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, escalate the oppression of the people and further ensure the rigging of the 2022 elections in favor of the Marcos-Duterte tandem and slate through fraud and terrorism.

The allied and component organizations of the NDFP targetted by the NTF-Elcac/ATC declaration are the following: the Revolutionary Council of Trade Unions (RCTU), the Katipunan ng mga Samahang Manggagawa (KASAMA), the Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Magbubukid (PKM), Makabayang Kilusan ng Bagong Kababaihan (Makibaka), the Kabataang Makabayan (KM), the Katipunan ng mga Gurong Makabayan (Kaguma), the Makabayang Samahang Pangkalusugan (MSP or Masapa), the Liga ng Agham para sa Bayan (LAB), the Lupon ng mga Manananggol para sa Bayan (Lumaban), the Artista at Manunulat ng Sambayanan (Armas), the Makabayang Kawaning Pilipino (MKP), the Revolutionary Organization of Overseas Filipinos and their Families (Compatriots), the Christians for National Liberation (CNL), the Cordillera People’s Democratic Front (CPDF), the Moro Resistance Liberation Organization (MRLO) and the Revolutionary Organization of Lumads (ROL).

I am confident that the abovementioned formations can very well take care of themselves and defend themselves against any campaign of suppression directed against them because they have long been tempered and tested in revolutionary struggle and have prevailed over the 14-year Marcos fascist dictatorship and other challenges. They have long preserved themselves, persevered and struggled successfully from the underground. But we can anticipate that the Duterte regime will arbitrarily brand people as belonging to these underground organizations and accuse entire legal democratic organizations as alter-egos, facade or extension in violation of their constitutional and legal rights.

According to reliable inside sources in the Duterte political machinery and in the NTF-Elcac and the ATC, the Duterte regime has already made a plan for red-tagging, mass arrests, detentions and selective murders at the expense of the social activists among the workers, peasants, women, youth, teachers, health professionals, artists and writers, government employees, migrant workers, Christians, Cordillerans, Moros, Lumads and other national minorities belonging to legal democratic and patriotic organizations in order to intimidate the broad masses of the people, prepare the rigging of the 2022 elections and to make credible and realizable the threat of martial law before the end of Duterte’s term of office.

By escalating the oppression and exploitation of the people and their legal patriotic and democratic forces, the Duterte regime and the NTF-Elcac and ATC can only aggravate the political and socioeconomic crisis of the semicolonial and semifeudal ruling system and make the conditions in the Philippines more fertile than ever for the people’s democratic revolution through protracted people’s war. Those who are in power are seeking to perpetuate such root causes of the armed conflict as foreign monopoly capitalism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism and are aggravating these with bureaucratic and military corruption and military overspending.

The budgetary and trade deficits can no longer be covered by the export of cheap raw materials and cheap labor and by raising the local and foreign public debt. Since the Duterte regime came to power in 2016, the public debt has more than doubled from Php 5.9 trillion to more than Php 11.7 trillion as of end-2021. The underdevelopment, high unemployment, low incomes, inflation and mass poverty have worsened so fast. The grave economic crisis is combining so well with the grave political crisis, manifested most by state terrorism or the open rule of terror, in exposing the decadent and moribund character of the ruling system and in goading the people to take the road of armed revolution.###

https://cpp.ph/statements/on-the-ntf-elcac-and-atc-resolution-no-28/

Kalinaw News: NoLCom Commander: Ilocos Region now insurgency free, other areas in north Luzon soon to follow

Posted to Kalinaw News (Feb 24, 2022): NoLCom Commander: Ilocos Region now insurgency free, other areas in north Luzon soon to follow



Camp Aquino, Tarlac City – Feb 24, 2022

Ilocos Region is now formally declared as the first region in the country to be in a State of Stable Internal Peace and Security after the signing of the Joint Regional Development Council 1 (RDC) and Regional Peace and Order Council 1 (RPOC), and the Regional Task Force (RTF-ELCAC) 1 Resolution No. 1 s. 2022 at the EM Royalle Hotel & Beach Resort in San Juan, La Union on Thursday, February 24, 2022.

“With Ilocos region formally declared to be in a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security, we will do our best to ensure that other regions in our area of operations will soon follow,” said Northern Luzon Command Commander Lt. Gen. Ernesto Torres Jr. who personally attended the event, alongside Secretary Hermogenes C. Esperon, Jr, Chairperson, RTF-ELCAC 1; La Union Governor Francisco Emmanuel ‘Pacoy’ Ortega III, Chairperson, RPOC 1; Vigan City Mayor Juan Carlo S. Medina, Chairperson, RDC 1; Ms. Julie J. Daquioag, Ph.D., CESO III, Regional Director, DILG Region 1, RPOC-1 Head Secretariat; and Mr. Nestor G. Rillon, Regional Director, NEDA Region 1, RDC-1 Vice-Chairperson, and other members of the RTF-ELCAC 1.

The media and other participants attended via video teleconference in adherence to Covid-19 health protocols.

Prior to the signing of the resolution, Brig. Gen. Krishnamurti Mortela, Commander of Joint Task Group Defender, the AFP unit in charge of combatting terrorism in the Ilocos region, presented the premises and accomplishments of Region 1 Peace, Law Enforcement, and Development Support (PLEDS) cluster in dismantling the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) operating in the region.

The JTG commander highlighted the 36 high-value personalities neutralized, surrender of 984 NPA regular alongside the capture and recovery of 84 firearms, and the overwhelming support of 152 municipalities and 3, 564 barangays in declaring communist terrorists as persona non grata.

“Our hard work, focus, and relentless efforts to accomplish our targets and mandate yielded zero violence incidents for more than a year now since January 2021, “said Brig. Gen. Mortela.

La Union Governor Francisco Emmanuel ‘Pacoy’ Ortega III expressed his elation and gratitude to all the agencies and stakeholders who have contributed to making the Ilocos Region reach the State of Stable Internal Peace and Security.

Also, Mayor Juan Carlos Medina described this accomplishment as a “legacy of Secretary Esperon and President Duterte.”

Meanwhile, Secretary Esperon said that after this accomplishment, the government will change its tempo towards the further development of the region.

Moreso, Lt. Gen. Torres expressed his jubilance over the accomplishment, he said that peace and development will flourish in the region without the hindering presence of the CTG.

“The military and the police will continue pressuring the remaining Communist terrorists in north and central Luzon to surrender and return to the fold of the law to have a chance of redeeming their lives as productive citizens of the country,” the NoLCom Commander added.

The signing of the resolution marks a milestone in history as the first region in the Philippines to be declared in a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security which manifests that the provinces in Ilocos are cleared and unaffected by CTG, and are in a normalized state of peace and development.

[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/nolcom-commander-ilocos-region-now-insurgency-free-other-areas-in-north-luzon-soon-to-follow/

Kalinaw News: Alakdan Division welcomes New Commander

Posted to Kalinaw News (Feb 24, 2022): Alakdan Division welcomes New Commander



FORT BONIFACIO, Metro Manila – The Army’s 11th Infantry “Alakdan” Division (11ID) welcomes its new commander in a change-of-command ceremony presided by Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Romeo S. Brawner, Jr., today, February 23, 2022, at Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista, Barangay Busbus, Jolo, Sulu.

Brig. Gen. Ignatius N. Patrimonio replaced Maj. Gen. William N. Gonzales who assumed as the AFP Inspector General last month.

Prior to his designation as 11ID Commander, Brig. Gen. Patrimonio served as commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team—the Army’s primary combined arms and rapid deployment unit—from December 2020 to February 2022. He also served as commander of the 1102 Infantry Brigade, 11ID from August 2019 to December 2020 and as acting commander of the Presidential Security Group in 2019. Brig. Gen. Patrimonio belongs to Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Sambisig” Class of 1991. He holds a Master in Public Management Major in Development Security from the Development Academy of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Gonzales belongs to PMA “Makatao” Class of 1989. He holds a Master in Management Major in Public Administration from the Philippine Christian University. He also served as Joint Task Force Sulu commander, First Scout Ranger Regiment commander, and as the Philippine Army’s Assistant Chief of Staff for Education and Training, G8.

Lt. Gen. Brawner lauded Maj. Gen. Gonzales for leading Army’s 11ID in neutralizing key local terrorist group (LTG) members. “More importantly, Maj. Gen. Gonzales had achieved a level of peace that has never been achieved in Sulu before,” Lt. Gen. Brawner remarked.

Lt. Gen. Brawner expressed confidence that Brig. Gen. Patrimonio will sustain the gains of his predecessor. He likewise vowed to fully support the Army’s youngest division in developing its facilities and unit capabilities.

The CGPA also reiterated to Alakdan troopers his three thrusts and two tasks summarized in the command guidance SERVE: take care of the soldiers’ physical and mental health; enhance soldiers’ skills and unit capabilities; and push down resources to ground units. The Army Chief emphasized that the thrusts will enable the Army to emerge victorious against threat groups and ensure a safe and orderly national and local polls on May 2022.

[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/alakdan-division-welcomes-new-commander/

Rebel suspect falls; guns, bullets, grenade seized

From Panay News (Feb 24, 2022): Rebel suspect falls; guns, bullets, grenade seized (By Mae Singuay)

A suspected member of the of the New People’s Army (NPA) was arrested on Feb. 19 in Barangay Kamang-kamang, Isabela, Negros Occidental.

A .9mm pistol, bullets and a fragmentation grenade were also recovered by the police and military.

Harlyn Balora of Bacolod City was taken to the Isabela police station.

The following charges would be filed against Balora: violations of Republic Act (RA) 10591 (Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act) and RA 9516 (Illegal/Unlawful Possession, Manufacture, Dealing In, Acquisition or Disposition of Firearms, Ammunition Or Explosives).

The arresting offers were from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, Isabela municipal police station and the Philippine Army’s 94th Infantry Battalion (94IB). Actually, they were supposed to arrest a certain Romeo Nanta who was charged with homicide.

But Nanta was able to flee, leaving his companion Balora behind.

https://www.panaynews.net/rebel-suspect-falls-guns-bullets-grenade-seized/

CAFGU injured in gun battle

From the Visayan Daily Star (Feb 24, 2022): CAFGU injured in gun battle (By GILBERT P. BAYORAN)

A government militiaman was injured during a brief encounter with suspected New People’s Army rebels on February 22 in the upland village of Amaga in Brgy. Buenavista, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.

Lt. Col. Angelo Guzman, 94th Infantry Battalion commander, disclosed that Army soldiers thwarted a rebel attack on residents of upland Madaja village in the barangay, following an encounter with 10 NPA rebels.

Guzman recalled that the village had been subjected to several attacks by the communist terrorist group after its residents stopped supporting the NPA and they stood up against the armed group.

In 2020, residents of Madaja village decided to move their homes closer, in order to form a cluster, for their security and safety from rebel threats, after the immersion program of the 94IB, he said.

Guzman said that the seven-minute gun battle prompted the rebels to withdraw.

On the other hand, the injured CAFGU member is now in stable condition, he added.

Guzman said that the presence of 94IB in the uplands of Negros aims to ensure peace and security in order to establish favorable conditions for government projects to come in.

https://visayandailystar.com/cafgu-injured-in-gunbattle/

4 Negros LGUs under ‘Red’ category

From the Visayan Daily Star (Feb 24, 2022): 4 Negros LGUs under ‘Red’ category (By GILBERT P. BAYORAN)

Three municipalities and a city in Negros Occidental have been placed under “Red” category, in line with the May 9 synchronized elections, disclosed yesterday by Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, commander of the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade.

Pasaporte, who co-chairs the Provincial Joint Security Coordinating Center, identified the local government units under Red category as Escalante City, Candoni, Moises Padilla and Calatrava.

This is because of serious armed threats of the New People’s Army, presence or reorganization of Private Armed Groups during election period, with history of election-related incidents.

The Red category, according to Commission on Elections, are deemed as critical areas.

During the 2019 elections, Moises Padilla was placed under Comelec control due to intense political rivalries, which led to election-related violence, presence of private armed groups and threats of the New People’s Army.

Under the color-coding scheme, Orange category indicates presence of NPA, Yellow category if it has history of political unrest, while Green category would mean no problem and cause for concern.

Included in the list of Orange category are towns of Toboso, La Castellana, Isabela, Ilog, Hinobaan, Cauayan, Binalbagan, cities of Sipalay, Himamaylan, Victorias and Silay, while Don Salvador Benedicto falls under Yellow category.

The classification of election areas of concerns is subject for validation by JPSCC during its monthly meeting, as the May 9 election nears.

Pasaporte assured Negrenses, especially candidates, that the 303rd Infantry Brigade and infantry units under its supervision will remain non-partisan in the forthcoming elections, similar to previous polls.

He also said that the signing of peace covenants will remind candidates and their respective supporters to strictly abide the rules and regulations of the Comelec that governs the elections.

https://visayandailystar.com/4-negros-lgus-under-red-category/

Army, NICA hold info drive in Baler vs. rebel infiltration

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 24, 2022): Army, NICA hold info drive in Baler vs. rebel infiltration (By Jason De Asis)

AWARENESS DRIVE. The Philippine Army’s 91st Infantry “Sinagtala” Battalion (91IB), in partnership with the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), conducts an information drive on Wednesday (Feb. 23, 2022) against the infiltration of communist terrorist groups in communities. It was participated in by barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials. (Photo courtesy of 91IB)

BALER, Aurora – The Philippine Army’s 91st Infantry “Sinagtala” Battalion (91IB), in partnership with the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), has intensified its awareness campaign to prevent the infiltration of communist terrorist groups in the communities.

In an interview on Thursday, Lt. Col. Reandrew P. Rubio, commander of the 91IB, said an information drive was held at Laang-Sibol Hall, Camp Jaime Bitong in Barangay Calabuanan on Wednesday, attended by barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials.

He said the event aimed to increase their awareness of the importance of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in the fight against insurgency and the impact of rebel infiltration in communities.

Rubio said he thanked the participants who committed to achieving inclusive development and lasting peace in Baler and the whole province.

“The participants’ presence will greatly contribute to ensuring peace and order in the communities,” he said.

Rubio said regular meetings will continue, together with the other security forces.

He added that the 91IB will continue to support NICA and the local officials as part of the law enforcement support operations of the Philippine Army and the Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

NICA Regional Director Maria Luisa de Guzman likewise cited the participants for their willingness and readiness to address the root causes of internal conflict.

She called for the cooperation of everyone to respond to concerns and issues in local communities which the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) is using to recruit members.

She said terrorists exploit issues to destroy the image of the government as part of their manipulative ploys to deceive the people.

“We have one country, one flag, and one government, thus, we should help each other to end armed conflict and to achieve a lasting peace. Tulungan po ninyo kami sa iisang adhikain na ito (Please help us in achieving this one objective),” de Guzman said.

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

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

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1168486

Region 1 declared 1st area with ‘stable internal peace, security’

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 24, 2022): Region 1 declared 1st area with ‘stable internal peace, security’ (By Hilda Austria)

STABLE INTERNAL PEACE AND SECURITY. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. during the Kapihan forum hosted by the Philippine Information Agency Ilocos regional office on Feb. 24, 2022. Esperon said Ilocos Region is now formally declared in stable internal peace and security. (Screenshot from PIA Ilocos Region's live stream on Facebook)

The Regional Development Council, Regional Peace and Order Council, and the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict signed a resolution on Thursday declaring Ilocos Region as an area with stable internal peace and security following more than a year of zero violent incidents involving the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

In a virtual press conference hosted by the Philippine Information Agency Ilocos regional office, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said there are no more armed groups in the region after the dismantling of the Komiteng Larangan Guerilla (KLG) South Ilocos Sur in September 2020.

“What we have now are groups that would attempt to reestablish,” he said.

Esperon said the main task of maintaining law and order is now turned over from the Army to the Ilocos Police Regional Office together with other agencies.

“The military now becomes a support agency if there is a need for focus military operations as they pursue peace and security development,” he said.

Esperon said Ilocos Region is the first to be declared with the status while he hopes the other regions will follow, such as the Cordillera Administrative Region where the armed groups have also weakened already.

“This doesn’t mean we can now relax but all the more that we need to bring development (into the communities),” he said.

National Security Council Undersecretary Vicente Agdamag said 33 barangays in the region will be given projects under the Barangay Development Program (BDP).

Twenty-seven of these barangays are from Ilocos Sur, and two barangays each from Ilocos Norte, La Union, and Pangasinan.

The villages under BDP were cleared of communist terrorists’ threat by the CPP-NPA through the long validation by the police, army, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

“There are a total of 54 projects. Of the total number, three are in Ilocos Norte, 46 in Ilocos Sur, two in La Union, and three in Pangasinan,” he said.

The recipient barangays will each receive PHP20 million worth of socioeconomic development projects towards the provision of farm-to-market roads, health centers, electrification, water and sanitation facilities, schools, and livelihood projects.

In 2021, two barangays in the region benefited from the BDP.

Brig. Gen. Krishnamurti Mortela, commander of the 702nd Infantry Brigade, said the journey towards stable internal peace and security has gone through stages from insurgency (active and less active provinces), normalization (conflict-manageable and suppressed insurgency), and to the stability of peace and security.

“All provinces of the region are now cleared and unaffected,” he said.

Mortela said the highlights of the campaign against the terrorist group in the region were the dismantling of the guerilla front, clearing of focus areas, and dismantling of KLG AMPIS last year.

He said 948 members of the terrorist group in the region surrendered from 2018 to 2021.

Of the total number, 28 were regular NPA members, 52 “Milisyang Bayan” members from barangays, and 867 were underground movement group members.

“We now target to meet head-on possible NPA resurgence, transform former NPA bases into communities of peace, transform former NPA fighters and radicalized masses into productive citizens, and transform Ilocos Region into a progressive growth area,” Mortela 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 National Democratic Front has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973.


https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1168495

29 ex-NPA rebels get E-CLIP aid in Zambo Norte

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 24, 2022): 29 ex-NPA rebels get E-CLIP aid in Zambo Norte (By Teofilo Garcia, Jr.)

CASH AID. Twenty-nine former New People's Army rebels receive a PHP1.88-million Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program assistance from the provincial government of Zamboanga del Norte on Tuesday (Feb. 22, 2022). Each of them got PHP65,000 cash aid which was released during the 1st quarter meeting of the Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict. (Photo courtesy of the 102Bde)

The Zamboanga del Norte provincial government, through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP), has released financial assistance to 29 former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels, a top military official announced Thursday.

Brig. Gen. Leonel Nicolas, Army’s 102nd Infantry Brigade (Bde) commander, said each of the 29 former rebels received PHP65,000 financial assistance for a total of PHP1.88 million.

The benefits included PHP15,000 immediate cash assistance and PHP50,000 livelihood assistance for the former NPAs to rebuild their lives as they return to mainstream society.

Nicolas said the ex-rebels received the E-CLIP benefit during the 1st Quarter Zamboanga Del Norte Provincial Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict meeting on Tuesday.

He said some of the former rebels will also receive firearm remuneration based on the valuation of the firearms they have surrendered upon the completion of the processing of their documents.

“Contrary to the propaganda teachings to us inside the armed struggle that soldiers will kill us if we surrender, it seems that the enemy we have known for so long is the most precious allies who will help us return to our families,” one of the recipients, alias Ka Peewee, said in a statement.

Peewee was a former leader of the NPA’s HQ-KALAW under the Western Mindanao Regional Party Committee (WMRPC).

Meanwhile, Nicolas said the surrender of the remaining members of the WMRPC will finally put an end to the decades-long insurgency problem in the Zamboanga Peninsula.

“The doors of the 102Bde together with our partner stakeholders are always open for those who wish to give peace a chance and end this futile armed struggle that has cost the lives of many Filipino soldiers, innocent civilians, and vulnerable sectors,” Nicolas said.

The government is currently pursuing the 52 remaining members of the WMRPC mostly monitored in Zamboanga del Norte and Misamis Occidental provinces.

The Communist Party of the Philippines - NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, 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 inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA that was created in April 1973.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1168494

PAF completes repair of 'Odette'-hit facilities in Cebu, Palawan

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 24, 2022): PAF completes repair of 'Odette'-hit facilities in Cebu, Palawan (By Priam Nepomuceno)

Photo courtesy of PAF

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) said it has completed the repair and rehabilitation of its facilities and structures in Cebu and Palawan that were destroyed by Typhoon Odette in December.

"The PAF has completed the repair and rehabilitation of its facilities and structures at the Brig. Gen. Benito N. Ebuen Air Base in Mactan, Cebu and in Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan that were damaged following the onslaught of Typhoon Odette," Air Force spokesperson, Lt. Col. Maynard Mariano, said in a statement issued Wednesday night.

These repaired facilities are hangars and buildings that sustained storm-related damage and had their roofs blown away during the height of "Odette".

"Meanwhile, utilizing its available air assets, the PAF has performed 866 sorties with a total of 1,689,213 lbs. of cargo. Cargoes, which include relief goods, food packs, and equipment, were transported to several locations in Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, and Palawan. (Some) 695 local and foreign individuals were also transported from the affected areas to Villamor Air Base in Pasay City," Mariano said.

The PAF is known to have allocated 30 aircraft to help in the relief and rehabilitation efforts for communities severely hit by the typhoon.

"The PAF has been relentless in providing assistance to our fellow countrymen who were affected by the typhoon, and will continue to perform its mandated mission in the service of the Filipino people," Mariano said.

"Odette", said to be one of the strongest typhoons to hit the country in recent years, made nine landfalls between December 16 and 17 in the provinces of Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Southern Leyte, Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Palawan.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1168447

NTF-ELCAC hopes RTC will ‘proscribe’ CPP-NPA-NDF terror group

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 24, 2022): NTF-ELCAC hopes RTC will ‘proscribe’ CPP-NPA-NDF terror group (By Marita Moaje)

NTF-ELCAC Spokesperson for Social Media Affairs and Sectoral Concerns Undersecretary Lorraine Marie Badoy (File photo)

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) is hoping the Regional Trial Court (RTC) will soon proscribe the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) as a terrorist organization.

This, after the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) issued a resolution on January 26, finding probable cause to designate 16 underground mass organizations of the CPP-NPA-NDF as “terrorist groups of persons, organizations or associations" based on verified and validation information, as well as testimonial and documentary evidence.

“We are one step away from getting the justice we have long raged for. Once the RTC proscribes the CPP NPA NDF as terrorist, their house that is built on deceit and lies by this terrorist organization will crumble —and we will be able to put behind bars those who’ve had the bloody nerve to deny any links to the CPP-NPA-NDF while at the same time are unable to condemn the million and one atrocities they’ve committed against the Filipino people,” NTF-ELCAC Spokesperson for Social Media Affairs and Sectoral Concerns Undersecretary Lorraine Marie Badoy said in a statement on Thursday.

The 16 organizations declared as terrorists include:
* Revolutionary Council of Trade Unions (RCTU);
* Katipunan ng mga Samahang Manggagawa/Federation of Labor Organizations (KASAMA);
* Pambansang Katipunan ng Magbubukid/National Association of Peasants (PKM);
* Malayang Kilusan ng Bagong Kababaihan/Patriotic Movement of New Women (MAKIBAKA);
* Kabataang Makabayan/Patriotic Youth (KM);
* Katipunan ng Gurong Makabayan/Association of Patriotic Teachers (KAGUMA);
* Makabayang Samahang Pangkalusugan/Patriotic Health Association (MASAPA);
* Liga ng Agham Para sa Bayan/League of Scientists for the People (LAB);
* Lupon ng mga Manananggol para sa Bayan/Committee of Lawyers for the People (LUMABAN);
* Artista at Manunulat ng Sambayanan/Artists and Writers for the People (ARMAS);
* Makabayang Kawaning Pilipino/Patriotic Government Employees (MKP);
* Revolutionary Organization of Overseas Filipinos and their Families (COMPATRIOTS);
* Christians for National Liberation (CNL);
* Cordillera People's Democratic Front (CPDF);
* Moro Resistance Liberation Organization (MRLO); and
* Rebolusyonaryong Organisasyong Lumad/Revolutionary Organization of Lumads (ROL)

“Magtulungan tayo. Ipagdasal natin na iproscribe ng RTC ang komunistang teroristang CPP-NPA-NDF na ‘terorista’ (Let’s help each other. Let us pray that the RTC will proscribe the communist terrorist CPP-NPA-NDF as ‘terrorist’,” Badoy said. “At tuloy tuloy nating ipaglaban ang ating mahal na Pilipinas (And let us continue to fight for our beloved Philippines).”

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 NDF has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the ATC on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973.

‘Long time coming’

Badoy said NTF-ELCAC rejoices in the designation of the CPP-NPA-NDF’s 16 underground mass organizations as terrorists.

“This has been a long time coming and brings us closer to a fuller protection of our people and our country and the complete purge from our beloved country of this violent and toxic ideology that has long fallen by the wayside of history precisely because of its inhumanity and irrelevance and that the Filipino people have long clearly rejected,” she said.

Badoy said with the ATC’s move, the country is ending what should have ended a very long time ago.

“We are now fiercest in our defense and we are taking back our country, our children, our indigenous peoples, the poorest among us from these communist terrorist fiends,” Badoy said.

“That chapter in our country’s history is over and we are writing a new one. And it will be filled with our children fulfilling their promise and living long, happy lives in a country free of this communist terrorist scourge,” she added.

She said with the designation of these underground organizations as terrorists, “we have effectively paralyzed their operations by the freezing of their bank accounts. And just as importantly, any membership and recruitment to these organizations are considered crimes.”

For over 50 years, she said the CPP-NPA-NDF committed grave crimes and atrocities that have destroyed many lives.

The CPP NPA-NDF, she said, was able to mask themselves as advocates for noble causes that they used to lure Filipinos into joining and supporting above-ground organizations such as KABATAAN, Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Gabriela, CEGP, IBON, Karapatan, NUPL, NUJP, and many others.

She said these organizations taught the Filipino youth “the deeply wounding language of hate and mistrust towards the government while denying any links to the CPP-NPA-NDF.”

“And once in, an unbearable number of our people have been methodically manipulated down the path of allegiance to these illegal underground organizations in which they are radicalized to believe the lie that the only solution to the ills of society is through the violent overthrow of government,” Badoy said.

“And so this chapter in our country’s history was writ in blood-soaked pages of Filipinos who have died at the hands of fellow Filipinos. A chapter filled with tears of our mothers who have searched the ends of the earth for children they can no longer hold because they now lie in shallow unmarked graves across the land, of our indigenous brothers and sisters being mercilessly massacred and front lining a war they knew nothing about. We are no longer taking it,” she added.

The groups had been identified by the NDF official website, and enumerated these underground organizations as its "member organizations".

The ATC resolution also said CPP founder Jose Maria Sison, in his keynote speech for the NDF's 48th anniversary in April 2021, identified these underground organizations, along with the CPP-NPA, as allied organizations of the NDF.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1168506