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CPP accuses gov’t of violating own ceasefire order in Rizal clash

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The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) accused the Rodrigo Duterte government of violating its own unilateral ceasefire declaration following an encounter between the Philippine Army (PA) and the New People’s Army (NPA) in Rodriguez, Rizal last March 28, Saturday.

CPP chief information officer Marco Valbuena said in a statement issued today, March 30, that based on Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reports themselves, the armed clash broke out when 80th Infantry Battalion troops of the PA’s 2nd Infantry Division carried out patrol operations.

An AFP conflict alert report was sent to Kodao by CPP founding chairperson Jose Maria Sison, purported to be obtained by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines from sources within the military proving it was the aggressor in the incident in Barangay Puray of the said town.

The report said that a team led by one Staff Sargeant Angot conducted community defense patrol at the vicinity of Sitio Malasya Uyungan where they encountered around 30 NPA fighters at around three o’clock in the afternoon.

The report said the clash lasted for about 40 minutes that resulted in the killing of a government trooper and the wounding of two others.

The killed soldier was a corporal while the two injured were a sergeant and a private.

The report claimed one rebel fighter was killed and that the government soldiers recovered an M16 rifle, a rifle grenade, a jungle pack with personal belongings, two empty bandoliers, a NPA flag, documents, medical paraphernalia, and water gallons.

The report added that the team recommended to “move forces to block the possible withdrawal routes of the rebels.”

The unit also requested an helicopter for an immediate evacuation of the casualties.

In a statement, the AFP’s Public Affairs Office said the soldiers were in the vicinity to conduct “community work,” contrary to what the report indicated that its unit conducted the patrol “acting on the information from concerned citizens.”

The NPA for its part did not confirm that it suffered a casualty in its statement.

Valbuena however said the AFP’s claim that the concerned NPA unit was planning an attack was baseless.

He said all NPA units will continue to uphold the CPP’s ceasefire declaration “in order to give full play to efforts to extend public health service to the people amid the Covid-19 (corona virus disease) pandemic.”

The CPP’s Central Committee declared a unilateral ceasefire declaration last March 24 in response to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ appeal that all warring parties temporarily lay down their arms to focus on the global fight against Covid-19. It is effective until April 15 when the government’s own truce order expires.

The Duterte government declared its unilateral ceasefire order last March 18 effective 00:00 hour of March 19 to 24:00 hours of April 15.

Valbuena clarified that the NPA will not mount armed actions against government military, police, paramilitary and other armed agents but will remain alert against offensive actions launched by AFP units.

“The Party assures AFP soldiers that they will not be attacked during the ceasefire period especially if they are conducting public health activities in relation to efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19,” Valbuena said.

The CPP spokesperson urged AFP units to concentrate on Covid-19 operations and refrain from conducting anti-NPA patrol operations which may result in armed contact with nearby NPA units.

“At this time, the Filipino people need all the help they can get to surmount the threat of Covid-19,” he said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

NPA celebrates 51st anniversary with mass health campaign

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The New People’s Army celebrated its 51st founding anniversary today, Sunday, March 29, by mobilizing its forces to fight the corona virus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said.

“In its message to the NPA, the CPP Central Committee directed the NPA to mark this day by reaffirming its pledge to serve the people by mobilizing its forces, together with the revolutionary mass organizations, in a public health campaign to prevent the spread of Covid-19.,” the CPP’s Information Bureau said in a statement.

The CPP directed the NPA, especially its medical units, to carry out the campaign in coordination with revolutionary village health committees to help contain the disease, give special attention to the elderly and pregnant women, help care those who have been infected and promote personal hygiene and community sanitation,” the statement reads.

A face mask serves as a precaution against the corona virus, a disguise, and a placard for this NPA fighter. (Photo by Nonoy Espina)

In addition, the CPP directed its members in the cities to carry out similar mass campaigns, while raising demands for mass testing and other public health measures.

“In fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, the Filipino people must draw lessons and inspiration from the victories and achievements they have accumulated through collective action,” the CPP said.

The CPP also pointed out that the Filipino must take action and resist what it calls “repressive measures” adopted by the Rodrigo Duterte government to control the spread of Covid-19.

It also urged Filipinos to “raise their call for the president’s ouster to make him answer for his criminal sabotage of the public health care system.”

The CPP called on the Filipino people to surmount the Covid-19 pandemic by acting as one, “as they have achieved numerous victories in their revolutionary struggle for national and social liberation.”

Celebration in Negros

In Negros Island, the Apolinario Gatmaitan Command (AGC) of the NPA today celebrated the guerrilla army’s anniversary with a program.

AGC-NPA spokesperon Juanito Magbanua. (Photo by Nonoy Espina)

The event was marked by the presence of AGC spokesperson Juanito Magbanua, one of the high profile guerrilla leaders in the island.

Speeches and a cultural program were presented during the celebration.

A New People’s Army guerrilla reads from “Ispading,” the Negros rebels’ cultural publication. (Photo by Nonoy Espina)

Both the NPA and the Duterte government are currently on ceasefire after each party declared their respective unilateral truce orders to allow both of their forces to respond to the Covid-19 emergency throughout the country. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

A Red fighters walks past the makeshift “stage” in the NPA’s celebration of its 51st founding anniversary today in Negros Island. (Photo by Nonoy Espina)
NPA fighters in Negros Island celebrate their army’s 51st founding anniversary. (Photo by Nonoy Espina)

NPA defeating Duterte’s all-out war, CPP says of guerrilla army’s 51st anniversary

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The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) reported numerous New People’s Army (NPA) victories despite massive military and psychological warfare operations unleashed by the Rodrigo Duterte government throughout 2019.

In a statement marking the guerrilla army’s 51st founding anniversary today, March 29, the CPP said the NPA continues to operate in more than 110 guerrilla fronts in 73 of 81 provinces across the country with “several thousand guerrilla fighters…armed with high-powered weapons and small firearms seized from the enemy, security forces and other sources.”

Belittling the results of the government’s National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) launched in 2018, the CPP Central Committee in its annual statement marking the NPA’s founding anniversary said Duterte and his military officers have failed in their declarations of crushing the guerrilla army.

“[F]irst by end of 2018, then by end of 2019, and later before Duterte’s term ends in 2022. Almost daily, AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) commanders make false public announcements claiming NPA ‘surrenderees,’ typically recycling old firearms in their armory and presenting these as surrendered weapons,” the CPP said.

The underground party cited the manipulated photograph claiming to be that of “surrenderees” in Masbate province late last year as proof of AFP’s lies.

The group also chided Duterte for predicting NPA will be defeated “sooner” as the AFP announced having destroyed or weakened 15 NPA guerrilla fronts.

“All these are empty boasts as the NPA continue to strengthen and wage revolutionary armed struggle alongside the democratic mass struggles of the Filipino people to end the reign of terror of the US-Duterte regime,” the CPP’s statement, released Saturday, March 28, said.

Image from CPP Founding Chairperson Jose Maria Sison’s post.

‘Two battalions killed’

The CPP said units of the guerrilla army operate under 14 regional operations command, which in turn are under the National Operations Command (NOC) of the NPA.

The NPA builds company-sized regional and sub-regional vertical forces, as well as company-sized guerrilla fronts with six to nine platoons, one-third of which are concentrated and two-thirds spread to cover the breadth of guerrilla front territories, the CPP said.

The CPP said that based on NOC reports, the NPA mounted at least 710 military actions of varying scale in 2019 that killed at least 651 government troops and wounded more than 465 others.

The number of killed and wounded is the equivalent of around 30 platoons or two battalions of its enemy troops, the group said.

‘NTF-ELCAC failing’

The CPP said the Duterte government’s NTF-ELCAC mounted all-out military offensives nationwide and formed nine new AFP battalions and deployed these primarily against the NPA.

The AFP is being assisted by the United States military in establishing and training new combat units such as the Light Reaction Regiment, the 1st Brigade Combat Team and the 2nd Brigade Combat Team which are all based in Fort Magsaysay, where the US maintains facilities under the EDCA (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement), the CPP revealed.

In all, the AFP has 140 maneuver battalions, of which, 35 are deployed in Luzon; 19 in the Visayas; and 83 in Mindanao (19 battalions in Moro areas, and 64 in NPA areas), the group added.

“Thus, close to 85% or 118 battalions are deployed against the NPA,” it said.

The group said that close to 55% of AFP units deployed against the NPA are in Mindanao, mainly in the eastern regions. Combined AFP and PNP troop deployment is highest in Southern Mindanao, followed by Southern Tagalog, Eastern Visayas, North Central Mindanao, Far South Mindanao and Negros.

“The aim of the AFP is to concentrate one battalion of troops for every NPA guerrilla front, in the vain hope of crushing the NPA through intelligence, psywar (psychological warfare) and combat operations, it said.

Despite the additional units, the AFP’s forces are spread thinly, the CPP said, adding that at the national level, there are regions where government troops could not deploy a full battalion against every NPA guerrilla front.

On the ground, AFP combat battalions cannot saturate the territory and population of a guerrilla front, where there are widely spread revolutionary mass organizations, militia units and organs of political power which actively carry out mass campaigns and struggles, leaving large areas open for NPA units to maneuver, recruit, and strengthen themselves, the CPP revealed.

“When AFP brigades or divisions mount focused military operations in one or several guerrilla fronts in border areas, it combines several battalions pulled-out temporarily from their assigned areas of operation, giving the NPA units in other areas leeway to conduct political and military work,” the CPP said.

The CPP said that Duterte’s all-out war tactic against the NPA and its perceived supporters generates armed resistance.

“In putting down the people’s resistance with armed force, he is actually inciting the people to fight back. Like Marcos before, Duterte has become the Number 1 recruiter of the New People’s Army,” the group said.

Part of the NPA’s First Pulang Bagani Battalion in formation in Davao City in 2017. (R. Villanueva/Kodao)

NPA’s response to Covid-19

Marking the NPA’s 51st founding anniversary amid unilateral ceasefire declarations by both the CPP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the underground party said it is mobilizing its forces in a public health campaign to prevent the spread of the disease and help treat those infected by the virus.

“The Party has directed the NPA, especially its medical units, to carry out a public health campaign together in coordination with village health committees to help prevent the spread of the disease, give special attention to the elderly and pregnant women, help care those who have been infected and promote personal hygiene and community sanitation,” the CPP statement reads.

It also directed its members in the cities to carry out similar mass campaigns, while raising demands for mass testing and other public health measures.

“Beyond the field of public health, the Filipino people must also take action in the arena of political struggle. It is as important to resist the militarist restrictions imposed by the Duterte regime, and raise their call for the ouster of Duterte to make him answer for his criminal sabotage of the public health care system,” it said.

The CPP said the NPA had been conducting such social services to poor Filipinos, earning them the monicker “the people’s army.”

“Its fighters are well known for being courageous and self-sacrificing. They are ever-ready to learn from the people their needs and demands and perform the most difficult and dangerous tasks in serving the people. They are also recognized by the masses as their defenders, cooperators, teachers, doctors, as well singers and artists, always attending to the people’s well-being and needs,” it said.

The CPP said the people always approach the NPA to seek advice or assistance whenever they demand redress from an injustice done, or seek intercession to iron out small conflicts in the communities.

‘Strengthening the NPA’

The CPP directed the NPA to further strengthen itself in order to “frustrate the government’s strategic plan of crushing the armed revolution, and to advance the people’s war in an all-sided manner.”

The group said it directed all its branches to make plans to help strengthen the guerrilla army by recommending its members and activists to join the NPA.

“There must be an active campaign of recruitment of young intellectuals and workers to join the NPA,” it said.

The CPP also directed the NPA to further intensify its tactical offensive operations through a combination of counter-encirclement and counter-offensives of large-scale military and police combat operations as well as raids against “soft-targets” such as military and paramilitary detachments and security forces.

It also ordered “more numerous and extensive harassments, interdictions, arrests, partisan, demolition and sapper operations and other armed actions.”

The CPP said that under its leadership, the NPA is expected to achieve more victories in its armed resistance and achievement of national and social liberation of Filipinos.

“The Filipino people look forward to celebrating more victories of the NPA in the coming years,” the CPP said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Groups urge Covid-19 testing in prisons, release of political detainees

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Families of political detainees urged the government to follow World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and start mass testing in prisons after receiving reports that some prisoners are showing symptoms of the corona virus disease (Covid-19).

The group KAPATID said that mass testing should start immediately as it has received reports that more inmates are getting sick despite denials by prison agencies and the Department of Interior and Local Government of confirmed cases.

“Marami nagkakasakit, inuubo at nilalagnat,” KAPATID said, citing a report from relatives of political prisoners at the New Bilibid Prison (NBP), the national penitentiary at Muntinlupa City. (Many are getting sick, coughing and getting fevers.)

The group said three political prisoners are now reportedly ill with fever at the political prisoners’ wing at the Metro Manila District Jail-Annex 4 (MMDJ-4) at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City.

KAPATID said the three unnamed political detainees are showing common Covid-19 symptoms like fever, headaches, cold, cough and body weakness—the same symptoms for the respiratory disease which has already killed 45 people in the country as of March 25, including nine doctors.

“KAPATID cannot emphasize enough why mass testing is imperative and why it must include the whole prison population comprising both inmates and prison personnel. Reports by other countries such as China and the US indicate that prison guards brought the sickness into prison facilities even with lockdowns in place and stricter health measures, including a forehead thermal scan of persons entering jail premises,” KAPATID spokesperson Fides Lim said in a statement

Lim cited scientific researches that early action through widespread testing has proven effective in controlling the rapid spread of the disease in South Korea and Germany which have managed to keep the Covid-19 death rate relatively low through extensive testing.

“Mass testing of both symptomatic individuals and all those who came into contact with them was crucial in catching the disease, isolating the carriers before they could pass it on, and providing more accurate figures of how many are really affected and how and where to limit contamination,” Lim said.

Free political detainees

Earlier, KAPATID called for the release of political detainees in line with reports that backchannel meetings between Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) representatives and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in The Netherlands have been discussing the matter.

The NDFP urged the GRP to release all political prisoners and a general amnesty be issued “as a matter of justice and necessity.”

The NDFP made the appeal when the Communist Party of the Philippines declared a unilateral ceasefire last Tuesday, March 24, in response to the United Nations appeal for all warring parties to temporarily lay down arms to concentrate on responding to the pandemic.

Kapatid cited the move made by Iran and Egypt to release tens of thousands of prisoners, including political detainees, in a bid to decongest their prisons and prevent Covid-19’s spread through overpopulated jail facilities.

“KAPATID continues to press the humanitarian release of prisoners in line with the new UN (United Nations) call as the most expedient solution to protect and save lives. Tao rin sila,” Lim said. (They are also humans.)

The National Council of Churches of the Philippines (NCCP), the largest group of mainline Protestant churches in the country, also urged the government to release all political detainees following the appeal by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on March 26.

“Let’s take it from the UN. There is an urgent need to address the catastrophic risks in prisons by releasing prisoners, especially now that the country is confronting numerous challenges due to this pandemic,” Bishop Reuel Norman Marigza, NCCP General Secretary, said.

“As the number of positive COVID-19 cases spike up, the most Christian thing to do is to leave no one behind. Don’t forget those in prison, especially human rights defenders facing trumped charges, who have staunchly worked for social justice and human rights. They need compassion, they need justice and they need protection. They should be released under humanitarian grounds,” Marigza said in a statement.

“In many countries, detention facilities are overcrowded, in some cases dangerously so. People are often held in unhygienic conditions and health services are inadequate or even non-existent. Physical distancing and self-isolation in such conditions are practically impossible,” Bachelet said in her appeal for political detainees’ release.

Karapatan poster.

Meanwhile, human rights group Karapatan announced it will lead an online campaign on Facebook and Twitter  to urge the freedom of prisoners with light sentences as well as political detainees on March 31, Tuesday, at seven to eight o’clock in the evening.

Citing the congestion of Philippine jails at 450%, Karapatan said the government must free the elderly, sick, pregnant and nursing women, those who are due for parole or pardon, at least one spouse each of political prisoner-couples, and “accidental victims” of political arrests. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

‘An example across the world,’ UN says of CPP’s ceasefire order

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The United Nations (UN) welcomed the temporary ceasefire order of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), saying the group’s positive response to the call for a global ceasefire in the face of the corona virus disease (Covid-19) pandemic “will serve as an example across the world.”

In a statement, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said they welcome the truce order issued by the CPP last Tuesday, March 24, against Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) armed forces.

“The Secretary-General (Guterres) encourages the parties to reach a lasting political solution and end this longstanding conflict,” Dujarric added, referring to the 51-year revolution led by the CPP.

The CPP is the first belligerent force in the world to respond to Guterres’ appeal issued last March 24.

UN’s statement on its website.

NDFP Negotiating Panel chairperson Fidel Agcaoili said the revolutionary forces in the Philippines deeply appreciates the UN recognition.

“We deeply appreciate the recognition extended by the UN Secretary General for the initiative of the revolutionary movement and the CPP to respond to his call for a global ceasefire in humanity’s common fight against the Covid-19 pandemic,” Agcaoili told Kodao in an online interview.

The CPP’s unilateral ceasefire order to all units and commands of the New People’s Army and the People’s Militias took effect starting midnight of today, Thursday, March 26 and ends on 23:59 of April 15.

The GRP earlier said NDFP chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison’s advise for the CPP and its forces to observe its own ceasefire during the pandemic “is a positive development.”

The GRP earlier declared a unilateral ceasefire against the CPP, the NPA, and the NDFP effective 00:00 hour of March 19 to 24:00 hours of April 15, Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo announced Wednesday evening, March 18. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

NDFP may respond to UN appeal for ceasefire, Joma advises

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The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Negotiating Panel may recommend for a unilateral ceasefire declaration in response to the United Nation’s (UN) appeal for a global truce during the corona virus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, Jose Maria Sison said.

Sison said he is advising the NDFP peace panel to recommend to its principal, the NDFP National Council, the issuance of a unilateral ceasefire declaration by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) to the New People’s Army (NPA) in response to UN secretary general Antonio Guterres’ call for a global ceasefire.

“The NDFP and the broad masses of the people themselves need to refrain from launching tactical offensives to gain more time and opportunity to fight the Covid-19 pandemic and to look after the health and over-all welfare of the people in both urban and rural areas,” Sison said.

“The world must know that long before the belated quarantine declarations and repressive measures of the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines), the NDFP and the revolutionary forces have been informing, training and mobilizing the people on how to fight the pandemic,” he added.

Guterres called for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world last Monday, March 23, saying it is time for humankind to put armed conflict on lockdown and focus together “on the true fight of our lives.” 

Guterres asked the warring parties to pull back from hostilities, silence the guns, stop the artillery and end the airstrikes. “This is crucial to help create corridors for life-saving aid, open windows for diplomacy and bring hope to places among the most vulnerable to #COVID19,” he said.

Sison said the UN’s appeal is what the revolutionary forces in the Philippines may respond to, instead of the “bogus unilateral ceasefire declaration of the GRP.”

He warned that reciprocating President Rodrigo Duterte’s ceasefire order may appear as “directly condoning and becoming complicit in the criminal culpabilities of the Duterte regime for allowing the Covid-19 to spread nationwide since January, for making no preparations against the pandemic and for making lockdowns on communities and yet failing to provide mass testing and treatment of the sick, food assistance and compensation for those prevented from work.”

The GRP declared a unilateral ceasefire against the CPP, the NPA, and the NDFP effective 00:00 hour of March 19 to 24:00 hours of April 15, Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo announced Wednesday evening, March 18.

Sison further advised that while the NPA can cease and desist from launching tactical offensives, it must be vigilant and be ready to act in self-defense against any tactical offensive launched by GRP military, police and paramilitary forces against its own guerrilla fronts.

He added that the GRP has persisted in launching tactical offensives and bombing of communities in the countryside as well as campaigns of red tagging, abductions and murder in the urban areas against civilians, justifying NDFP’s desistance from reciprocating Duterte’s ceasefire offer.

NDFP Negotiating Panel chairperson Fidel Agcaoili told Kodao that they shall submit their recommendation to their National Council soon. # (Raymund Villanueva)

‘CPP already helping fight Covid-19 even before Duterte’s truce announcement’

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates–Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) forces are already carrying out a mass campaign to fight the corona virus disease (Covid-19) outbreak even before the Rodrigo Duterte government announced a 27-day ceasefire in line with its imposition of a lockdown, the group announced.

In a statement Thursday, March 19, the CPP said it had already issued directives to all its forces to encourage collective action to respond comprehensively and extensively to the threat of the outbreak.

“Ceasefire or not, NPA Red fighters have already been directed to step up efforts to render social, economic, medical and public health services to the people. In particular, units of the NPA are working with local people’s health committees. Red fighters and the people are coordinating efforts to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 in their areas,” the underground party said in reaction to Duterte’s unilateral ceasefire announcement Wednesday, March 17.

Malacañan Palace said government’s ceasefire is meant to allow the military and police to concentrate on helping fight the outbreak.

The CPP however said it remains to be seen if the ceasefire announcement is really to help fight the virus, more so that it appears that the military is using Duterte’s lockdown to further militarize Luzon island.

“Whether Duterte’s ceasefire order will indeed supercede previous orders to mount all-out war to crush the NPA (New People’sArmy) remains to be seen,” the CPP said.

The group revealed that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are conducting intense combat, intelligence, psychological warfare and suppression operations in Abra, Mt. Province, Quezon, Mindoro, Masbate, Sorsogon, Camarines Sur, Capiz, Samar, Negros, Bukidnon, South Cotabato and other provinces leading to widespread abuses of human rights.

It also mentioned the “cold-blooded murder” of Party leader Julius Giron who was convalescing in Baguio City, his physician Lourdes Tan Torres and an unnamed aide last March 13.

The group said that in light of Duterte’s Covid-19 lockdown, rural peasant communities are worried that the emerging public health emergency might be used as pretext to impose even worse population control measures and economic blockade in their villages which will cause further hardships on the people.

“There is concern that Duterte’s ceasefire might be used to make available more soldiers to further reinforce the military lockdown against the population which have already caused grave hardships on the people in the National Capital Region and across the provinces,” the CPP said.

The party can issue its own unilateral ceasefire declaration in due time, when conditions or negotiations warrant such, the group added.

“At the moment, all units of the NPA are advised to remain on alert even with Duterte’s ceasefire declaration. They must remain on active defense and ready to give battle to AFP and PNP units which continue to conduct offensive operations or conduct suppression activities against the people,” it said.

The CPP advised the NPA and all its revolutionary forces to closely monitor whether the AFP and PNP actually implement their ceasefire declaration, whether troops conducting combat operations are ordered withdrawn, and whether it has put to stop aerial and human surveillance and intelligence operations, psywar and suppression activities in rural communities, conscription of paramilitary forces, forcing to “surrender,” requiring residents to render unpaid labor to construct military detachments in villages, and other military abuses.

“All units of the NPA, as well as local revolutionary organizations and committees, must promptly submit their reports to their higher commands and to the leading committees of the Party,” the CPP said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

CPP reveals Baguio raid victim was top leader, vows justice

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GENEVA, Switzerland—A victim of the Baguio City raid last Friday, March 13, turned out to be a top leader of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), statements by the underground revolutionary movement in the Philippines revealed.

In a statement, the CPP said Julius Giron, one of the victims in the early morning raid, was a stalwart of the Party’s Central Committee, its Political Bureau and Executive Committee member who served the party’s central organs over the past three decades.

The underground group said Giron played a key role in reconstituting the Party’s leadership in 2014 when alleged CPP chairperson Benito Tiamzon and secretary general Wilma Tiamzon were arrested in Cebu province.

It said Giron brought together more than a hundred Party cadres to hold the Party’s Second Congress in 2016 when he was elected to the CPP’s Central Committee, its Political Bureau and as one of the key officers of its Executive Committee.

The government announced Giron’s killing, along with one Lourdes Tan Torres/Ma. Lourdes Dineros Tangco and an unnamed aide in a joint military and police operation at about 3:30 AM in Barangay Queen of Peace in Baguio City last Friday.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) claimed Giron and companions “resisted arrest, prompting authorities to retaliate in a search warrant operation.”

The CPP however said there was no fire fight and the raiding party fired at the victims at close range in an execution-style killing.

“Claims made by the military and police that they were about to serve an arrest warrant are outright lies. It was a liquidation operation, a massacre, carried out at 3 a.m. with the clear aim of assassinating Giron and eliminating all witnesses,” the CPP said.

“The entire Party and all revolutionary forces are enraged over the murder of Ka Nars,” the group added.

Stellar revolutionary career

The CPP said Giron was among the young cadres who pioneered revolutionary work in the Cordilleras and other Northern Luzon regions in the 1970s.

The group said Giron helped forged Igorot unity, and in rousing, organizing and mobilizing the national minority groups in resisting national oppression, defense of their ancestral land, and in their fight for autonomy.

Giron was in the Cordilleras during the people’s epic struggle against the Chico River Dam Project, the CPP revealed.

CPP founding chairperson Jose Maria Sison gave Giron high praises in a statement Tuesday, March 17, revealing the victim, like him, received religious tutelage from his mother and served as a sacristan to the Catholic priests in his grade school days.

Sison said Giron was a bright and sociable person in high school with plenty of friends.

“He was charismatic because he was intelligent and had a talent for singing and dancing. He also excelled at numbers and hoped to become an engineer. He enrolled in the course of Engineering in the University of the Philippines in Baguio but was able to finish only the first two years because of his heavy responsibilities as a leading activist,” Sison wrote.

He added that Giron joined the Kabataang Makabayan (KM) in 1970 and was a product of the First Quarter Storm (FQS) of 1970. Giron led the KM in Baguio City during the FQS.

“He often delighted and inspired the mass protests by reciting Amado Hernandez’s ‘Kung Tuyo Na ang Luha Mo, Aking Bayan’ to the music of ‘Ang Gabing Mapanglaw’. He helped build the Samahan ng mga Anak Pawis (SaAnPa) in Baguio City in 1970. He became an outstanding activist of the national democratic movement as he engaged in organizing workers in the transport, energy, and mining sectors,” Sison recalled.

Sison added that Giron became a member of the CPP in 1971 and assumed major responsibilities, serving with its Trade Union Bureau, participating in the organization of the CPP’s Northern Luzon Regional Party group, being designated a staff member of the Instructor’s Bureau of the CPP under the Education Department, and serving as team leader of an armed propaganda unit in Ifugao province.

Giron then went to Isabela province to instruct Political Officers of the New People’s Army (NPA) for regional and national deployment.

Giron during CPP’S Second National Congress in an undisclosed location in 2016. (CPP photo)

“As Founding Chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines and Chief Political Consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, I honor Comrade Julius Soriano Giron with the Red salute and express the highest respect and commendation for his martyrdom and for his long record as a communist leader and revolutionary fighter in the Filipino people’s struggle for national liberation and democracy,” Sison said.

He also condoled with his late comrade’s family and to all of Giron’s comrades, relatives and friends.

“I share with them profound grief over his demise and at the same the pride and joy for his lifelong and fruitful service to the people in their noble cause and struggle for national and social liberation from foreign monopoly capitalism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism,” Sison said.

“Comrade Julius served the people in the best way that he could and in the most exemplary way, died as a martyr and will therefore live forever in the hearts and minds of the people and in the continuance of the people’s democratic revolution with a socialist perspective. His murder in the hands of the armed minions of the traitorous, tyrannical, genocidal, corrupt and mendacious [Rodrigo] Duterte regime outrages the people and incites them to intensify their revolutionary struggle,” Sison said.

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Peace Negotiating Panel, its consultants, personnel and staff also extended condolences to the comrades, family, relatives and friends of Giron and his two companions.

“While in detention during the years of the Marcos dictatorship, we came to know of Comrade Julius’ artistry.  He was a good painter and headed the painting group inside prison. Indeed, his deep love for the Cordillera people is reflected in his paintings and poetry which are on display in his wake,” NDFP chief negotiator Fidel Agcaoili said.

“We render the highest salute to Comrade Julius for his selfless commitment and lifelong dedication to the revolutionary movement of the people for national freedom, democracy, social justice and genuine peace,” Agcaoili said.

Peace consultant

Agcaoili revealed that Giron was one of NDFP’s senior consultants in the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines)-NDFP peace talks on social, economic and political reforms, as well as end of hostilities and disposition of forces and was in fact designated as National Consultant Number 1.

“He was holder of Document of Identification (DI) number 978410 under the name of Arnold Cruz as National Consultant 1, which entitled him to protection and immunity under the JASIG (Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees),” Agcaoili said.

“The martyrdom of Comrade Julius and his companions inspires us even more to firmly pursue the Filipino people’s struggle for national and social liberation and for genuine and lasting peace,” he added.

The CPP said it will exact justice on Giron’s killers.

“Giron was, in fact, murdered in cold blood. The perpetrators and masterminds of the assassination of the Girons are criminals. The Party and revolutionary movement will make sure that they will pay for their crime,” it said.

Giron was convalescing in Baguio due to illnesses brought about by his advanced age, the CPP said. He was 70 years old. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

NDFP says no need to rush into reciprocating Duterte’s unilateral ceasefire announcement

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GENEVA, Switzerland—There is no clear basis for the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) to rush into reciprocating the government’s unilateral declaration of ceasefire, its chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison said.

In a statement, Sison said that while there is ongoing communication between the NDFP and Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) negotiating panels, there is yet no agreement for reciprocal unilateral ceasefires in regard to efforts in containing the corona virus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

In asking for certain “considerations, requirements and modalities” for the NDFP to think about reciprocating GRP’s unilateral ceasefire announcement, Sison said there has to be clarifications.

He added that without such understanding, the ceasefire announcement by Malacañang Palace is “premature, if not insincere and false.”

President Duterte has decided to declare a unilateral ceasefire against the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the New People’s Army (NPA), and the NDFP effective 00:00 hour of March 19 to 24:00 hours of April 15, Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo announced Wednesday evening in Manila.

According to Panelo, the President directed the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), including the national defense as well as the interior and local government departments, to cease and desist from carrying out operations against the revolutionary forces.

Duterte last Monday publicly asked the underground communist groups for a ceasefire during the Covid-19 pandemic, promising to repay them “with a good heart in the coming days” if they agree.

Sison however said the NDFP is not assured and satisfied that the ceasefire announcement is based on national unity against Covid-19, the appropriate solution of the pandemic as a medical problem and the protection of the most vulnerable sectors of the population, including workers, health workers, those with any serious ailments and the political prisoners.

“Unless it receives sufficient assurances from the GRP, the NDFP will be inclined to think that the GRP unilateral ceasefire declaration is not sincere and is not intended to invite reciprocation by the NDFP but is meant to be a mere psywar (psychological warfare) trick,” Sison warned.

Sison pointed out that according to the people and their own forces in the Philippines, Duterte’s lack of sincerity in seeking a real ceasefire is manifested by the following”

  1. The militarist lockdown on the whole of Luzon is mean not to fight the Covid-19 pandemic but to intimidate the people, suppress democratic rights, commit human rights violations and prevent the working people from going to their workplaces, and immobilize even the health workers and people who wish to be tested and treated for Covid-19 and other serious ailments; and
  2. The AFP and the PNP continue to redtag, abduct and murder social activists, including human rights defenders, in urban areas and to unleash attacks against the people in the guerrilla fronts of the NPA.

The NDFP and the CPP earlier condemned the killing of senior cadre Julius Giron, his physician Lourdes Tan Torres and their aide last March 13 in Baguio City. Human rights activists also blamed the military for the abduction and killing of choreographer and activist Marlon Maldos last Tuesday, March 17, in De la Paz, Cortes in Bohol province.

Sison said that despite all the above, the NDFP continues to hope that Duterte orders the GRP negotiating panel come to clear terms with its counterpart “for the benefit of the people.”

“Promises of Duterte, such as doing a good turn from a good heart, can be believed only as they are realized promptly and according to a definite schedule,” he said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

IMKP: Hinggil sa Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER)

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Panayam kay Prof. Jose Maria Sison ni Prof. Sarah Raymundo para sa Kodao Productions.

ITANONG MO KAY PROF
Topic: CASER
4 February 2020

Prof Sarah: Magandang Araw sa ating mga tagapakinig! Sa gitna ng lumalalang krisis pang-ekonomiya at mga pang-araw-araw na pangamba dala ng kahirapan, kawalan ng trabaho, abuso sa mga manggagawa, mga sakuna, virus at paglabag sa ating mga karapatan, may paraan pa nga ba para umalagwa ang bayan?

Sa mga nakaraan nating pakikpanayam sa Chair Emeritus ng ILPS at panghunahing konsultant sa Usapang Pangkapayapaan, na si Professor Jose Maria Sison, atin nang napag-usapan ang Peace Talks. Sa pamamagitan ng Peace Talks, maaaring mapag-usapan ang mga alternatibo at repormang maaaring pagtulungan ng gobyerno at ng kilusang rebolusyonaryo na kinakatawan ng CPP-NPA-NDFP. Ngunit matindi ang pambabara rito lalo na ng mga personaheng nagmumula sa mga militar. Bakit kaya?

Bukod diyan, matindi rin ang pagtutol ng mga elemento ng militar sa CASER. Ano ba ang mayroon sa CASER at ayaw kumasa ng militar o ng gobyerno rito? Paano umaangkop ang rebolusyonaryong kilusan sa mga repormang dapat na maisaktuparan sa ikauunlad ng taumbayan. Sa panayam na ito, unawain natin kung bakit mahalaga para sa NDFP, maging sa CPP at NPA ang mga kagyat na reporma para sa ikauunlad ng bansa.

JMS: Maalab na makabayang pagbati sa inyo Prop. Sarah Raymundo at sa lahat ng ating tagapakinig.

Mga Tanong

SR1: Prof Sison, ang isa sa tinatalakay sa usapang pangkapayapaan sa pagitan ng Government of the Republic of the Philippines o GRP at ng National Democratic Front of the Philippnes o NDFP ay ang tungkol sa Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms o mas kilala sa tawag na CASER. Maaari po bang ipaliwanag muna natin sa ating mga tagapakinig, ano po ang ibig sabihin ng CASER.

JMS: Ibig sabihin ng CASER ay Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms o Komprehensibong Kasunduan sa mga Repormang Panlipunan at Pang-Ekonomiya. Pangunahing nilalaman nito ang tunay na reporma sa lupa at pambansang industrialisasyon. Sinasabi ng mga negotiating panel ng GRP at NDFP, mga peace advocates at malawak na masa na ang CASER ay laman ng makatarungang kapayapaan.

SR2: Ano ang pakinabang ng mamamayang Pilipino kapag napirmahan na ng dalawang panig ang CASER?

JMS: Sa ilalim ng CASER, isasakatuparan ang tunay na reporma sa lupa na kaiba sa kasalukuyang bogus na land reform. Ipapamahagi ang lupa sa mga magsasakang walang lupa o kulang sa lupa mula sa public domain at mula sa mga lupang pag-aari ng mga asendero o panginoong maylupa na bibilhin ng gobyerno sa mababang presyo at ipamumudmod ito sa mga magsasaka sa kaya nilang presyo. Hindi katulad ngayon na hindi kayang bayaran ng mga magsasaka ang lupang ipinamamahagi sa ilalim ng bogus na land reform ng gobyerno.

Sa ilalim din ng CASER, isasakatuparan ang pambansang industrialisasyon. Magkakaroon ang Pilipinas ng kasarinlan sa ekonomiya, mapapangalagaan ang pambansang patrimonya sa likas na yaman at paggamit nito at gayundin ng pag-unlad sa industriya. Itatayo ang mga industriya na may kapabilidad na gumawa ng mga makinang kagamitan sa pagmamanupaktura at mga pangunahing sangkap, tulad ng mga metal, kimika at elektronika, at mga manupakturang kinakain at ginagamit ng karaniwang tao.

Sa gayon, uunlad ang Pilipinas tulad ng mga industrialisadong bansa, tulad ng Amerika, Hapon, Tsina, Europa at Korea. Lilikha ang mga ito ng trabaho para sa milyun-milyong kababayan na walang trabaho o kulang sa trabaho sa kanayunan at kalunsuran. Giginhawa ang sambayanang Pilipino mula sa kasalukuyang kalagayan ng inaapi at pinagsasamalantalahan ng mga dayuhang monopolyo, malalaking komprador at asendero at mga korap na opisyal sa burukrasya at sa militar.

SR3: Ang sabi po ni Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr., paso na raw po ang laman ng CASER, wala ng halaga ang mga nilalaman nito at ang Communist Party of the Philippines lang daw po ang makikinabang dito. Ano po ang inyong pagtingin sa bagay na ito, Prof Sison?

JMS: Hindi totoo ang sabi ni General Galvez. Sinungaling siya. Malakolonyal at malapyudal ang Pilipinas. Pinalubha ito ng tinawag na neoliberal globalization, ang patakarang pinabilis ang pag-ipon ng kapital sa kamay ng mga dayuhang monopolyo at malalaking komprador at asendro sa pamamagitan ng pagpapababa sa antas ng pasahod. Lalong hinaharang ang tunay na reporma sa lupa at pambansang industrialisasyon. Lalong nakikinabang ang mga halimaw sa pagsasamantala sa mga manggagawa, magsasaka at pati na mga nasa gitnang saray ng lipunan. Ito ang dahilan ng pagkaatrasado ng ekonomiya ng Pilipinas.

Ilinuluwas ng mga imperyalista at mga mapagsamantalang uri ang kayamanan ng Pilipinas sa anyo ng supertubo at sa pamamagitan ng kalakalang kolonyal. Nagluluwas ng hilaw na sangkap at murang paggawa at nag-aangkat ng mga yaring produkto pati na ang mga gamit na panluho ng mga nagsasamantalang uri.

Kapag may tunay na land reform, ang makikinabang ay mga magsasaka at buong bansa na magkakaroon ng sapat na pagkain at malawak na palengke ng mga manupaktura ng bansa. Kapag may pambansang industrialisasyon, ang makikinabang ay mga mangagagawa, mga taong walang trabaho na magkakaron ng trabaho at buong bansa na makikinabang sa pagtaas ng antas ng kaunlaran at ginhawa sa kabuhayan.

SR4: Ayon naman kay National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., hindi tutuo na isasalba ng CASER sa kahirapan ang mamamayang Pilipno. Ang lahat ng nakatala sa CASER ay pulos kaisipang komunismo. Tatanggalin din nito sa serbisyo ang mga elemento ng Armed Forces of the Philippines o AFP at tanging ang New People’s Army o NPA lang ang makikinabang sa CASER dahil ang mga ito ang magpapatupad ng agrarian reform. Ano po ang masasabi ninyo sa pahayag ni Esperon, Prof. Sison?

JMS: Bobo si General Esperon. Hindi komunismo ang tunay na land reform at pambansang industrialisasyon. Patriotismo ito at mga repormang ito ay burges-demokratiko pa. Hindi man sosyalismo ang mga repormang ito. Lalong malayo sa komunismo. Walang nalalaman at sinungaling itong si Esperon.

Kapag nagkaroon ng mga makabayang reporma tulad ng tunay na reporma sa lupa at pambansang industrialisasyon, makikinabang pareho ang mga sundalo ng AFP at mandirigma ng NPA at mga pamilya nila tulad ng lahat ng mamamayan. Kapag nagkaroon talaga ng mga repormang ito, hindi na kailangan na maglabanan pa ang AFP at NPA.

Mawawala na ang dahilan ng guerra sibil o sandatahang labanan. Ang lumalaking badyet para sa militar ay puede nang ilagay sa pagtatayo ng mga industriya at mga kooperatiba sa agrikultura. Wala nang pag-aaksaya ng pondo ng bayan at maramihang pamamaslang na ginagawa ng militar na utusan lamang ng mga imperyalista at mga papet nitong pulitiko sa ating bayan.

SR5: Para po sa kapatiran ng ating mga tagapakinig, sina Galvez at Esperon po ay mga dating Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines o AFP. Pareho silang ayaw ng ipagpatuloy ang peace talks sa ating bansa. Pareho silang nananalig na kakayanin ng gubyerno na tapusin ang insurhensiya sa bansa at maaaring gawin ang local peace talks sa mga rehiyon. Ano po ang inyong opinyon Prof Sison hinggil sa bagay na ito?

JMS: Habang nananatili ang pang-aapi at pagsasamantala ng mga dayuhang kapitalista, mga malaking komprador at asendero sa mga anakpawis at sa sambayanang Pilipino, lalong lalaki at lalakas ang rebolusyonaryong kilusan ng sambayanang Pilipino at hindi makakayang supilin o linlangin ng militar ng kontrarebolusyonaryong estado.

May pambansang katangian at saklaw ng mga batayang problema na naging sanhi ng pagrerebolusyon ng masang Pilipino. Kung gayon, ang karapatdapat na mag-usap sa peace negotiations ay mga negotiating panel na inatasan ng GRP at NDFP sa pambansang antas. Ang mga reporma na kinakailangang pag-usapan at pagkasunduan sa ekonomiya, pulitika at konstitusyon ay may pambansang saklaw.

Kung gayon, ang lahat ng organo ng CPP at kumand ng NPA sa lahat ng antas, magmula sa pinakamababa hanggang sa pinakamataas, ay tumanggi na sa alok ng tinawag na localized peace talks. Kinokondena nila ito bilang isang mapanlinlang at malisyosong pakana ng mga militarista at pasista para hatiin ang kilusang rebolusyonaryo at isang patibong para magpasurender at patayin ang mga magsurender tulad sa Oplan Tokhang.

Walang localized peace talks na nangyayari kundi photo-ops ng mga militar at mga asset nila o mga pamiting ng mga sibilyan sa utos at pananakot ng militar. Pagkatapos palilitawin nilang mga nag-surrender ang mga nasa retrato o list of attendance para ibulsa ng mga opisyal na militar ang pera mula sa tinawag na E-CLIP o mula sa intelligence at discretionary fund. Raket lamang ng militar ang pekeng localized peace talks.

Dating raket na ito tulad ng PAMANA conditional cash transfer na pinalaki lamang. Walang taong naloloko nito dahil sa maliwanag ang mga militar ang nagbubulsa ng malaking bahagi ng pera para sa mga tinawag sa surrenderers at pagkatapos papatayin nila ang ito para makakuha pa ng mas malaking pera.

Yong mga mas tusong military officer nag-iimbento sa papel ng mga listahan ng nagsurrender at napatay sa mga pekeng engkwentro. Katawa-tawa na ipinaghahambog ng rehimeng Duterte na maraming ulit sa aktwal na bilang ng mandirigmang NPA ang nagsurrender at pinatay. Madalas ang aktwal na pinapatay ay mga sibilyan na sinisiraan muna ng red-tagging sa ilalim ng National Task Force-ELCAC.

SR6: Isang mahalagang paksa na naman ang ating tinalakay sa araw na ito. Ano po ang inyong ipapabaon sa ating mga tagapakinig, Prof Sison?

JMS: Tapos na ang mas malaking bahagi ng termino ni Duterte. Nasa takipsilim na ang administrasyon niya. Sinikap nitong patayin ang kilusang rebolusyonaryo ng sambayanang Pilipino. Subalit hindi lang siya bigo, lalo pang lumakas ang rebolusyon. Tumpak na tawagin siyang best recruiter ng NPA dahil sa lalong dumami ang armadong rebolusyonaryo dahil sa ibayong pagsasamantala at pagmamalupit sa mga mamamayan.

Wasto ang kapasyahan at tunguhin na lumaban kayo, mga kababayan, hanggang tagumpay. Nasa inyong pakikibaka ang pagkakamit ng pambansang kalayaan at tunay na demokrasya. Kung sakali mang magkaroon ng peace negotiations sa pambansang antas huwag kayong manlubay sa pakikibaka habang hindi ipinapatupad ang anupamang kasunduan ukol sa mga repormang batayan ng makatarungang kapayapaan.

Habang paliit na ang panahon ni Duterte sa kapangyarihan, lalong huwag tayong umasa na handa siyang makipag-usap para sa makatarungang kapayapaan. Napapalibutan siya ng mga militaristang heneral na katulad niyang berdugo at papet ng mga imperyalista. Kung magpataw ng pormalisado at lubusang pasistang diktadura sa Pilipinas ang mga nasa kapangyarihan, paigtingin pang lalo ang ating paglaban hanggang makamit ang ganap na tagumpay.

JMS:: Mga kababayan, nagpapaalam ako sa inyo hanggang sa susunod na panayam namin ni Prop.Sarah Raymundo. Maraming salamat sa inyong pakikinig. Mabuhay kayo!

Prof Sarah: Maraming maraming salamat po Prof. Sison sa inyong matalas at malinaw na pagtatalakay ng mga isyu na kaugnay ng CASER o Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms.

Matagal na debate kung paano ba babaguhin ang lipunang Pilipino: reporma o rebolusyon? Para sa mga kagaya nina Esperon at Galvez, masama ang rebolusyon, masama rin ang reporma tulad ng CASER. Kung gayon, pinagtatanggol lang nila ang namamayaning sistema. Batid naman ng mga rebolusyonaryo na kinakailangan ang pagpapatupad ng mga repormang makatutugon sa pangangailangan ng taumbayan sa proseso ng pagkakamit ng rebolusyonaryong pagbabago.

Kung ano ang inilawak at iniluwang ng puwang sa alternatibo na inilalaan ng NDFP sa usapin ng CASER para sa Peace Talks ay gayon na lang ang kitid at makaisang-panig ang pananaw ng mga elemento ng militar na kumakatawan sa gobyerno sa usaping ito, walang pinagkaiba sa pananakal na ginagawa ng gobyerno sa sambayanang Pilpino. Taglay ng CASER ang paunang hakbang sa pagkamit sa ekonomiko at panlipunang hustisya. Isulong natin ito kasabay ang panawagan sa Peace Talks.

Ito po si Sarah Raymundo, aktibista ng Bagong Alyansang Makabayan o BAYAN at guro ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas-Diliman. Maraming salamat sa inyong pakikinig at hanggang sa muli dito sa Itanong Mo Kay Prof.

End