“Pinatay siya hindi dahil siya ay rebelde, hindi [dahil] siya ay may ginagawang krimen. Bali pinatay siya dahil sa kaniyang paghahangad ng tunay na kapayapaan. Saan tayo nakakita, anong klaseng sistema ito, na ang mga taong naghahangad ng kapayapaan ay marahas na pinapatay?”
“Ikaw ay lupang / pasistang kinakamkam ng ganid / at pagkagahaman…”
“…hangga’t may palalong tirano / na nakaupo sa palasyo / na hangga’t ang mga anakpawis / ay walang kapangyarihan. / Hinding-hindi ko kayo titigilan.”
“…ginintuan ka ng palay / sa matabang lupa / ng paglaban ng masa.”
Ginanap noong Agosto 8 ang isang birtwal na parangal para kay yumaong NDF Chief Negotiator Fidel Agcaoili. Pumanaw si Ka Fidel noong Hulyo 23 dahil sa sakit. Iba’t ibang personalidad na mga kaibigan at nakasama ni Ka Fidel ang nagpaabot ng pakikidalamhati at nagsalaysay ng kani-kanilang kwento sa kanya.
“…The gap that we must bridge / is worth our final breath…”
Randall Echanis, long-time National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant, was killed early Monday morning, August 10, in Novaliches, Quezon City. His peasant organization colleagues said Echanis’ murder may be by state forces.
“On August 8, Day of Remembrance and Tribute to Ka Fidel, all units of the NPA are directed, wherever they may be encamped, to go on formation at the break of dawn, hoist the banners of the Party, NPA and the NDF, present arms, and sing The Internationale as a way of remembering and giving Ka Fidel our snappiest Red salute,” the NPA’s National Operations Command (NOC) said.
“We are saddened and angered by what happened to our dear colleague and other health workers who died fighting COVID-19. We are all victims of the gross neglect of the DOH and Duterte administration. This administration does not value health workers because even in (Duterte’s) 5th State of the Nation Address, he still did not lay down comprehensive, systematic and scientific measures on how to defeat the virus.”
“It is painful to think but it is clear to us that this is a major negligence of the hospital management and the DOH itself due to their anti-health workers protocols,” Donguines said.