At long last, NPA shouts its last

By Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr.

LAST March 29, the communist New People’s Army (NPA) celebrated its 52nd year of terrorizing our people — 50,000 civilians dead, another 13,000 soldiers and policemen killed, and counting. There were 144 incidents of land-mining resulting in 224 casualties, both from the military, police and civilians. The NPA also had 544 child warriors recruited, killed or surrendered. Yet some people are blind to all these.

“No, they are not terrorists,” they proclaim. “They are activists.”

Are these people for real?

Whatever, but that day marks the last of their anniversaries because from this day onwards, we will see clearly how they will evolve into modern- day bandits and scammers, thanks to their supporters in Congress, the academe, the media, artists, the clergy, local government executives, the business sector.

But thanks to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac), we will reverse all these, even before the year ends. How? By consistently exposing how Jose Ma. Sison had red-tagged them. By meeting their propaganda head-on.

Is there even a plan for these? None. There is no need for anything so elaborate. We will simply present the truth and facts that we have gathered through 52 years of their deception and lies. We just have to be persistent in drowning them with all the lies they have concocted through those years, until the people realize how they have been hoodwinked by these instruments of Satan. How ironic, though, because many of them are actually priests and nuns, or former members of the clergy.

To illustrate how people have been fooled by these communist terrorists, wittingly or unwittingly, I would start again with this strange coalition of sorts called 1Sambayan. From what we heard from them and their supporters, they simply describe themselves as the coalition of the “righteous.” They use adjectives and allegories for integrity, character, good governance, blah, blah, blah. No wonder then that they use Church personalities talking of “rule of law” and how it is being abused by this administration. They speak of adherence to human rights, empathy for the poor, decency in utterances, and many more general statements. We can’t help but agree with all these criteria. However, the people in the coalition hardly qualify for these set of criteria.

From the extreme left, there is Neri Colmenares. How can anyone decent enough align with this person? He cannot even denounce the atrocities of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDFP). As a member of Lupon ng Manananggol ng Bayan (Lumaban), steering the National Union of Peoples Lawyers (NUPL), he is mandated to defend at all costs all those terrorists apprehended by the authorities. It is not surprising therefore that he will be at the forefront in the petition at the Supreme Court against the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The NDFP website names Lumaban as a member organization, along with the Kabataang Makabayan (KM), Kalipunan ng mga Gurong Makabayan (Kaguma) of ACT, and the NPA. To illustrate the NDFP’s direct participation in the armed struggle, other than the inclusion of the Bagong Hukbong Bayan in the NDFP, let’s refresh ourselves with NDF-Negros Concha Araneta’s statement during their anniversary in April 2019. Araneta proudly proclaimed the 46 years of NDFP’s contributions to the armed struggle. She said that they “celebrate with heads high the indispensable role in advancing the Philippine revolution, including inflicting casualties of not less than 50 enemies in Panay.” Indeed, she said “the NDFP have continually filled the ranks of the NPA-CPP through the years.” (NDFP.org)

Going back to 1Sambayan, I saw the name of Samira Gutoc. It is the same Samira who, during a Senate hearing, accused soldiers of molesting women at checkpoints during the Marawi siege. Asked by Armed Forces of the Philippines commanders to provide more details of these abuses so that they can take action, she just shrugged it off saying she just heard the story from someone. In short, tsismis lang para sa media. Is this the person 1Sambayan has chosen to represent “integrity” and “character,” especially as a Muslim woman? Kaya n’yang ‘sumira’ ng dangal ng mga sundalo, para lang s’ya ay sumikat? This is the same Samira who would later give a speech in a forum called Babae Abante, together with Sarah Elago and Maria Sol Taule, both of whom are known liars and provocateurs. You can check their speeches in that forum and hear for yourself how they tried to radicalize grade school students of Humss at St. Bridget School. Listen how they feed children with lies so they will start hating their government. I cannot believe this is the same Samira whom the Army asked to help the organization in its transformation by being a member of the Multi Sector Advisory Board (MSAB).

I will get back to this line-up of 1Sambayan in my next piece. But for now, I would like to explain a bit how the NPA will capitulate by the end of the year.

As of this writing, 14,000 of their followers, including NPA regulars and Militia ng Bayan (MB), have returned to the fold of the law in a span of two years. From a strength of 11,930 armed regulars in 2001, they are down to 3,706 at the end of 2020. Nowadays it is common to hear NPA regulars surrender by platoons or in batches of four to six. This time though, they do not expect to be replenished by their MBs, who have already surrendered and continue to capitulate in large numbers.

The NTF-Elcac has also dismantled most of the organs of political power (OPPs) and the underground mass organizations (UGMOs) that comprise their revolutionary (shadow) government, which provides support to the red area. In its stead, the barangay development program of the NTF-Elcac is in full swing to provide the needs identified by these remote, isolated, disadvantaged areas which were once under the influence of the CPP-NPA.

The exposure by former cadres belonging to Sambayanan of the real nature of these UGMOs have contributed to the downtrend in the recruitment of new members. These are the “activists” in the white areas, providing the NPA members all their requirements, including legal assistance when captured, medical needs when wounded, or safehouses when they run away from pursuing soldiers in their bases.

With the convergence of all government agencies in NTF-Elcac addressing the CPP programs, especially its propaganda machinery, foreign funding to CPP front organizations has been drastically reduced. Front organizations like Gabriela, ACT, LFS, KMU and Courage are crumbling. Many of their members have severed their ties with their hardcore leaders. Some continue to be advocates for change, activists for real and legitimate issues, but never the violent terrorists that these CPP fronts had envisioned them to be.

Today we end the reign of the NPA. Tomorrow we wake up a free and progressive country.

(Original article from The Manila Times)