‘Reds care’

NO other political beliefs in the Philippines are as controversial – and misunderstood – as national democracy, socialism, and communism. And despite the repeal of the Anti-Subversion Law, serious problems remain in how the government and the rest of society view, treat, and respect their adherents.

The Philippines criminalized the Communist Party of the Philippines in 1957 with the enactment of the Anti-Subversion Law. Big and historic events happened in the 35 years from 1957 to 1992 when the law was finally repealed: the anti-communist hysteria of the late 1950’s, Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship, and Corazon Aquino’s total war.

That’s 35 long years, a long time for the entire government, legislature, the courts, the police and military, schools, and media to demonize both the beliefs and believers of national democracy, socialism, and communism.

The law’s effects are too potent that, up to now, Filipinos are made to feel and understand that nothing has changed since 1992. Many still believe or declare that national democrats, socialists, and communists have no place in society and politics. Whenever armed communist rebels or activists are arrested, the police still continue to claim and the media dutifully report the seizure of “subversive documents.” Only the believers of these ideas are made to take a made-up and unfair test to check their loyalty to the system. And in many unresolved cases, many have been ordered to operationalize the barbaric idea “better dead than Red.”

The military continues to insist, with obvious malice, that Bayan and Makabayan are mere “front organizations” of the CPP. The malice is apparently intended to link these unarmed civilian activists of Bayan and parliamentarians of Makabayan to the CPP – although there’s absolutely nothing illegal if they could even finally find and present proof about such links because the CPP is no longer outlawed and mere membership in the CPP is no longer a crime.

It is important to note here that those talks which started in 1992 have already produced at least 11 bilateral agreements. The most important of which are: (1) The Hague Joint Declaration, which serves as the framework agreement on the basis, nature, conduct, and objective of the talks; (b) the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG); and (c) the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law. The latter is a historic document, and meant that both the Manila government and the NDF have hurdled the first of the four items in the talk’s substantive agenda.

Thirty-five years of legalized anti-communism is not easy to cast aside, obviously. Thus, we continue to encounter problems.

First, the government has practically suspended the formal talks since the time of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. BS Aquino has, for most of his term of office, opted to unleash war on the CPP-NPA-NDF, while his Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process hopes to tear down all the previous gains of the past rounds of talks. The newly-appointed military chief has vowed to crush the communist movement into submission – the exact same thing all past military chiefs since Fabian Ver have likewise all failed to achieve and deliver.

Second, the “legal offensive” against the CPP-NPA-NDF continues. After unilaterally suspending the talks and ignoring agreements such as the JASIG, the government continues to charge its principal leaders and consultants with multiple murder, kidnapping, arson, and other crimes. It seems the thinking goes something like this: Better to make these communists face trumped-up criminal cases, than to charge them with rebellion. They’d be demonized before the public, and made to languish in jail over the non-bailable offenses.

Third, the government has shown no qualms in including legal, aboveground, and unarmed activists as targets in both counter-insurgency operations and in the “legal offensive.”

The latter explains why these incidents happen: the closure of the Lumad schools in southern Mindanao; the harassment of the likes of Antonieta Setias Dizon of COURAGE; the arrest and detention of Randy Vegas and Raul Camposano also of COURAGE; the inclusion of many personalities of Bayan and Makabayan in cases involving the CPPNPA-NDF; the harassment against typhoon Yolanda survivors’ alliance People’s Surge; and many other incidents ranging from red-tagging to extrajudicial killings of activists.

The lingering effects of anticommunism deny ourselves the full participation of many fellow citizens who just happen to be politically different. The frequent libel against activists is totally uncalled for, especially in a society that supposedly bewails public apathy in public affairs. The slander against dissenters are in fact a result and rehash of decades of anti-communist indoctrination, misinformation, and propaganda.

It is time to ask ourselves why these Reds still gather support and attract believers. Martial law and unremitting counterinsurgency operations have been unleashed against them. The government has signed 11 agreements with them to coax them to surrender. Countless charges have been filed, and hundreds have been put to jail. Not a few have been coopted.

National democrats, socialists, and communists still persevere in the revolution. Fallen Red fighters like Kumander Parago are lionized by the public as their champions. Bayan still leads mass demonstrations and joins alliances on the biggest national issues. Makabayan party-lists are among the most outspoken fiscalizers in Congress.

There must be something in the Reds’ beliefs and agenda that is so compelling, so timeless, so refreshing to the people who defy the tremendous odds, libel, and slander just to be part of them and to support them.

We wouldn’t know unless we defy the Red-tagging that has been wired into our heads – and seriously ask, listen, and understand.

The song Tatsulok, originally by Buklod and popularized by Bamboo, gives a musical clue:

Hindi pula’t dilaw tunay na magkalaban Ang kulay at tatak ay di syang dahilan Hangga’t marami ang lugmok sa kahirapan At ang hustisya ay para lang sa mayaman

Habang may tatsulok at sila ang nasa tuktok

Di matatapos itong gulo

Follow me on Twitter @ tonyocruz and check out my blog tonyocruz.com