Team Leader ng Komunistang Terorista, nagbalik-loob sa South Cotabato

From the Mindanao Daily News (Sep 9, 2023): Team Leader ng Komunistang Terorista, nagbalik-loob sa South Cotabato (Communist Terrorist Team Leader, converted in South Cotabato)

Team Leader ng Komunistang Terorista, nagbalik-loob sa South Cotabato

CAMP SIONGCO, Awang, DOS, Maguindanao del Norte – Isa na namang biktima ng panlilinlang at maling ideolohiya ng mga komunistang terorista ang yumakap ng kapayaan at tuluyang iniwaksi ang armadong pakikibaka.

Makaraang magbalik-loob sa Sitio Traankini, Brgy. Lamlahak, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, agad na dinala ng tropa sa himpilan ng 5th Special Forces Battalion ang isang team leader ng squad uno ng front operational command mula sa patuloy na humihina at papawasak na Far South Mindanao Region.

Ayon kay Lt. Col. Carlyleo Nagac, Commanding Officer ng 5SFBn, sabay din na ibinaba nil alias Mateo ang kanyang kagamitang pandigma na M16A1 rifle.

Aniya, nais nitong malinis ang kanyang pangalan mula sa pagiging myembro ng hanay ng mga komunistang terorista at upang makaiwas na rin siya sa pagtugis ng mga owtoridad at ang nais na makasama ang kanyang pamilya.

Sinabi naman ni Brigadier General Andre Santos, pinuno ng 1st Mechanized Brigade na welcome development ang pagbalik-loob ng mga lider ng mga komunistang terorista para sa patuloy na pagsugpo ng gobyerno sa insurhensiya.

Itinuturing naman ni 6th Infantry (Kampilan) Division at Joint Task Force Central Commander, Major General Alex S. Rillera na isang tunay na katapangan at tagumpay ang ginawang hakbang ni Alyas Mateo. “Ito ang tunay na katapangan, ang pagwawaksi sa nakagisnang pakikibaka na minsan ay inakala at nalinlang na mabuti ang hangarin. Isa din itong tagumpay, sapagkat matapos ang mahabang panahon ay nagising sya sa katotohanang naging biktima sya ng maling paniniwala. At higit sa lahat, ito’y tagumpay sa pagkakamulat na hindi armadong pakikibaka kundi kapayapaan at pagkakaisa ang sagot sa problema ng masang Pilipino”.

“Handa ang ating pamahalaan na magbigay ng serbisyo, kabilang ang tulong-pinansyal at pangkabuhayan, sa mga kapwa nating Filipino na pipiliing iwanan ang armadong pakikibaka at mamuhay ng mapayapa”, mensahe ni Maj. Gen. Rillera.

https://mindanaodailynews.com/team-leader-ng-komunistang-terorista-nagbalik-loob-sa-south-cotabato/

NGCP tower bombed in Mindanao

From the Mindanao Examiner (Sep 9, 2023): NGCP tower bombed in Mindanao

ILIGAN CITY - A member of a police bomb squad was killed in a series of explosions that also toppled a steel pylon in the southern Philippine province of Lanao del Norte.

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) confirmed the bombing of Tower 14 of the Baloi-Aurora 138kV transmission line in the village of Paiton in the town of Kauswagan. It said the attack occurred on Friday and targeted the transmission line. A second explosion from an improvised explosive killed the policeman.

NGCP, which is 40% owned by China, said repair of the damaged tower will commence as soon as the area is secured. “NGCP is coordinating with authorities to secure the area and to identify the perpetrators of the incident,” it said.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the province is a stronghold of various rebel groups.

A toppled NGCP Tower 8 in Lanao del Norte’s Kauswagan town following a bomb attack on October 24, 2022.

In October 24 last year, NGCP’s Tower 8 also in Baloi-Aurora 138kV transmission line was also bombed and affected the entire Zamboanga Peninsula region and the entire Misamis Occidental province and parts of Lanao del Norte province. The attack also killed the suspected bomber.

http://mindanaoexaminernewspaper.blogspot.com/2023/09/ngcp-tower-bombed-in-mindanao.html

Stop senseless fighting

Posted to the Mindanao Examiner (Sep 9, 2023): Stop senseless fighting

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The Philippine government has urged communist rebels anew to end senseless fighting and take advantage of the amnesty program being offered by the Marcos administration.

Marcos, in his second State of the Nation Address, even highlighted the government’s initiatives in providing community development and livelihood assistance in the reintegration process of the rebel returnees to guarantee full decommissioning of combatants.

Director Jose Descallar, of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) also called on communist insurgents still fighting the government to lay down their weapon, seize the opportunity being offered by the government for a new life, and help build a peaceful and progressive society.

He said the 55 years of communist rebellion only brought hardship, misery and death to the people as the rebels fight for an ideology that is irrelevant already.

“Nagsasayang ang ating ekonomiya, maraming magulang, maraming pamilya ang nasira, naantala ang ating pag-unlad. Ang komunismo tinakwil na ho ng mundo. It is a failed social experiment. It did not work in the Soviet bloc, China took the… it’s a failed social experiment wala nang saysay po ang komunismo,” Descallar said.

“Nandito po ang ating pamahalaan. Nandito po ang ating mga mamamayan. Nandito po ang mga pamilyang Pilipino na sana bitawan ninyo na iyong mga armas. Sumama kayo sa pagtatayo ng isang mapayapa, matatag, maginhawang bayang Pilipinas, isang bagong Pilipinas na kung saan tayong lahat nagkakaisa, nagtutulungan para ibangon ang ating bayan,” he added.

Citing available data, the NTF-ELCAC said there are only 20 guerilla fronts in existence after the government successfully dismantled 69 fronts in the past four and a half years.

“Of the 20 guerilla fronts, 19 ang weakened guerilla fronts and only one remain to be dismantled in Northern Samar. So, kapag sinabi nating strategic victory, ito na iyong 19 weakened guerilla fronts and isa na lang na kinukompronta ng AFP,” Descallar said.

The rebels have been fighting for the establishment of a Maoist state and previous peace talks with various administrations had failed miserably after communist leaders insisted on freeing all jailed fighters across the country and sharing government power.

http://mindanaoexaminernewspaper.blogspot.com/2023/09/stop-senseless-fighting.html

Hicks underscores U.S. innovation in unveiling strategy to counter China's military buildup

Posted to the Mindanao Examiner (Sep 9, 2023): Hicks underscores U.S. innovation in unveiling strategy to counter China's military buildup

INGENUITY AND innovation remain at the heart of the U.S. military's strategic advantage as it confronts the pressing challenges in the Indo-Pacific, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said as she unveiled the Defense Department's initiative aimed at directly countering the People's Republic of China's rapid buildup of its armed forces.

Hicks said as China focuses on the sheer mass of its military, the U.S. will "out-match adversaries by out-thinking, out-strategizing and out-maneuvering them."

Under the strategy, coined by Hicks as the replicator initiative, the Defense Department will field thousands of autonomous systems across multiple domains within the next 18 to 24 months.

Hicks revealed the strategy during her remarks at the National Defense Industrial Association's Emerging Technologies for Defense conference in Washington. "Replicator is meant to help us overcome the PRC's biggest advantage, which is mass," she said. "More ships. More missiles. More people."

She said, through the initiative, the U.S. will augment its manufacturing and mobilization capabilities "with our real comparative advantage, which is the innovation and spirit of our people."

Even when mobilizing the U.S. economy and manufacturing base, rarely has the U.S. relied solely on its ability to match adversaries' scale alone, Hicks said.

"To stay ahead, we're going to create a new state of the art — just as America has before — leveraging attritable, autonomous systems in all domains — which are less expensive, put fewer people in the line of fire and can be changed, updated or improved with substantially shorter lead times," she said.

In doing so, Hicks said, the U.S. will counter the PRC's buildup, with "mass of our own," that will be more difficult for adversaries to plan for and beat.

"With smart people, smart concepts and smart technology, our military will be more nimble, with uplift and urgency from the commercial sector," she said.

The Defense Department has long invested in autonomous systems – including self-piloting ships and no-crew aircraft.

Hicks said those systems have proven to be lower cost alternatives to manned platforms and can be produced "closer to the tactical edge."

"So now is the time to take all-domain, attritable autonomy to the next level: to produce and deliver capabilities to warfighters at the volume and velocity required to deter aggression, or win if we're forced to fight," she said.

Attritable capabilities refer to platforms that are unmanned and built affordably, allowing commanders to tolerate a higher degree of risk in employing them.

Under Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, defense leaders have deemed the PRC to be the United States' "pacing challenge."

The 2022 National Defense Strategy underscores the PRC's efforts to expand and modernize "nearly every aspect" of the People's Liberation Army as it aims to offset U.S. military advantages in the Indo-Pacific and, increasingly, around the globe.

Navy Adm. John C. Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, further highlighted the PRC's military buildup during his remarks at Wednesday's conference. "They have focused very clearly on delivering a force capable to take on the United States," Aquilino said.

"We ought to look at the Chinese to understand truly where they are and what they're doing: the largest military buildup since World War II, both in conventional forces and in strategic nuclear [forces]," he said.

Aquilino said while the buildup is concerning, the U.S. focus on competing with the PRC is critical. "The Deputy's words on the delivery of outcomes with speed is encouraging," he said.

Hicks said during her remarks that the replicator initiative is focused not only on production, but on the whole-of-department approach to innovation and the ability to quickly field technology.

"When the time is right, and when we apply enough leadership, energy, urgency and depth of focus, we can get it done," she said. "That's what America does.

"We must ensure the PRC leadership wakes up every day, considers the risks of aggression and concludes, 'today is not the day' — and not just today, but every day, between now and 2027, 2035, 2049 and beyond," Hicks said. (Joseph Clark)

http://mindanaoexaminernewspaper.blogspot.com/2023/09/hicks-underscores-us-innovation-in.html

2 PH ships acquire anti-torpedo system

From the Manila Times (Sep 10, 2023): 2 PH ships acquire anti-torpedo system (By Franco Jose C. Baroña)

TWO Philippine Navy frigates have received much-needed upgrades, considered a milestone in the country's efforts to modernize its defense capabilities amid the escalating tension in the West Philippine Sea, a source privy to the information told The Manila Times on Saturday.

This was confirmed in a statement by the Naval Group, a major French industrial company specializing in naval defense design, development and construction, which said that it had equipped two Jose Rizal-class frigates of the Philippine Navy with its Contralto anti-torpedo reaction module.

The Naval Group said its Contralto anti-torpedo reaction module was successfully installed into the C-Guard decoy launching system of the two frigates on August 31.

The upgrades are part of the contract, the first entered into by the Naval Group with the Department of National Defense (DND) for the Philippine Navy on Dec. 1, 2021.

Under the agreement, Naval Group is to provide an anti-torpedo defense system based on the company's Canto/Contralto countermeasures solution to equip the two Jose Rizal-class frigates.

The setting up and testing of Contralto were performed at Subic Agila Bay in the Philippines in the presence of representatives from the DND, Philippine Navy, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine Ministry of Defense, and industrials responsible for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) systems.

The commissioning of the ASW Module and Contralto anti-torpedo reaction module completes the armament of the two Jose Rizal-class frigates acquired as part of the modernization of the Philippine fleet.

The successful installation of Contralto was carried out after an upgrade of the Combat Management System (CMS) supplied by Hanwha Systems Co. and of the C-Guard decoy launcher systems supplied by Terma.

The next contractual milestone is planned for 2024 with the delivery of Canto anti-torpedo countermeasures and the training of the crews by the Naval Group.
Breakthrough

According to the Naval Group, Canto is the latest countermeasure generation in the defense industry.

It pointed out that this breakthrough in the field of anti-torpedo defense applies a unique concept to defending the frigate.

"It is based on the dilution/confusion concept to defend high-value and mission-essential units by generating a high-level acoustic signal over 360 degrees, covering the full frequency range of the attacking torpedo," the Naval Group said.

It added that this anti-torpedo system is fitted with its associated reaction module, Contralto, "which computes the most appropriate evasive maneuver and deployment sequence once a threat is detected."

The company said Canto and Contralto are worldwide references in service in the French Navy and in many foreign navies.

Submarine force

The Naval Group, which opened its office in Manilla in late 2020, said the company's extensive portfolio opens many opportunities to address the entire range of Philippine naval needs, from the development of the naval forces to the constitution of a world-class submarine force.

The company has extended its assistance to the Philippine government in the creation of its own submarine force to safeguard its maritime sovereignty.

The Naval Group said a submarine force will provide the Philippine Navy with the capability to respond to multiple types of threats.

The company will also organize an extensive transfer of technology and know-how to ensure the management, operation, and maintenance of the submarine force are conducted in the Philippines by Filipinos.

The fleet would be based on the design of the Scorpene, a reliable, fast and discreet conventional submarine adapted to the Philippines' submarine force creation needs.

The Naval Group said it will train the Philippine submarine squadron to ensure they have the know-how to plan and manage missions, organize the sustainment of the submarine force over time, and operate autonomously in the long run.

Two crews, each composed of 31 members, and a reserve team will be trained in France for a duration of four years on French standards, both ashore, on simulators, and onboard submarines.

A submarine force training center will later be installed in the Philippines for further training of the first crew and to train the new ones.

The training center will be equipped with all the essential tools, including training simulators.

Training, on the other hand, will be conducted by Filipino instructors trained in France and supported by the Naval Group.

The Philippine Navy has chosen Agila Subic in Zambales as the location for the submarine base.

'No authority'

Meanwhile, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said in a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday that China has no authority to carry out any law enforcement operations within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

National Security Council (NSC) Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said that it is only the Philippine government that has the sovereign right to law enforcement operations in the area as it is within the country's EEZ.

"The National Task Force-West Philippine Sea wishes to emphasize that China has no authority or power to conduct law enforcement operations in our exclusive economic zone," Malaya said.

He added that it is the power of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) "to assert to the extent, the Armed Forces of the Philippines" as far as law enforcement operations in the West Philippine Sea are concerned.

Malaya's remarks were in response to claims by the China Coast Guard (CCG) that they were conducting law enforcement operations in Ayungin Shoal on Friday when the AFP and the PCG were conducting a rotation and reprovisioning mission in the Philippine waters.

Two supply boats brought food and other replenishment supplies to troops stationed on board the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

While the PCG and the AFP succeeded with their mission, Malaya said that there were still incidents of "harassment, dangerous maneuvers and aggressive conduct by vessels of the China Coast Guard and of the Chinese maritime militia (CMM)" directed at Filipino troops.

Malaya explicitly condemned the actions of the CCG and the CMM, stressing that law enforcement operations within the country's EEZ are well within the sovereign rights and responsibilities of the Philippines.

AFP spokesman Medel Aguilar described the CCG presence in the West Philippine Sea as "misplaced bullying."

"As far as the AFP is concerned, we always refer to existing laws in defining what [our] maritime zone [is] right now," he said.

Credible defense posture

Meanwhile, Aguilar underscored the need to build a credible defense posture for the Philippine military amid the territorial and maritime issues in the WPS.

He said that there were initiatives in the AFP's acquisition of several capabilities from different countries, emphasizing that it has carried out Horizons 1 and 2 under the AFP modernization program. It is now implementing Horizon 3.

"The acquisition of maritime assets, especially that one that will be used by the Philippine Navy, being an archipelagic country, we are talking here of maritime zone law; we are talking of archipelagic [maritime] law," Aguilar said.

"These are very important assets that we have to acquire. First, we have to increase our capability to conduct maritime domain awareness. We have to see what is happening in our environment; that is why we are coming up with the radar systems and other capabilities that will make sure that we have a 360-degree capability to know what is happening," he added.

Aside from that, the AFP official said that the acquisition of naval assets such as submarines must be a top priority for the Philippine military.

"I'm sure everyone will agree that having a submarine is advantageous to any country, but huwag naman sana ninyong isipin na warmongering tayo," Aguilar said.

"We are just developing our capability because we just want to protect what is ours, what will benefit the Filipino people because that is our mandate," he added.

The government has been pursuing military modernization efforts to attain a minimum credible defense posture in the midst of increased tension in the Indo-Pacific region.

A minimum credible defense posture means attaining a particular degree of military capability or enough defense capacity to make any aggressor think twice before engaging in hostile action.

Aguilar also mentioned the new security policy being implemented in AFP facilities, particularly on the use of cellular phones and other electronic devices.

"We initiated precautionary measures so that we can be insulated from any conduct of espionage if there is anyone using these applications. But as far as its usage on [an] individual by our personnel, there is a policy already on the use of social media platforms," he said.

This is to ensure the security of the organization and its personnel and to maintain the credibility and good image of the Armed Forces, he added. (WITH A REPORT FROM CATHERINE S. VALENTE)

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/09/10/news/2-ph-ships-acquire-anti-torpedo-system/1909364

Army thwarts NPA landmine attack in Iloilo

From the Manila Bulletin (Sep 9, 2023): Army thwarts NPA landmine attack in Iloilo (By TARA YAP)

ILOILO CITY – The Philippine Army foiled a landmine attack by the New People’s Army (NPA) in Tubungan town, Iloilo province.

The 61st Infantry Battalion (IB) recovered a landmine and electrical wire following a clash with communist rebels on Thursday, September 7.

Troops from the 61st IB troops were in the boundary of Barangays Bato and Cadabdab when they engaged five NPA rebels from the Sibat Platoon of the NPA Southern Front Committee in Panay Island.

Lt. Col. Arturo Balgos Jr., 61st IB commander, said troops were acting on information from concerned residents when they engaged in a firefight with the NPA who withdrew in different directions.

Balgos said there may be wounded NPA rebels based on blood trails in the area.

The 61st IB is reiterating its appeal to families of NPA rebels and called on the fleeing guerrillas to voluntarily surrender and return to the fold of the law.

https://mb.com.ph/2023/9/9/army-thwarts-npa-landmine-attack-in-iloilo

NPA leader surrenders in South Cotabato

From the Manila Times (Sep 10, 2023): NPA leader surrenders in South Cotabato (By Franz R. Sumangil)

A LEADER of the communist New People's Army (NPA) operating in South Cotabato province has decided to abandon the rebel movement and surrender to the military, authorities announced Friday.

Lt. Col. Carlyleo Nagac, the Philippine Army's 5th Special Forces Battalion commander, identified the NPA leader only as "Mateo," 35, who turned over a.38-caliber revolver and an M16 rifle when he showed up at a military detachment in Lamlahak, Lake Sebu town, South Cotabato, on Thursday.

"Mateo is a squad leader of the NPA operational command, Far South Mindanao Region movement," Nagac said.

Mateo told military authorities that he decided to come down after being with the movement for seven years and reunite with his family after realizing his group's armed struggle was going nowhere.

Nagac presented Mateo to Brig. Gen. Andre Santos, the Army's 1st Mechanized Brigade commander, who said the rebel leader's surrender was an indication of a weakening communist movement.

Maj. Gen. Alex Rillera, 6ID commander, lauded Mateo for choosing the path to peace.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/09/10/regions/npa-leader-surrenders-in-south-cotabato/1909328

Bohol remains peaceful despite recent armed encounter: gov

From Politiko Visayas (Sep 10, 2023): Bohol remains peaceful despite recent armed encounter: gov



Bohol Governor Erico Aris Aumentado said the armed encounter killing six suspected members of the New People’s Army in Bilar town on September 7 was an isolated case.

The provincial government had the situation under control, said Aumentado.

He also assured Bol-anons that the province remained a peaceful place to stay. (https://tinyurl.com/26hd3vr4)

The governor also urged the communist rebels to put down their arms and support the government’s peace initiatives.

“As always, I appeal that they (rebels) will choose the peaceful way of life by returning to the fold of our government,” Aumentado said in a September 8, 2023 statement.

https://visayas.politics.com.ph/bohol-remains-peaceful-despite-recent-armed-encounter-gov/

Power relay tower toppled down with IEDs

From the Philippine Star (Sep 10, 2023): Power relay tower toppled down with IEDs (By John Unson)

The bombed-out power relay tower in Paiton, Kauswagan.  Philstar.com / John Unson

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Suspected members of the Dawlah Islamiya toppled down a steel power relay tower in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte before dawn Friday, causing power outage in a number of towns in the province.

In a report on Saturday to the Lanao del Norte Provincial Police Office, Major Mark Capitle of the Kauswagan Municipal Police Station, said residents of Barangay Paiton first heard two explosions preceding the total loss of electricity in their houses.

There are text messages spreading around stating that villagers had found a lifeless body of a man with blast wounds near the damaged tower, possibly the bomber accidentally killed in the explosion. There was no mention of it in Capitle’s initial report to the Lanao del Norte PPO, however.

The Dawlah Islamiya, operating in the fashion of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is blamed for all the bombings in recent months of power relay pylons and other facilities of the National Grid Corporation in the provinces of Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur and Cotabato.

The Dawlah Islamiya and its ally, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, both have a reputation for bombing buses and commercial establishments if owners refuse to pay “protection money” on a monthly basis.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/09/09/2295085/power-relay-tower-toppled-down-ieds

Lanao Norte NGCP tower bombed

From the Philippine Star (Sep 10, 2023): Lanao Norte NGCP tower bombed (By Emmanuel Tupas)

The bombed-out power relay tower in Paiton, Kauswagan. Philstar.com / John Unson

Cop killed during clearing ops

MANILA, Philippines — A bomb attack toppled a transmission tower of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte at around midnight yesterday.

The explosion hit the NGCP’s Tower No. 14 of the Baloi-Aurora 138-kiloVolt line in Purok 3 in Barangay Paiton, Brig. Gen. Anthon Abrina, 2nd Mechanized Brigade commander, reported.

Chief M/Sgt. Roseller Hangka died when another improvised explosive device (IED) went off during clearing operations.

Hangka was a member of the explosive and ordnance disposal team of the Lanao del Norte police. He led a team of bomb experts who responded to reports of the explosion.

The policeman was taken to a hospital where he died.

Maj. Joann Navarro, Northern Mindanao police spokesperson, said the IED could have been set up as a booby trap by the perpetrators of the bomb attack.

“Our prayers and condolences to the bereaved family,” Brig. Gen. Lawrence Coop, Northern Mindanao police director, said in a statement.

There were reports that members of the Dawlah Islamiya were behind the attack.

The NGCP said there was no manual load dropping or power interruption due to incident. Repair of the transmission line would start as soon as the area is secured, it said.

The power company said it is coordinating with authorities to identify the perpetrators and secure the area.

The NGCP has been calling on the public to report suspicious activities within its transmission corridor to avoid disruption of power. — Roel Pareño, John Unson

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/09/10/2295243/lanao-norte-ngcp-tower-bombed

CPP/Ang Bayan: Sara Duterte’s excesses and anomalies denounced

Propaganda article from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC) Website (Sep 7, 2023): Sara Duterte’s excesses and anomalies denounced

 

This article is available in Pilipino

September 07, 2023

Aplethora of issues of excesses and anomalies were uncovered in a Commission on Audit (COA) report questioning irregular 2022 transactions of Sara Duterte’s office.

Foremost among these is her spending of ₱125 million confidential funds for which there was no item in the 2022 budget. It was discovered that this fund was consumed only within 19 days.

In the Congress deliberations for the 2024 national budget, patriotic congressmen requested the COA to scrutinize this and to ask Duterte for details where the funds came from and how they were spent. The unauthorized and clearly illegal transfer of funds to the vice president’s office was also censured in the Senate.

The same report also revealed Duterte’s hiring of a battalion-sized or 433-strong security personnel. This comprises 63% of her staff. She also spent ₱688,000 in her haste to transform offices and buildings which served as her campaign headquarters into vice president “satellite offices”.

[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://philippinerevolution.nu/2023/09/07/sara-dutertes-excesses-and-anomalies-denounced/

CPP/Ang Bayan: 2nd IB massacres 3 women in Masbate

Propaganda article from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC) Website (Sep 7, 2023): 2nd IB massacres 3 women in Masbate

 

This article is available in Pilipino



ANG BAYAN, ARTICLES


September 07, 2023

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) unleashed brazen fascist terrorism in Masbate after it killed three civilians, and attempted to kill three others in August. There are now 18 victims of political killings in the province under the Marcos Jr regime.

The soldiers falsely claimed that the victims were New People’s Army (NPA) members killed in an encounter.

On August 19, soldiers of the 96th IB and Masbate policemen summarily killed three women in Barangay Jagnaan in San Jacinto, Ticao island. The victims are Jelyn Guis Dejomo, 56, Sheryl Salazar Dejomo, 29, and Divina Lubiano Ajitan, 60. They were killed after an armed clash between the NPA and the military in the same area.

The military and police have long persecuted the three civilian victims accusing them of having ties with the revolutionary movement. They had suffered harassments and one was previously arrested by police on trumped-up charges.

The massacre is a war crime and a gross violation of the international humanitarian law by state forces. Human rights groups assert that the victims’ rights as civilians should have been respected amid the ongoing armed conflict.

Meanwhile, 2nd IB forces attempted to massacre three individuals in a house at Sitio Milagro, Barangay Guindawhan, Pio V. Corpus, Masbate on August 30. The victims were first reported to have been killed by soldiers’ indiscriminate firing but were later confirmed to have escaped from the fascists’ brutal crime. Unsatisfied, the fascists ransacked the said house and took away rice.

Killing hors de combat. State forces abducted and summarily executed two hors de combat fighters Jenny Fariolan (Ka Hope) and John Eric Talibo (Ka Blue) on July 29. The 61st IB claimed that the two were killed in a clash in Barangay Tagsing, Leon, Iloilo. In truth, there was no encounter and the two were unarmed when they were accosted and killed.

Abduction. Jhed Tamano, 22, and Jonila Castro, 21, were abducted by suspected state forces on the evening of September 2. Eyewitnesses said the two were forced into a gray vehicle in front of the Orion Water District in Barangay Lati, Orion, Bataan. Tamano is a coordinator of the Community and Church Program for Manila Bay of the Ecumenical Bishops Forum while Castro is a volunteer for AKAP Ka Manila Bay. They are both graduates of Bulacan State University.

Arrest. Farmers’ organizer Ernesto Baez Jr and two of his companions, Jose Escobio, and Junald Jabonero, were arrested and detained by police on August 24 in San Juan, Batangas. The police abducted them while traveling along Barangay Buhay na Sapa and were planted with guns, ammunition and magazines, and explosive devices as evidence.

Escobio and Jabonero were released on September 3 after the prosecution issued a resolution requiring a preliminary investigation. Meanwhile, Baez Jr needs to post bail to be released from the case of illegal possession of firearms.

On August 4, soldiers arbitrarily arrested farmer Alex Betito of Sitio Malapat, Barangay Baay in Labo, Camarines Norte. The soldiers detained him for several hours and subjected him to torture. It was also reported earlier that the soldiers detained and starved 10 other farmers in the same area.

Harassment. The Quezon City police charged Max Santiago and three other staffers of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan for violating the Clean Air Act. They allegedly violated the said law after burning the effigy they made during a protest on the second state of the nation address (SONA) of Marcos Jr.

Meanwhile, 14 Southern Tagalog activists were charged with violating the Public Assembly Act of 1985 for participating in protests during the SONA.

[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://philippinerevolution.nu/2023/09/07/2nd-ib-massacres-3-women-in-masbate/

CPP/Ang Bayan: Whither the NTF-Elcac’s funds for barangay development?

Propaganda article from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC) Website (Sep 7, 2023): Whither the NTF-Elcac’s funds for barangay development?

 

This article is available in Pilipino

September 07, 2023

Since being initiated by National Task Force (NTF)-Elcac in 2021, the bogus Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP) has received a massive ₱28.4 billion fund. Like the “surrender” campaign, “balik-aral” (return-to-school) and other counter-insurgency programs, this has lined the pockets of military officers and bureaucrats, through kickbacks in infrastructure projects in farflung sitios and barangays.

In three years, NTF-Elcac claims funding 3,187 barangay projects. This supposedly includes construction of roads, schools, irrigation and health centers, and sanitation and reforestation programs.

The program purportedly aims to improve people’s lives to make them reject the path of armed struggle. In fact, none of these projects respond to the roots of widespread poverty, hunger, oppression and exploitation.

These NTF-Elcac projects also demonstrate how the delivery of government “services” and “development,” especially in the countryside, has become militarized.
Slow projects, quick kickbacks

Apart from providing no meaningful changes, implementation of the handful of SBDP projects are snail-paced. The NTF-Elcac has yet to produce a 2023 status report of SBDP projects.

For 2022, the SBDP received ₱5.6244 billion. From the agency’s own report on August 29, only 52% of the 1,719 planned projects were completed in 2022. Half of these were farm-to-market roads which paved the way for plantations, mines, ecotourism and other big businesses.

In 2021, only 26 or 1% of 2,318 SBDP projects were completed, according to a November 2021 report to the senate. In that period, more than 900 were in the pre-procurement stage, 700 were already in the procurement stage, while 560 were in the implementation stages. At present, NFT-Elcac claims 87% of the projects were completed after more than two years.

“Infrastructure” projects are among the most widespread sources of kickbacks by government bureaucrats. The SBDP was started to give generals their milking cows to ensure their loyalty to the ruling clique.

In the past three years, Davao region military officers and complicit contractors were the biggest profiteers. The region got the lion’s share of ₱5.22 billion, followed by Caraga (₱4.53 billion), Bicol region (₱3.82 billion) and Northern Mindanao (₱3.21 billion). Among provinces and cities, Bukidnon received the highest funds of ₱1.77 billion, followed by Davao de Oro (₱1.75 billion), Davao City (₱1.66 billion), Agusan del Sur (₱1.28 billion), Sorsogon (₱1.3 billion) and Iloilo (₱1.19 billion).
SBDP in Cagayan Valley

Among the regions, Cagayan Valley received the third lowest. The 5th ID got only ₱560.3 million SBDP funds in 2021-2023. The largest portion went to Cagayan—₱304.3 million for 41 barangays. Funding for Isabela, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya started only in 2022.

In the region’s 105 barangays covered by the program, only 20 barangays have ongoing projects. One is the over-priced palay solar dryer and farm shed in Barangay Anurturu in Rizal town, Cagayan and barangays Apayao and Villa Reyno in Piat town. Meanwhile, none of the claimed rural farm-to-market road projects are new, but are merely rehabilitation and upgrades. Among these is the still incomplete ₱15 million road in Barangay Minanga, Rizal, inaugurated in April 2021.

The AFP grandiosely claims that barangays under SBDP have been “cleared” through the Retooled Community Support Progran (RCSP). However, of the 41 endorsed Cagayan barangays, only 37 were covered by RCSP. This indicates the selection of recipients is arbitrary, fabricated and vacuous. Favored are towns controlled by despotic landlords and outright counter-revolutionary bureaucrats and dynasties (Piat, Santo Niño, Tuao, Rizal) and those near military and police headquarters (Barangay Bangag in Lallo, Barangay Casambalangan in Santa Ana, Barangays Virgina and Balanni in Santo Nino, and Barangay Santo Domingo in Piat). The RTF-Elcac chief meanwhile was rewarded for being a minion and lapdog of the 5th ID when his turf, Tuao town in Cagayan, got ₱26.4 million.

Funds for 2024

In the 2024 proposed budget, the US-Marcos regime plans to allot ₱10.34 billion for NTF-Elcac. This includes ₱8.64 billion for the SBDP which supposedly will go to 864 unnamed barangays. Progressive groups and the Makabayan bloc questioned the anomalous NTF-Elcac budget. The bloc is also pushing for the auditing of NTF-Elcac funds to scrutinize expenditure of billions of public funds.

[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://philippinerevolution.nu/2023/09/07/whither-the-ntf-elcacs-funds-for-barangay-development/

CPP/Ang Bayan: More than a decade of MBLT-4 atrocities in Palawan

Propaganda article from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC) Website (Sep 7, 2023): More than a decade of MBLT-4 atrocities in Palawan

This article is available in Pilipino

September 07, 2023

For 11 years and six months, the Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT)-4 unleashed terrorism against the people of Palawan. The unit was praised for its supposed key role in “ending” the New People’s Army (NPA) in the province and maintaining “peace.” In truth, the real mark left by the MBLT-4 in the province is its long record of human rights violations.
War of suppression

The MBLT-4 is the primary implementor of the brutal and intense war against the people and revolutionary movement in the province. The unit is responsible for numerous human rights violations including hamletting, intimidation, threat and harassment, food blockade, illegal search, mass forced surrenders and others. The indigenous Palaw’an, Batak and Tagbanua minorities were not spared from their atrocities.

Among this unit’s rights abuses was forcing then 17-year-old indigenous Palaw’an Merkel Mansuna of Barangay Aribungos, Brooke’s Point to serve as guide in a combat operation in June 2020. Before the said incident, soldiers raided five houses in Sitio Bayog of the said barangay. More than 10 families evacuated to avoid military interrogation and threats.

During that time, soldiers mauled a farmer in Barangay Cacawitan in Quezon town. In Barangay Iraan, Rizal, a 17-year-old indigenous Palaw’an named Dipdip was forcibly armed and coerced to join combat operations.

The MBLT-4 is also involved in a rape case of an underage indigenous female in Barangay Mainit in Brooke’s Point. Involved are long encamped soldiers who residents have petitioned to be evicted from their communities.

Residents have also been prohibited from gathering firewood or timber, whereas soldiers themselves where illegally cutting trees for their camp construction. The MBLT-4 constructed three detachments to protect mining operations in the province.

Military troops of the MBLT-4 are also traitors to national sovereignty for holding military exercises together with the American troops in Palawan like the Marine Exercise (MAREX) 2022.
Terminator of revolutionary movement in Palawan?

On September 1, the US-Marcos II regime hyped that Palawan “insurgency-free.” It was ludicrous how the MBLT-4 was recognized as they key unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) which supposedly ended the revolutionary movement in the province.

According to the NPA-Palawan, it is utterly moronic and stupid for Marcos to presume that they could end the revolution and the people’s determination to fight all forms of oppression and exploitation. It adds, “no matter how difficult and cruel [the conditions], the NPA-Palawan is determined to advance the people’s war on the island and contribute to efforts to reinvigorate and intensify guerilla warfare nationwide.”

The real motive of Marcos and his minions is to claim counter-revolutionary victories to make the province attractive to foreign investment and imperialist plunder. At present, contracts and foreign investments in energy, ecotourism and mining in Palawan are in the pipeline.

Apart from this, amid tensions on the West Philippine Sea, the regime desperately wishes to show its US imperialist master the readiness of the puppet army to serve as cannon fodder in the event of an imperialist war with China.
Who is the MBLT-4?

The MBLT-4 was stationed in Palawan from November 17, 2011 to July 17 this year, before they were returned to Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City for retraining. MBLT-4 is currently headed by Lt. Col. Glen Lorrito who was appointed on July 2021.

MBLT-4 was last stationed in Camp Daypo in Barangay Abo-Abo, Sofronio Española in Palawan. Upon its arrival in Palawan in 2011, it first operated in the towns of northern Palawan and eventually transferred to the southern part of the province in 2017. In the south, its combat operations covered the towns of Bataraza, Rizal, Brooke’s Point and Quezon.

MBLT-4 was formerly under the operational control of the 3rd Marine Brigade of the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC). It operates together with the MBLT-3 on the island. MBLT-4 replaced the MBLT-7 which was used in the bombing of Marawi, in Sulu and Tawi-tawi. MBLT-9, which also came from Tawi-tawi, was also augmented to Palawan.

[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://philippinerevolution.nu/2023/09/07/more-than-a-decade-of-mblt-4-atrocities-in-palawan/

CPP/Ang Bayan: Groups mark International Day of the Disappeared

Propaganda article from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC) Website (Sep 7, 2023): Groups mark International Day of the Disappeared

This article is available in Pilipino

September 07, 2023

Families and friends of victims of enforced disappearances together commemorated last August 30 the International Day of the Disappeared. They demanded the immediate surfacing of and justice for their loved ones and friends who were abducted and disappeared by state agents.

In Manila, human rights groups led by Desaparecidos picketed the Court of Appeals to support the families of Dexter Capuyan and Gene Roz Jamil “Bazoo” de Jesus who filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus in the said court last July 5.

According to Karapatan data, more than 1,000 individuals were disappeared under the Marcos Sr dictatorship, while 821 victims were recorded under the Cory Aquino regime, 26 under the Estrada regime, 206 during Rodrigo Duterte and ten during the first 14 months of the current regime of Marcos Jr.

Meanwhile, human rights groups lighted candles at the monument of Fr. Rudy Romano at the Redemptorist Church in Cebu City. Fr. Romano was abducted by suspected armed agents of the Marcos dictatorship on July 11, 1985, and has never been seen since.

[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://philippinerevolution.nu/2023/09/07/groups-mark-international-day-of-the-disappeared/

CPP/Ang Bayan: International supporters mount solidarity action for Philippine revolution

Propaganda article from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC) Website (Sep 7, 2023): International supporters mount solidarity action for Philippine revolution

 

This article is available in Pilipino

September 07, 2023

Protests and activities were held in Europe, Canada and the US on August 26 in support of the Philippine struggle for national liberation. The Global Day of Action was led by the Friends of the Filipino People in Struggle (FFPS), an international group supporting the Philippine national-democratic movement.

Activities were held in Utrecht, The Netherlands, Vancouver and Toronto in Canada, seven cities in Germany including Memmingen, Leipzig, Regensburg, Rostock and Ulm, Basel in Switzerland, Madrid and Valencia in Spain, and Oregon and Washington in the US.

In the Netherlands activity, the Revolutionaire Eenheid, one of the local FFPS member organizations, defended the Philippine revolutionary movement from “terrorist” labeling by the Philippine reactionary state and the US. According to them, it is not terrorism for Filipino people to fight against national oppression and foreign imperialist domination.

FFPS emphasized the urgent need for struggling peoples worldwide to support the Philippine revolution in all its forms, especially the armed struggle.

Other groups staged lightning rallies, fora, leaflet distribution and information campaign, hanging streamers, poster campaign, and gatherings to promote the Philippine national liberation movement.

The August 26 FFPS action coincided with the commemoration of the Sigaw ng Pugad Lawin, which signaled the start of the Philippine Revolution against Spanish occupation in 1896.

[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://philippinerevolution.nu/2023/09/07/international-supporters-mount-solidarity-action-for-philippine-revolution/

CPP/Ang Bayan: NPA mounts 4 counter-FMO offensives in Sultan Kudarat

Propaganda article from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC) Website (Sep 7, 2023): NPA mounts 4 counter-FMO offensives in Sultan Kudarat

 

This article is available in Pilipino

September 07, 2023

At least 22 soldiers of the 37th IB were killed in a series of offensives mounted by the New People’s Army (NPA) in its counter-campaign against the 6th ID’s focused military operations (FMO) in Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat. The division-strong operation has been running for more than two months since it began on June 15. In addition to the 37th IB, the operations also involve units of the 57th IB, 7th IB and troops of the Special Forces Battalion.

At least 18 soldiers were injured in these tactical offensives mounted between June 17 and July 26.

On June 17, the NPA-Sultan Kudarat fired at a column of the 37th IB at Sitio 30, Barangay Hinalaan. The following day, Red fighters fired at another unit of the 37th IB in the mountainous part of the same barangay. Five soldiers were killed in total while eight were wounded in the successive offensives.

The NPA ambushed an operating unit of the 37th IB in Barangay Datu Wasay on June 19. The attack by the Red fighters only lasted 15 minutes but due to fear and panic, the soldiers indiscriminately fired their weapons for two hours. Based on reports gathered, at least seven soldiers were killed and 10 were wounded.

On July 9, Red fighters conducted harassment operations against three columns of soldiers operating at Sityo Sorong, Barangay Hinalaan. Terrified, soldiers fired indiscrminately for three hours. The AFP also fired at least 17 artillery shells.

Residents estimate at least 10 soldiers were killed in this NPA operation. Bodies of dead soldiers were brought to the barangay center where operating troops of the 37th IB were stationed. Reports also indicate that the unit covered up a misencounter between their units during the height of the firefight causing the death of their own troops.

To control information and sow terror, three communities were hamletted by soldiers where residents were forbidden to move about. This gravely affected the livelihood of farmers in the area.

Meanwhile, the NPA thwarted an attempted raid by soldiers in Barangay Batang-Baglas, Palimbang on June 26. The Red fighters were able to maneuver and inflict damage on the attacking enemy. At least seven soldiers were killed and 10 were wounded. Meanwhile, eight NPA fighters sustained minor injuries in the incident.

[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://philippinerevolution.nu/2023/09/07/npa-mounts-4-counter-fmo-offensives-in-sultan-kudarat/

Soldier awardees exemplify AFP professionalism, competence

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 8, 2023): Soldier awardees exemplify AFP professionalism, competence (By Priam Nepomuceno)

AWARDEES. The 2023 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipino Soldiers (MFOFAS) awardees (from left) Staff Sgt. Danilo S. Banquiao, Lt. Col. Joseph J. Bitancur, and Col. Joseph Jeremias Cirilo C. Dator during the presentation ceremony conducted on Sept. 7 at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. The AFP said these awardees exemplify the professionalism and competence of its personnel. (Photo courtesy of the AFP)

MANILA – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday said the three awardees of the 2023 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipino Soldiers (MFOFAS) exemplify the professionalism and competence of its personnel.

This year's MFOPAS awardees were Staff Sgt. Danilo S. Banquiao from the 103rd Infantry Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Philippine Army (PA); Lt. Col. Joseph J. Bitancur, assistant commandant, Basic Military School, Air Education, Training and Doctrine Command, Philippine Air Force (PAF); and Col. Joseph Jeremias Cirilo C. Dator, assistant chief of staff for operations, Presidential Security Group.

The three were formally presented by Metrobank Foundation executive vice president, Philip Francisco Dy, in short ceremony held at AFP headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Sept. 7.

Banquiao, who was earlier called Lanao Del Sur’s Peace and Youth Empowerment Sentinel, was cited for his efforts that advocates peace and development in the province; while Bitancur, who was named PAF’s Model Mentor on Military Training, was recognized for ensuring the highest standards in training of military trainees; and Dator, who was called PA's Innovator of Military Intelligence, was feted for his innovative leadership practices in intelligence operations.

“Your stellar accomplishments in your particular domains of expertise and stations indicate your competence, zeal for duty, and fidelity in providing genuine service to the country. You shall be a source of inspiration and role models for our fellow troops and the rest of the Filipino people in striving for excellence in everything that you do,” the AFP chief said in his message delivered by AFP deputy chief of staff Lt. Gen. Charlton Sean M. Gaerlan.

Meanwhile, Dy assured the AFP that the Metrobank Group, Metrobank Foundation, and the Rotary Club of Makati Metro remain their allies as the military goes with its mission of winning the hearts and minds of the Filipinos.

“This celebration is not just about recognizing individual accomplishments but a testament to the power of collaboration, dedication, and collective efforts. I stand here not only as a proud awardee but as a witness as well to the incredible potential within each one of us to effect positive change,” Dator said in his response on behalf of the soldier awardees.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1209495

PCG: Active role of ‘Chinese militia’ in Ayungin confirmed

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 9, 2023): PCG: Active role of ‘Chinese militia’ in Ayungin confirmed (By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora)

FORUM. University of Santo Tomas Political Science Department professor Dr. Froilan Calilung, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar, National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya, and Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela (from left) speak to the media at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City on Sept. 9, 2023. The officials said the latest supply mission to the Ayungin Shoal confirmed the active role of Chinese militia in harassing Philippine vessels. (PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler)

MANILA – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said the latest Philippine mission to Ayungin Shoal confirmed the active participation of “Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels” in blocking resupply ships en route to the BRP Sierra Madre.

At the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said the ships’ participation were notably “covert” in previous operations.

“But for this particular resupply mission, it has been very clear that the Chinese maritime militia are performing active role to block the resupply mission,” he said.

The government successfully completed a routine rotation and resupply mission on Friday despite the “blocking, harassment, and dangerous maneuvers” of Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and CCM vessels in the area.

Tarriela identified the four CMM vessels as Qiong Sansha Yu 00231, 00115, 00114 and 00008, accompanying four other CCG ships.

National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya, in the same forum, labeled the acts as China’s gray zone tactics, a term often used by security experts to describe activities that are below the threshold of what constitutes aggression to prevent the country from using self-defense.



(Photo courtesy of Commodore Tarriela)

The Philippine government had protested in the past the presence of Chinese vessels near other Philippine features in the West Philippine Sea, including the Julian Felipe Reef -- all of them are within the 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the country.

China also previously admitted that Chinese vessels have been fishing in the waters but denied that militias were aboard the ship.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), foreign countries are allowed to conduct freedom of navigation and overflight operations within the EEZ, but only the Philippines has the exclusive right to exploit all natural resources and conduct law enforcement activities in the area.

While the encroachment was clear, Tarriela pointed out that it is still difficult for Manila to carry out law enforcement against the maritime militia vessels.

“It’s very difficult for us to categorize the Chinese fishing vessels. Are they just Chinese fishing vessels that are subject to fishery law enforcement or these are Chinese maritime militia which is part of a military establishment that can enjoy sovereign immunity,” he explained.

The issue, he said, would also boil down to the PCG’s capability to chase away these ships that often come in swarms.

“Most of the time, the size of these Chinese fishing vessels/Chinese maritime militia has an overall length of at least 60 meters and we’re talking about by 10s, 20s, 30s and we have a 44-meter coast guard vessel,” he explained.

“The only thing we can do is to challenge them using the radio, telling them to depart, and of course patrolling those areas and reporting that to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS),” he added.

Malaya said it is critical for Manila to strengthen partnership with like-minded countries and show China that “we have this network of alliances that support our position in the West Philippine Sea”.

“We are the rightful possessor already of the West Philippine Sea. Iyan ay atin (that is ours) because it is within our exclusive economic zone," he said.

“We may not have sovereignty over it but we have the right to exploit the natural resources. We allow freedom of navigation according to international law ngunit ang puwede lang makinabang sa EEZ ay ang Pilipinas (but the only one allowed to benefit from that EEZ is the Philippines),” he added.

The spokesperson of the CCG on Friday said it will continue its “law enforcement activities” in the Spratlys, including the waters off Ayungin while insisting on China’s “indisputable sovereignty” over the area.

AFP Spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said the “indisputable claim” over the area is in itself disputable.

“And there are many evidence to prove that: One, the UNCLOS itself; number two, the arbitral ruling; number three, the statement of other states,” he said.

“There is no indisputable claim. The China Coast Guard is a misplaced bully at the West Philippine Sea,” he added.

The NTF-WPS said it will “continue to work tirelessly to protect the Philippines rights and interests in the West Philippine Sea” while strengthening relationships with international partners to maintain stability in the region.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1209568

Chinese boat stuck in Ayungin rejects PH help

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 9, 2023): Chinese boat stuck in Ayungin rejects PH help (By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora)

HARASSMENT. Philippine Coast Guard handout photo shows BRP Cabra (center) surrounded by Chinese Coast Guard and Chinese maritime militia vessels while on its way to a resupply mission at Ayungin Shoal on Friday (Sept. 8, 2023). PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said the latest military resupply mission was successfully completed despite challenging circumstances brought about by the illegal presence and activities of the Chinese in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. (PCG)

MANILA – Filipino troops stationed at the rusting BRP Sierra Madre recently offered help to a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) boat in distress but the latter rejected and even blamed the Philippine side as the reason it got stuck, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Saturday.

The incident happened as the CCG’s rigid-hull inflatable boat was tailing a Philippine vessel that was en route to resupply Sierra Madre at the Ayungin Shoal after a tense cat-and-mouse sea chase with bigger CCG and Chinese maritime militia (CMM) ships on Friday.

The Chinese rubber boat got entangled with the mooring line of a Filipino fishing boat that was around 50 yards away from the BRP Sierra Madre, AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar narrated during the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

“Our troops stationed at BRP Sierra Madre offered their assistance, actually, two rubber boats. They proceeded to the area to help the RHIB of China. Of course, China refused because they don’t want Filipinos to be helping them,” he said.

The Chinese rubber boat was eventually rescued by another boat deployed by CCG vessel 21616, one of the four CCG vessels that "harassed" and attempted to block the Filipino boats and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) while on their way to Ayungin.

“Now, what is quite amusing is that they still have the guts to challenge our troops through radio message. They said that Philippine Coast Guard, because of your maneuvers, of your blocking maneuvers, the China Coast Guard RHIB 21616 got entangled,” Aguilar shared.

“This is one narrative probably that they will again raise or tell their people about abuses that we are committing,” he added.

PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Commodore Jay Tarriela, earlier said the latest AFP resupply mission was successfully completed despite “challenging circumstances brought about by the illegal presence and activities of the CCG and CMM in our exclusive economic zone.”

During the mission, Tarriela said at least four CCG vessels (CCG 21616, 21551, 21556 and 5305) and the four CMM vessels (Qiong Sansha Yu 00231, 00115, 00114 and 00008) harassed and conducted “dangerous maneuvers” while the Philippine ships were passing through.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1209571

Dependents of former rebels showered with gifts by Army, DILG

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 9, 2023): Dependents of former rebels showered with gifts by Army, DILG

GIVING JOY. A total of 80 children and dependents of former rebels, from toddlers to teenagers, receive food packs and other gifts from the 23rd Infantry Battalion, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the provincial government of Agusan del Norte in Barangay Alubihid, Buenavista town on Friday (Sept. 8, 2023). The activity is part of the children’s social healing and reconciliation process after they were abandoned by their parents when they joined the communist movement. (Photo courtesy of 23IB)

BUTUAN CITY – Former rebel (FR) “Abel” has no remorse for leaving the communist movement and going back to mainstream society early last year.

Along with his children, aged 5 years and 8 years, they attended a gift-giving event on Friday for 80 children and dependents of former rebels of the New People’s Army - Communist Party of the Philippines.

The activity, held at the Army’s 23 Infantry Battalion (23IB) headquarters in Barangay Alubihid, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte, was spearheaded by the 23IB, the provincial office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the provincial government.

“The government is true to its promise to help us renew our lives as we return to our communities and live peacefully with our families,” Abel said in a phone interview on Saturday.

The children received food packs, clothing, hygiene kits, and other essentials for daily use, according to 2Lt. Andy Ledesma, chief of the 23IB Civil-Military Operations.

“The gift-giving was a way of providing support and assistance to the children who were once affected by armed conflicts and also once abandoned when their parents were active inside the Communist Terrorist Groups in the area,” Ledesma said in another phone interview.

“The gifts were properly selected and packaged to ensure that they cater to the specific needs and preferences of the children from toddlers to teenagers.”

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Balingao, 23IB commander, said the distribution of the FRs’ benefits under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program is ongoing.

“The interventions of the national agencies and the local governments really matter as we work hand-in-hand in preparing our FRs in reintegration to their communities and families,” Balingao said in an interview. (Alexander Lopez/PNA)


https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1209554

CPP/Ang Bayan: NPA-Quezon seizes 5 M16s

Propaganda article from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC) Website (Sep 7, 2023): NPA-Quezon seizes 5 M16s

This article is available in Pilipino

September 07, 2023

The New People’s Army (NPA)-Quezon (Apolonio Mendoza Command) seized five M16 rifles, ammunition and other military equipment from the ambush mounted against troops of the 85th IB and a CAFGU unit at Sitio Pag-asa, Barangay Mapulot, Tagkawayan, Quezon last September 1. Five soldiers were killed while four were confirmed wounded.

The soldiers were set to conduct patrols around their camp when Red fighters ambushed them. The ambush happened 500 meters away from their detachment.

The NPA-Quezon reported that fighters used a command-detonated explosive (CDX) which they aimed and exploded against the soldiers. This runs contrary to claims by soldiers and police that the bomb exploded when operating troops of the 85th IB “stepped” on it.

NPA-Quezon spokesperson Ka Cleo del Mundo said the armed action “enforces justice for all victims of the 85th IB.” She added the offensive is “for our beloved masses who suffered torture, harassment and killings by fascist soldiers under the US-Duterte regime and which continue to be perpetrated under the current US-Marcos II regime.”

There are approximately 20,000 victims of human rights violations during the AFP’s focused military operations in the communities of Quezon since the Duterte regime.

[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://philippinerevolution.nu/2023/09/07/npa-quezon-seizes-5-m16s/

CPP/Ang Bayan: Stoke the flames of armed resistance to state terrorism

Propaganda article from the English language edition of Ang Bayan posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC) Website (Sep 7, 2023): Stoke the flames of armed resistance to state terrorism


This article is available in PilipinoBisaya

September 07, 2023

In the face of relentless terrorism being sown by armed minions of the US-Marcos regime and all-out oppression and violence against the toiling masses, the New People’s Army (NPA) and all revolutionary forces are even more bound by the duty to fight to defend the rights and welfare of the Filipino people.

More than ever, the people and their Red fighters are fully determined to firmly hold the gun and advance the armed struggle, as the main form of the people’s resistance to the fascist, puppet and oppressive ruling reactionary regime. They know that if the people do not fight with their army, nothing will stop the oppressive and exploitative landlords, big bourgeois compradors and their foreign capitalist cohorts from trampling on the interests of the masses, seizing their livelihood, plundering the nation’s wealth and destroying the environment.

The US-Marcos regime is pouring tens of billions of pesos into the ongoing campaign of armed repression and terrorism with the malevolent but futile aim of defeating the people’s army and crushing the people’s resistance. Armed repression is most brutal in areas being aggressively invaded and where land is being seized by plantations and mining operations, ecotourism projects, energy, construction of dams and other infrastructure, in complicity with bureaucrat capitalist and military officers. In these areas, massacres, extrajudicial killings, torture, secret detentions, hamlets, food blockades, bombings and shelling are rampant.

In the face of the US-Marcos regime’s all-out attacks, the Filipino people are firmly determined to strike back against the armed agents of Marcos and Duterte as means of attaining justice for the thousands of victims of the state’s fascist terrorism. The masses, especially peasant victims of the AFP, thus broke in applause upon hearing news of the successful tactical offensive of the NPA in different parts of the country.

In Quezon, the NPA’s successful tactical offensive in Tagkawayan, Quezon on the morning of September 1, dealt a major blow to the AFP. Five M16 rifles were seized, and at least five fascist personnel of the 85th IB and paramilitary CAFGU were killed in an ambush by an NPA unit.

A few weeks earlier, on August 9, the NPA successfully ambushed a Philippine National Police (PNP) vehicle in Calatrava, Negros Occidental, seizing three automatic rifles and killing a police combat trooper. That same day, the NPA in Uson, Masbate, successfully ambushed paramilitary troops who were sowing terrorism to secure the expansion of mining operations in the province.

In Sultan Kudarat, a province in Far South Mindanao, at least 22 troopers under the 37th IB were killed in a series of four tactical offensives by the NPA in June and July. These tactical offensives were in response to the brutal all-out offensives launched in the province since June 15 by at least four battalions under the 6th ID.

These victories show that at the tactical level, the NPA guerrilla units remain superior against the enemy’s armed forces. This is due, primarily, to the deep and wide support of the masses and familiarity with the terrain. Units of the NPA employed tactics of concentrating larger forces against isolated and weaker enemy units. This was combined with the secret and silent dispersal and transfer of NPA units to avoid the larger enemy forces, to keep the adversaries deaf and blind, and make them punch the wind.

All this shows the NPA’s determination to defend the welfare of the masses and resist the fascist violence of the US-Marcos regime, and belies the enemy’s psywar line that the people’s armed resistance “will soon be defeated.” Under the correct leadership of the Party, the people’s army is ever determined to carry on along the path of protracted people’s war and promote guerrilla warfare with the broad and deep support of the masses.

These victories shine light on the path of further advancing the revolutionary armed struggle. It inspires the people and all revolutionary forces, especially the workers and young intellectuals, to go to the countryside and tread the difficult path of armed struggle.

These victories must be reciprocated. Under the Party’s leadership, all NPA commands in different parts of the country must develop a plan to launch small or large tactical offensives which they can win to deal blows and defeat the enemy piece by piece, and capture its weapons to arm the growing number of new Red fighters of the NPA. Mobilize and arm the peasant masses in their numbers, and carry out widespread guerrilla warfare to surround the enemy with the blazing fire of the people’s war.

The NPA will continue to reap successes in launching tactical offensives because the unity of the army and the peasant masses continues to expand and deepen. Mass struggles for genuine land reform are being vigorously carried out, especially in the face of widespread land grabbing, plunder, and armed suppression. Party branches should be established in as many places as possible to serve as core and leader of the masses. Thoroughly strengthen the mass organizations of farmers, youth and women, to consolidate the power of the masses and establish the foundation of the new democratic people’s government.

Under the leadership of the Party, the NPA and all revolutionary forces are determined to advance the armed struggle throughout the country and exert all effort to persevere on the path of the the people’s war to fight and frustrate the campaign of fascist terrorism by the US-Marcos regime, and attain the aspirations of social justice and national freedom.

[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://philippinerevolution.nu/2023/09/07/stoke-the-flames-of-armed-resistance-to-state-terrorism/

CPP/NDF-Negros: Sara Duterte’s visit unwelcome to the people of Negros Island

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC) Website (Sep 7, 2023): Sara Duterte’s visit unwelcome to the people of Negros Island

 


Bayani Obrero

Spokesperson

NDF-Negros Island

National Democratic Front of the Philippines

September 07, 2023

Sara Duterte’s reported visit to Bacolod City tomorrow, September 8, is unwelcome to the people of Negros Island. The declining Marcos-Duterte alliance has further deteriorated the economic situation of the Negrosanon masses, even the middle class, and wreaked state terrorism on Negros Island over a year after its fraudulent rise to power.

Duterte, who is also education secretary, is coming to Negros Island for the celebration of National Teacher’s Month. This is adding insult to injury as the sorry conditions of a colonial, commercialized and repressive educational system remain to be unaddressed by the reactionary government.

So-called reforms championed by Duterte such as Mandatory ROTC program enable the culture of impunity and senseless violence while Department of Education (DepEd) Order No. 21 directing bare classrooms make schools more akin to a military facility than a place of learning. These militarize schools and indoctrinates students with a false brand of patriotism; immersing them into the same brutality that has claimed lives of dozens of innocent farmers, farm workers and defenseless individuals in the island.

Furthermore, the controversial Php125 million-peso confidential funds spent by Duterte, unscrutinized by her allies in Congress, speaks volumes of how she is utilizing her position to plunder taxpayer’s money for her own gains. And now, she is leeching more funds from the people’s coffers in the amount of Php2.385 billion and Php758.6 billion, under the Office of the Vice President and DepEd respectively.

While she and her cohorts defend their brazen unlawful spending, public schools direly lack classrooms and teachers are underpaid. State universities and colleges are suffering budget cuts, two among the top 30 are in Negros Occidental, namely West Visayas State University and Northern Negros State College of Science and Technology. All human rights programs of the reactionary government also have their budgets slashed.

This is a clear-cut manifestation of Duterte’s priorities which is over and above the legitimate problems of the country’s educational woes and human rights situation.

With Duterte basically molding the educational system into a military reserve, the masses of Negros are angered by the hypocrisy of her visit. And this follows the rice price cap screw-up of Marcos Jr that fuels the seething rage of the Filipino people on skyrocketing prices of basic necessities.

NDF-Negros calls on patriotic and progressive individuals and groups especially in the educational sector, to continue fighting for a nationalist, scientific, and mass-oriented education and culture as opposed to the fascist brand imposed by Duterte, Marcos, and their ilk. Make the Marcos-Duterte alliance feel the rumbling of the social volcano on the island.

Ultimately, only the people’s democratic revolution can bring forward a truly just and peaceful society, where education is for the benefit of the people, not for the selfish interests of the elite few.###

https://philippinerevolution.nu/statements/sara-dutertes-visit-unwelcome-to-the-people-of-negros-island/

CPP/Southern Tagalog ROC: Sa ika-40 araw ng pagkamartir:Pulang saludo kay Ka Ringo, rebolusyonaryong martir ng sambayanan

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC) Website (Sep 7, 2023): Sa ika-40 araw ng pagkamartir:Pulang saludo kay Ka Ringo, rebolusyonaryong martir ng sambayanan (On the 40th day of martyrdom: Red salute to Ka Ringo, revolutionary martyr of the people)

 


Armando Cienfuego

Spokesperson

Southern Tagalog Regional Operational Command (Melito Glor Command)

New People's Army

September 07, 2023

Pulang saludo ang iginagawad ng Melito Glor Command (MGC)-NPA Southern Tagalog kay Isagani “Ka Ringo” Isita, kadreng pamprobinsya, Pulang kumander at rebolusyonaryong martir ng sambayanan. Si Ka Ringo ay namartir sa Barangay Lutucan Malabag, Sariaya, Quezon noong Hulyo 30. Dakila siyang kasama at mapagmahal na ama’t asawa sa kanyang pamilya.



Mariing kinukundena ng MGC ang palabas ng AFP-PNP na “nanlaban” si Ka Ringo sa proseso ng paghahain ng warrant of arrest. Upang bigyang katwiran ang kanilang kasinungalingan, tinamnan ng dalawang baril ang pinangyarihan. Ang totoo, nadakip si Ka Ringo ng 59th IBPA at MIG-4 at walang awang pinagbabaril at saka tinamnan ng dalawang baril. Sa ulat ng lokal na yunit ng NPA, walang baril si Ka Ringo nang matunton ng 59th IBPA sa lugar. May kapansanan din siya sa dalawang kamay kaya’t imposibleng malabanan niya ang di hamak na mas maraming bilang ng pasistang kaaway.

Nabuwal man ang katawan, bigo ang reaksyunaryong estado at AFP-PNP na patigilin ang rebolusyonaryong simulain ni Ka Ringo. Ang paghihinagpis ng bayan sa pagkawala ni Ka Ringo ay itutuon sa rebolusyonaryong galit para bigwasan ang pasistang tropa at teroristang estado.

Si Ka Ringo ay ipinanganak sa isang pamilyang magsasaka sa Barangay Banaba, Padre Garcia, Batangas. Maaga siyang nawalan ng ama kung kaya’t bata pa lamang ay naghahanapbuhay na. Pumasok siya sa iba’t ibang trabaho kagaya ng helper sa talyer, welder, drayber, kubrador, peryante at komite sa basketball. Dito siya namulat sa kahirapan ng buhay at kaapihan sa mga maralita.

Naghanap si Ka Ringo ng solusyon upang makaalpas sa kahirapan. Dito niya natagpuan ang landas ng pambansa demokratikong pakikibaka. Ipinaabot niya sa lansangan ang pang-aapi at pagsasamantala ng naghaharing uri. Kanyang pinag-aralan ang lipunan at inialay ang buong panahong pagkilos sa mamamayan. Pinamunuan niya ang mga pakikibaka at kampanyang masa para sa karapatan at kabuhayan.

Sa harap ng makatarungang pakikibaka sa lansangan, nasaksihan ni Ka Ringo ang panunupil ng reaksyunaryong estado sa mamamayang nagpapahayag ng kanilang karaingan. Higit niyang naunawaan na ang lipunan ay pinamumunuan ng naghaharing pangkating may hawak sa mersenaryong armadong pwersa, korte at gumagawa ng batas pabor sa kanilang makasariling interes. Nakita niyang sa landas ng armadong rebolusyon at sa pagbagsak ng mga naghaharing uri tanging mapapalaya ang buong bayan sa kahirapan. Noong Hulyo, 2010, nagpasya siyang sumapi sa NPA.

Sa loob ng 13 taon ni Ka Ringo sa NPA, nakilala siya ng mga kasama na mapagbiro at masayahin. Mapaggiit siya sa kanyang mga punto, subalit handang makinig sa mga opinyon gaano man ito kaiba sa kanya.

Gumampan siya bilang upisyal sa pulitika sa Hukbong Bayan. Magiliw siya sa masang pinaglilingkuran. Mahusay siyang propaganda-ahitador at tagapagtaguyod ng rebolusyonaryong kultura. Ang kanyang galing sa pagtatalumpati at pagkukultura ay nang-engganyo sa mga kabataang magsasaka at maralita na sumampa sa NPA. Naglingkod din siya bilang doktor ng bayan.

Lumahok siya sa gawaing militar saan mang yunit siya madestino partikular na sa mga hakbang pamamarusa sa mga kaaway sa uri na nangwawasak sa kapaligiran at kabuhayan ng masa at lumalabag sa patakaran ng Demokratikong Gubyernong Bayan. Hitik din ang kanyang karanasan sa mga pormal na pagdinig at pag-aayos ng problema ng masa sa saklaw ng kanilang yunit mula sa mga simpleng problema ng mga siga sa baryo, mga sigalot sa lupa ng mga magsasaka at kasong kriminal tulad ng panggagahasa laban sa mga kababaihan.

Pinatunayan ni Ka Ringo ang kanyang katatagan sa pagrerebolusyon sa iba’t ibang kahirapan at krisis na kinaharap sa pakikibaka. Makailang ulit nang nanganib ang kanyang buhay hanggang sa mapinsala at magkaroon ng kapansanan sa kamay. Subalit hindi niya ito inalintana at nagpatuloy sa pag-aambag sa rebolusyon, anuman ang kanyang kaya. Hindi rin siya nagpatangay sa panlilinlang ng kaaway na sumuko sa gitna ng tindi ng pakikidigma at masalimuot na pagrerebolusyon.

Ang inspirasyon ni Ka Ringo ay habambuhay nang nakaukit sa puso at isipan ng malawak na masa at mga kasama. Bahagi siya ng dakilang demokratikong rebolusyon. Hindi madudungisan ng AFP-PNP ang dalisay na hangarin ng rebolusyonaryong kilusan na palayain ang bayan gaanuman karaming paninira ang ikalat nito sa bansa. Magpapatuloy ang sambayanang Pilipino at ang kasalukuyang henerasyon ng mga rebolusyonaryo sa pagsusulong ng digmang bayan.###

https://philippinerevolution.nu/statements/pulang-saludo-kay-ka-ringo-rebolusyonaryong-martir-ng-sambayanan/

CPP/NDF-Masbate-MAKIBAKA: Maging patas! Imbestigahan ang ginawang pagdamay ng 96th IB at PNP sa sibilyang kababaihan sa nangyaring engkwentro sa bayan ng San Jacinto

Propaganda statement posted to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC) Website (Sep 6, 2023): Maging patas! Imbestigahan ang ginawang pagdamay ng 96th IB at PNP sa sibilyang kababaihan sa nangyaring engkwentro sa bayan ng San Jacinto (Be fair! Investigate the sympathy made by the 96th IB and PNP to civilian women in the encounter that happened in the town of San Jacinto)

 


Makabayang Kilusan ng Bagong Kababaihan-Masbate

NDF-Bicol

National Democratic Front of the Philippines

September 06, 2023

Dapat pag-isipan ni Hon. Glenda L. Villahermosa, munisipal Mayor ng Monreal, Masbate ang kanyang pahayag na imbis na sisihin ang mga sibilyang kababaihan na sina Divina Ajitan Lobiano, Sheryl Dejomo Salazar at Jenlyn Guis Matimtim na idinamay ng 96th IB at PNP sa nangyaring engkwentro sa pagitan nila at NPA sa barangay Jagnaan, San Jacinto ay alamin ang katotohanan sa likod ng pagtatago ng mga biktima.

Batid ng mga militar at pulis na sibilyan ang tatlong kababaihan subalit walang habas itong nagpaputok nang makita ang mga kasapi ng NPA sa Brgy. Jagnaan, San Jacinto na naging sanhi ng pagkapaslang ng mga biktima. Upang pagtakpan ang kanilang krimen, pinalalabas ng militar at pulis na NPA rin ang mga ito.

Sa halip na imbestigahan at sampahan ng kaso ang mga nauulol na militar at pulis sa ginawang pagpaslang sa mga biktima. Tila pinasasalamatan pa ni Villahermosa ang mga pumaslang sa kanyang nasasakupan. Ito ay sa kabila na malinaw na mga residente at botante sa bayan ng Monreal ang mga minasaker ng kaaway.

Hinihikayat namin si Hon. Villahermosa na puntahan o bisitahin at personal na imbestigahan ang kalagayan ng kanyang mga nasasakupan. Tiyak na makikita ng Mayora na makatarungan ang ginawang paninindigan at paglaban ng kanyang mamamayan sa halip na sumuko dahil sa ginagawang paglapastangan ng militar at pulis sa kanilang karapatan at kabuhayan.

Ano ba ang kasalanan nila para sumuko sa gubyerno? Hindi ba dapat ang mga militar at pulis ang litisin at isakdal dahil sa dami ng kanilang pinaslang na mga sibilyan?

Ayon sa nakuhang ulat ng MAKIBAKA, ang tatlo ay mas piniling magtago sa halip na sumuko dahil batid nilang pagkakakitaan lamang sila ng mga militar at pulis. Wala ni isang sentimo na natanggap ang mga sapilitang sumuko sa kabila ng pangako ng gubyerno na makakatanggap ang bawat isa ng tig-65 libong piso dahil ibinulsa lamang ito ng mga upisyal ng militar at pulis. Sa halip, pinipilit sila ng militar at pulis upang pagtaksilan ang kapwa nilang Masbatenyo.

Ginagawang mga giya sa operasyon, intel at CAFGU ang mga sumuko na nagsasapeligro lamang sa buhay ng mga sibilyan. Ang sinumang hindi makipagtulungan ay pinapaslang at pinalalabas na nanlaban at napatay sa isang engkwentro tulad ng sinapit ng mga biktima.

Nananawagan ang MAKIBAKA – Masbate sa mga upisyal ng gubyerno na tunay na naglilingkod sa kapakanan ng kanilang nasasakupan na maging patas. Huwag magpabulag sa kasinungalingan ng mga militar at pulis. Manguna sa pag-iimbestiga at tulungan ang mga kaanak at pamilya ng mga biktima sa pagsampa ng kaso at pagpapanagot sa mga berdugong militar at pulis. Panghawakan at pangibabawin ang inyong sibilyang otoridad at huwag hayaang maging sunud-sunuran at mangibabaw ang mala-batas militar sa prubinsya.

Sa mga kababaihan at sa lahat ng masang Masbatenyo kailangan nating magkaisa, sama-samang kumilos at lahatang-panig na lumaban upang makamit ang tunay na kapayapaan sa ating bayan. Wala tayong makakamit kung hindi tayo kikilos at lumaban. Hindi natin makakamit ang tunay na katarungan at hustisya sa pagsuko ng ating paglaban. Sa kabila, higit lamang na yuyurakan ng militar, pulis at buong makinarya ng reaksyunaryong estado ang ating karapatan. Kaya tayo ng patuloy na makibaka! Suportahan ang armadong paglaban at lumahok sa pakikibaka para sa tunay na katarungan at kapayapaan ng ating bayan.#

https://philippinerevolution.nu/statements/maging-patas-imbestigahan-ang-ginawang-pagdamay-ng-96th-ib-at-pnp-sa-sibilyang-kababaihan-sa-nangyaring-engkwentro-sa-bayan-ng-san-jacinto/