Major General Antonio Parlade, Jr. (File photo)
MANILA -- Despite the resistance and criticisms of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chair Jose Maria "Joma" Sison and his allies, programs of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) designed to end the security threats posed by these terrorist groups will continue.
This, according to Major General Antonio Parlade, Jr., of the NTF ELCAC, in a statement sent to the Philippine News Agency Sunday.
"Despite the resistance and criticisms of the Kamatayan (Makabayan) Bloc, the NTF ELCAC Programs anchored on good governance, will continue to provide services, livelihood, land, and infrastructure to the underprivileged in order to end local communist insurgency. The CPP obviously does not want the government to succeed in eradicating poverty and social injustice, lest they become irrelevant," he added.
Parlade, who is also Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Deputy Chief-of-Staff for Civil-Military Operations, said the CPP and its allies are using all possible means to ensure their survival as they are very threatened by the success of the NTF ELCAC's localized peace engagement, Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program, land distribution and the unequivocal enforcement of laws which are among the primary reasons for the massive surrender of New People's Army (NPA) regulars and supporters in the past months.
Due to this success, he added that communist rebels and their supporters are now resorting to "propaganda theatrics" to conserve whatever sympathy and funding is left for them from foreign funding institutions and allies from the International League of Peoples' Struggle.
Reds more desperate
Parlade said efforts of the Makabayan bloc to gather signatures from other members of the House of Representatives for their petition calling for the government to stop its alleged crackdown on progressive groups are a sign of desperation.
This came after recent police and military operations in Bacolod City, Escalante Cuty, and Metro Manila that resulted in the arrest of suspected militant members, confiscation of assorted weapons and explosives and rescue of minors whom communists reportedly recruited to beef up their depleted ranks.
"The Kamatayan (Makabayan) bloc desperately solicited signatures from Members of the House of Representatives to gain a semblance of support to the petition to stop the crackdown on so called 'progressive' groups. How pathetic can this act be? Again, it was Jose Maria Sison who red-tagged these CTG (communist terror organization) organizations and their members who were captured in raids in Bacolod when he announced through his favorite mouthpiece saying, 'To escape the continuous government anti-insurgency attacks and civil-military operations, Sison said the Maoist-inspired Red fighters have also 'skillfully used the tactics of shifting from areas under concentrated enemy attack, concentrating elsewhere to attack the weak points of the enemy and dispersing to do mass work'," Parlade said.
Sison’s statement, he said, clearly explains why NPA fighters are present in the underground (UG) safehouses of Bayan Muna, Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Kilusang Mayo Uno, National Union of Union of Peoples Lawyer, Anakbayan, and Karapatan.
"All of them, by the way, claimed that these UG houses were their offices, notwithstanding the fact that the houses were not registered in the barangay. There were firearms and explosives inside, and worst was the presence of very young children, aged 12-17, whom they were able to recruit and train already," he added.
Parlade also accused the Makabayan bloc of suffering from the so-called "Introspection Illusion" as they believed that 32 years of uninterrupted duplicity since 1986 that led them to their own version of "truth or accuracy".
"They believe they can win over people through 'enlightenment' and deceit. They trusted their internal (communist) ideological dogmas too much and too long and they think their introspections are more reliable than others. This attitude of terrorist activists creates an ‘illusion of superiority’ (Rolf Dobelli in 'The Art of Thinking Clearly'). Hence, no matter what will confront them, they will always believe that they are right," he added.
All of this, he said, can be blamed on Sison and the CPP-NPA ideology and this is now happening to the unfortunate children recruited by the communist rebels in their violent revolution.
"But their time is up. No more government vacillation. Another life lost in this violence is one too many. NTF ELCAC was born to put an end to the CPP’s lunacy," Parlade added.
Rebels hurt by gov’t programs
Based on recovered CPP-NPA documents by the military earlier this month, Parlade said communist rebels are hurt by government initiatives against the local armed insurgency.
"Sa Limang-Taong Programa ng Partido (2017 hanggang 2021) Paliwanag sa 5-Taong Program (pahina 5) na nakuha sa inkwentro sa Samar ngayong buwan, malinaw na nasasaktan na ang CPP NPA sa mga programa ng gobyerno," he added.
The same communist document also justified the recruitment of minors for various activities in their movement.
"Ayon sa TAKTIKAL NA PROGRAMA (KTKS 01/15/2019) ang mga paggamit ng bata sa Bacolod na kabilang sa Teatro Obrero ay bahagi ng paggamit ng mga 'anyong popular at gustong-gusto ng masa gaya ng harana, singing contest, drama/soap opera,” he said quoting excerpts from B. 6.6 page 11.
He said the harassment allegations raised by Makabayan bloc members in the House of Representatives are outright lies as the rebel documents called for the creation of more NPA cadres and full-time activists.
"Upang lalong maging malinaw sa kaisipan ng 64 na kongresista na pumirma sa Resolusyon ng Kamatayan (Makabayan) Bloc kung anong kasinungalingan ang sinasabi ng mga kumunista sa Kongreso, ipabatid natin sa kanila ang nakasaad sa programa ng CPP na 'tiyakin ang tuloy-tuloy at programadong pagpaparami ng mga kadre at AKTIBISTANG PULTAYM mula sa organisadong masa, laluna mula sa mga manggagawa at kabataang estudyante, para italaga sa KILUSANG HAYAG at LIHIM sa kanayunan',” Parlade said quoting A.6. page 16 of the document.
The same captured documents also called for the recruitment of cadre and communist party members in the cities while pushing for the deployment of 20 to 30 percent of these full-time activist recruits in the countryside.
"Pursigidong paramihin ang NAPAPASAMPA sa HUKBO mula sa mga kadre at kasapi ng Partido at mga AKTIBISTANG masa sa kalunsuran. Italaga sa kanayunan taun-taon ang 20%-30% ng pwersang PULTAYM,” A.7 page 16 read.
Minor recruits for NPA frontline
Minors recruited by progressive groups Anakbayan and Kabataan are eventually being trained and transformed into fully-armed NPAs, he said.
He added that legislators, regardless of partylines, should be doing everything in their authority to ensure the safe return of these minors back to their families and loved ones instead of signing a resolution expressing support to the Makabayan bloc.
"Malinaw sa mga planong ito na ang sinasabi ni Vic Ladlad na 8,635 na kabataan na narekrut nila sa Anakbayan at Kabataan ay walang iba ang patutunguhan kundi maging ganap na NPA. Kapag ikaw ay isang mambabatas at hindi mo ginawan ng paraan na makabalik ang mga kabataang ito, bagkos itutulak mo pa sila sa kapahamakan sa pagpirma at pagpatunay na tama ang resolution ng mga Kamatayan (Makabayan) bloc, may pananagutan ka sa batas, sampo ng mga myembro ng Kamatayan bloc," he added.
Nothing wrong
He also came to the defense of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert saying the latter did nothing wrong in issuing the search warrants that allowed government troops to conduct the operations in Bacolod City early this month and file appropriate charges against underground members of the communist rebels.
"Hindi paglabag sa batas ang utos ni Judge Villavert para supilin ang mga terorista sa Bacolod, ireskyu ang mga musmos na batang NPA, at kasuhan ang mga nagpapanggap na 'ligal' gayun namang sila ay 'iligal' or PULTAYM na at nagtatago lamang sa UG safehouse ng Kamatayan(Makabayan) Bloc," he added.
Parlade said Sison seemed out of touch with reality as his orders called for the rectification of internal errors in the movement, weakness and damages caused military operations, dispersal, mistakes and negligence among their political leadership.
These orders are indicative that the CPP chair seems unaware that around 11,969 NPA and various supporters have voluntarily surrendered to the government for the past three years. Of this, 2,696 are regular NPA members.
"Sa haba ng utos ni Joma sa pahina 23 ng 5 Taong Programa, ang hindi nya alam paubos na ang kanyang mga NPA. 11,969 na ang nag susurender, 2,696 nito ay regular na NPA kaya walang mabuo ang kanyang mga prente. Ayon sa dokumento, 'dapat tukuyin at masigasig na ITUWID ang mga internal na pagkakamali at KAHINAAN na nagdudulot ng mga pinsala at nakahadlang sa pagsulong, pangunahin na sa mga ito ang konserbatismong militar, labis na dispersal, mga pagkakamali at kapabayaan sa pamununong pampulitika, burukratismo, mahinang kolektibong pamununo at iba pang kahinaan sa estilo ng paggawa at pamumuno’,” he said quoting the document’s A.1.3 page 5a.
Reds aware of ongoing surrenders
Parlade said contrary to Sison's claims that the number of communist rebels and supporters who surrendered to the government are fake, the captured documents indicate that the CPP-NPA is well aware of these and trying very hard to stop this trend.
"Nagtanong pa sila at ito ay patunay na alam nila na totoo ang mga nagsurrender. Ayon sa pahina 4, ‘Bakit maraming bumababa? Malaki ang kwerpo ng mga kadre, kung paano pataasin at mapaunlad ang kamulatan ng pwersa. Kailangan tinitingnan ang kalagayan’,” Parlade said.
Ongoing surrenders are also proven by the fact that youths, recruited by the CPP-NPA and its front groups, are now opting to come down from the hills.
These minors who have reservations on their cause are prevented by Anakbayan members from the Far Eastern University and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, he added.
"Naramdaman na nila ang dumadaming pagsuko. Mulat na rin ang ilang kabataan na unti unti ng bumababa tulad nina Lorrevie Caalaman, Alex Pacalda, Lloyd Ramos, at madami pa, na matagal ng gustong bumaba pero pinipigilan ng mga kasamahan nyang Anakbayan sa FEU at PUP," he said.
Rebel documents also claimed that the CPP-NPA is experiencing problems as it forces were dispersed too much in a wide area.
It also suggested that to remedy this, communist rebels should refrain from dispersing their strength and concentrate their forces instead.
"Nagging problema nila ay sobrang dispersal. Hayaan na malawak ang erea ang importante ay konsintrado ang pwersa.' Bisaya ang sumulat nito Joma kaya paki translate ng maayos sa Dutch kasi malaki talaga problima mo Joma," Parlade said, adding that many CPP-NPA cadres reported of platoon-sized presence in regions but these are actually not platoon in size.
"Ayon sa mga sundalo mo Joma 'sa ngayon ay target pa lng ito. 3-5 na ganap na SR (sub-region) maraming naguulat sa mga rehiyon na maraming platon, PERO HINDI TALAGA TUNAY NA PLATON’,” he said quoting Page 5A, A.2 of the document.
This, he added, is an indication that communist rebels on the ground are fooling Sison of their exact strength and capabilities so that the CPP chair can continue to ask for aid from foreign donors via their Community Empowerment Resource Network (CERNET), Climate Change Network Initiative (CCNCI), Save Our School Network and others.
"Samakatuwid, linoloko lang ng mga tao ni Jose Maria Sison ang kanilang mga amo, upang patuloy itong mang hingi ng pondo sa mga dayuhan, sa pamamagitan ng kung ano anong programa tulad ng Community Empowerment Resource Network (CERNET), Climate Change Network Initiative (CCNCI), Save Our School Network, at iba. Sa susunod, pagusapan natin ang pondo nila at kung paano nila ito ninakaw para sa partido," Parlade said.
The CPP-NPA is a listed as terrorist organization by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)
