Major General Antonio Parlade, Jr., Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Deputy Chief-of-Staff for Civil-Military Operations (PNA File photo)
MANILA -- Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairperson Jose Maria "Joma" Sison's vehement denial of the newly-discovered hit list against ranking government officials demonstrates his strong ties to the insurgency movement, a ranking official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) said Friday.
"Why did he react immediately? It should tell us he knows about it because the Central Committee orders were just very recently given, as in a few hours after it was issued," said Major General Antonio Parlade, Jr., who is also Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Deputy Chief-of-Staff for Civil-Military Operations.
Included in the hit list are Parlade, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., and National Commission on the Indigenous Peoples chair Allen Capuyan.
The plot, codenamed "Oplan Hades", is part of the communist rebels' effort against so-called counter-revolutionaries.
"We exposed this 'Oplan Hades' as early as last year, after the bungled Red October destabilization plot involving Movement Against Tyranny remember? But nobody believed us," he said.
He urged Filipinos not to believe Sison's statement as the CPP founder has always denied every misdeed and atrocities committed by the communist rebels, including the bombing of Plaza Miranda, Quiapo, Manila on August 21, 1971.
"Of course 'Joma' has always denied everything like ordering the bombing of Plaza Miranda in order to force Marcos to declare Martial Law in (1971). Senator Jovito Salonga would later confirm that it was not Marcos who bombed the Liberal Party rally but 'Joma' Sison," he added.
Aside from ranking government officials, also included in the hit list is former Central Committee member and Military Commission head Ruben Guevarra whom the NTF ELCAC official said is privy to the plot.
"One of those in this new hit list in 'Hades 2', by the way, is Ruben Guevarra, former Central Committee member and head of the Military Commission, and is, therefore, privy to the Plaza Miranda plot. Now he is again being targetted for his active participation in exposing the PM (Plaza Miranda) bombing in the movie clip 'Madugong Singkwenta'. It was released last year to remind people of the bloody trail that the CPP's violence has brought us over 50 years. This December 26, it will turn 51," he added.
Despite Sison's non-admission of his participation regarding the massive purges that killed thousands of CPP-NPA fighters and supporters, a court ruled that he has direct participation in this bloody event, hence an arrest warrant was issued against him in connection to the Inopacan Massacre.
"Did 'Joma' also admit to the thousands of CPP and NPA cadres killed by their own people during the purging? No, he did not. But the court was later convinced of his direct participation, hence the warrant for his arrest for the Inopacan mass killings. In fairness to Satur Ocampo, he did admit to this mistake in a recorded interview he gave. At least he knows that even as he claims he is a 'progressive' there is blood in his hands," Parlade said.
He added that the hit list prompted communist rebels to beef up the presence of their Special Partisan Unit (Sparu) in urban areas to attack their enemies as stated in the communist rebels' "Limang Taong Programa ng Partido (2017-2021)".
"And what does the 'Limang Taong Programa ng Partido (2017-2021)' says about the Sparu? In the "Taktikal na Programa - KTKS 01/19/2019 paragraph 4.8, it clearly says that it should strengthen and activate partisan operation in the city. 'Palawakin at pasiglahin ang mga operasyong partisano upang bigwasan, guluhin at parusahan ang kaaway sa mga syudad.' It (is) very clear that 'Joma' wants the CPP-NPA hitmen called Sparu, to attack government/officials to kill, harass, or punish them," he said.
Such strong statements belied Sison's claims that the hit list is just psywar, he said.
"Maybe we should also remind Sison that just last November, he intimated that the Sparu of the CPP-NPA may return 'if there is no more space for patriotic and progressive forces in urban areas'. Maybe your spokesman (could) remind (Joma). The Sparu will be here because their forces have nowhere else to go after most of the provinces, towns, and barangays have declared the CPP NPA as 'persona non grata'," he said.
With all these things going against the CPP-NPA, Parlade chided Sison for choosing this time to talk peace again in order to save face.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)
