In more than two years, the fascist, puppet and inutile US-Marcos II regime was further exposed in the face of the worsening semicolonial and semifeudal crisis endured by the Filipino people. His regime remained blind and deaf in responding to the long-standing demands of the people such as genuine land reform, national industrialization, wage increase and benefits, support for agricultural implements, free social services and others amid the severe damage caused by El Niño.
The El Niño phenomenon exacerbated the people’s misery, but the inutile reactionary government have no concrete and sustainable steps to help the people in this natural disaster. Western Visayas is one of the severely devastated by the effects of El Niño that reached P770.5 million and affected more than 20,000 farmers. In Negros island, damage to crops like rice, corn, sugarcane and others increased (P97.7 million in Negros Occidental and P77 million in Negros Oriental), water sources dried up, and grassfires, forest fires and residential fires were widespread due to intense heat. Classes in schools are also affected due to high temperatures. This has also contributed to the rise in cases of heat stroke, high blood pressure and some cases of pertussis that are expected to increase even more during this season.
There is no end to Marcos Jr’s expensive travels to other countries that does not even improve the lives of ordinary people. The puppet regime maneuvers to amend the economic provisions of the Constitution to give foreign investors full ownership of the country’s riches and facilitate the imposition of neoliberal policies of the imperialists.
The lives of the Filipino people are threatened as tensions intensify in the West Philippine Sea. As the Marcos Jr regime is a puppet of the US, the Philippines is being used as base for US troops and military equipment and its land and seas become playgrounds through launching joint patrols in the West Philippine Sea and Balikatan exercises especially this month in Batanes and Palawan islands that will trigger an even more intense conflict between imperialists US and China. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) rushes to enforce the imperialist US’ order to end the insurgency so that its troops could be fully used against its rival, imperialist China.
Particularly on Negros Island, in order to cover-up the humiliation and failure of the Visayas Command (VISCOM) and 3rd Infantry Division to destroy the entire revolutionary movement, it hastened to declare Negros Island under the state of Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) after boasting that they had already dismantled the guerrilla fronts on the island. But contrary to their declaration, there is no genuine peace and the people, especially the peasants, have become targets of fascism and terrorism of the reactionary armed forces.
The AFP’s focused military operations (FMO) and Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) are relentless in their so-called pursuit of “NPA remnants” and to prevent the “resurgence of the revolutionary movement.” A large amount of funds were poured into the NTF-Elcac for the Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP) and Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) to collect big sums of kickback for the pockets of top military officials and to deceive the people through parading fake surrenderees and implementing useless projects in communities declared to be “insurgency-free.”
In the first quarter of 2024, the National Democratic Front (NDF)-Negros recorded 84 incidents of violations of the international humanitarian law and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) by the AFP and Philippine National Police (PNP) and their paramilitary that involved more than 6,300 victims (765 were minors).
Most prominent in the first quarter is the series of human rights violations committed by the 79th IB in peasant communities from February 21 to the last week of the same month at Sitio Mansulao, Brgy. Pinapugasan, Escalante City, Negros Occidental after an encounter between the Roselyn Jean Pelle Command-New People’s Army (RJPC-NPA) and said military elements on February 21.
Jose Caramihan, a farmer and resident of Sitio Mansulao, was brutally killed by 79th IB troops while he was planting rice during the gun battle last February 21. Despite the family’s firm denial and the RJPC-NPA’s explanation on the incident, the 79th IB maintained that Caramihan was a NPA member and was killed in the encounter.
Of the 11 fake encounters from January to March, eight of these were carried out by the 79th IB on February 21 to 23 and February 27 and they claimed that they encountered again the so-called “five NPAs” at Sitio Mansulao of the same barangay. The worst of the declared fake encounters were the over 10 rounds of bombardment of the 79th IB on the part of Trangkal Range in Sitio Mansulao last February 22, from 6:00 until 9:00 in the morning. An air strike in the same sitio followed that day at 7:00 in the evening. No less than five rockets were dropped and machine guns were fired from two Agusta Westland 109 Nighthawk attack helicopters.
The military forced residents of Sitio Mansulao and neighboring sitios in Escalante City and Toboso, Negros Occidental to evacuate on February 21 and others until the last week of February, causing fear among the people and concern for their lives and livelihoods.
Meanwhile, even before the bombing, the 79th IB declared that an “encounter” occurred last January 15 to cover up a mis-encounter between their uniformed military elements and military troops in civilian clothes pretending to be NPA fighters. The two groups met at the perimeter of Sitio Donit, Brgy. Magticol, Toboso and the gunfight ensued.
In Central Negros, two fake encounters were also declared by the 62nd IB to cover up their brutal crimes. The first incident was the shooting to death by the aforementioned military unit of two farmers, Boy Baloy, a senior citizen, and Bernard Torres, over 50 years old, last January 17, at 6:45 in the morning, in Sitio Gomez, Brgy. Sag-ang, La Castellana, Negros Occidental. They experienced torture before being killed. Baloy and Torres were forced to flee their place in Guihulngan City due to red-tagging by the military in 2017 and they were accused of being NPA supporters. Baloy was a member of Kapunongan Alang sa Ugma sa Gamay’ng Mag-uuma sa Oriental Negros (KAUGMAON)-Guihulngan City Chapter while Torres was a member of UNDOC/PISTON-Guihulngan Chapter.
The second incident was the indiscriminate shooting of 62nd IB soldiers at the house of couple Randy and Maribel Pecore in Sitio Mabato, Brgy. Talaon, La Libertad, Negros Oriental last March 15, past 9:00 in the evening. The soldiers were in civilian clothes but Maribel recognized them as military because she had previously seen them at the barangay hall where she worked as Barangay Population Development Officer. The couple were accused of harboring NPAs in their house. The military forcibly entered their house and searched their belongings. After the incident, 62nd IB troops visited the couple again and threatened them with trumped-up charges if they refuse to cooperate.
Meanwhile, Donan Sosia, an active member of the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU), shot to death father and son Gudofredo, 70, and John Albert Templatura, 32 years old, at Purok Sab-a, Brgy. Montilla, Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental past 4:00 in the afternoon, January 2. Sosia responded alone to a family commotion during Albert’s birthday celebration. Two neighbors of Templatura were also wounded after they were hit by Sosia’s indiscriminate shooting. The 62nd IB is held accountable for this incident since the CAFGU in the area is under their command control.
On the other hand, farmer Cerilo Bagnoran Jr survived an assassination attempt when he was shot by three armed men wearing civilian clothes while riding on a motorcycle last January 14 at Crossing Cordova, Brgy. Manghanoy, La Castellana, Negros Occidental. Before this, January 7, two men claiming to be members of the PNP looked for him at his residence in Sitio Cabadiangan, Brgy. Camandag, of the same town, and the next day, January 8, 62nd IB troopers searched for him when they were conducting a combat operation at Sitio Mandayao-4, still of the said barangay.
From January to March, six farmers were illegally arrested on trumped-up charges. Father and son, Ray Vinces and Deloy de Leon, and Romy Villacanao were captured by combined forces of the 94th IB and PNP last January 21 at Sitio Cantupa-Pisok, and Elmer Nicolas Quillano, 47 years old, was apprehended last February 6 at Sitio Dawahan, both in Brgy. Buenavista, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental. They were members of Kauswagan sang Mangunguma sa Buenavista (KMB). In Guihulngan City, Ronald Cantela was arrested by elements of the 62nd IB after his house was ransacked and his belongings were searched. They planted two pistols on him.
Pertinisa Jeruela Charita, 55 years old, was also arrested at the city jail of San Carlos City, Negros Occidental last February 13, 1:00 in the afternoon as she was visiting her husband Leon. Jail guards alleged that a .22 caliber was found inside her bag during inspection. Charita was one of those who met with United Nations rapporteur Irene Khan in Cebu City last January to present the real circumstances of the arrest of her husband last 2019. Leon is a member of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW). It can be recalled that Leon and seven other activists were arrested last September 2019 at a checkpoint and were charged with a trumped-up case of illegal possession of firearms and explosives. They were carrying leaflets and a sound system for their activity on the commemoration of the Escalante Massacre when they were captured by the police.
Likewise, three farmers namely Romy Gallo, Romeo Gallo and Dondon Jamaybay sustained bruises and wounds all over their body when forces of the 15th IB assaulted them on March 9 at Sitio Bonbon, Inayawan, Cauayan, Negros Occidental. Dondon Alesasis was also threatened to be killed by the said soldiers at Sitio Kalapnisan of the same barangay on March 13.
The house of Marjie Campos in Sitio Kantyang, Brgy. Caliling, Cauayan was ransacked by 15th IB troops last February and some of her personal belongings were seized. She was forced to admit that the NPA owned the hammock she bought through online shopping.
From January until March, 37 incidents of threats, harassments and intimidation were suffered by residents at the hands of the military. Soldiers forced their way into houses despite the residents’ refusal and interrogated them regarding the whereabouts of the NPA. The military also conducted a census. They threatened residents accused of being NPA supporters to surrender and put residents under surveillance. The military conducted checkpoints and scoured forests that sowed fear among farmers preventing them from going to their farms. Said incidents are usually carried out by soldiers at night and there were cases where they disguised themselves as NPA members.
To spread black propaganda against Red fighters and the entire revolutionary movement, the 62nd IB conducted meetings in barangays of Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental and La Carlota City and Moises Padilla in Negros Occidental and forced the residents to attend. In Cauayan, the 15th IB disseminated posters demonizing the NPA and blamed the Red fighters for the disturbance in more than 10 sitios in the said town last March. The 15th IB occupied those said sitios under the guise of the RCSP.
From January to March, there were cases of military encampment in barangay halls, schools, houses of peasants and others that restricted the daily activities of residents.
As long as imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism persists in the country, so will the semicolonial and semifeudal system. With Marcos Jr’s utter puppetry to imperialist US’ demands, the Filipino people expect a more intense militarization. The people must unite to fight for their rights and welfare and advance national liberation and democracy. The regime must be made accountable for its crimes against the people.
Only the people are decisive in winning the people’s war against the ruling class. Their mighty strength together with the NPA and under the leadership of the Communist Party of the Philippines will soon break the perpetual chain of exploitation and oppression.#
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