Rebels claim foothold in 200 towns
AGUSAN DEL SUR— Communist guerrillas celebrated the 45th anniversary of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) with claims of success and presence in at least 2,000 villages in 200 towns in 19 provinces in Mindanao.
A leader of the National Democratic Front (NDF), the umbrella organization of underground revolutionary groups, in Mindanao said the villages were virtually being run by a rebel government.
“These places have zero or minimal criminal cases, like rape and theft, gambling and even the use of illegal drugs,” said Jorge Madlos, NDF Mindanao spokesperson, in a speech in a guerrilla camp deep in the jungles of this province.
Guerrilla presence in these villages, Madlos said, was just one of the “many victories of our revolutionary struggle in the past 45 years.”
Another victory, he said, was the establishment of 46 guerrilla fronts in five areas in Mindanao and a membership of at least 10,000 in the CPP.
“In the last five years, tactical offensives of the NPA (New People’s Army) have significantly intensified,” he added.
He said guerrilla attacks on what the rebels describe as legitimate targets had increased from 250 in 2010 to 400 this year.
These include the attack on the Del Monte plantation, a raid on a militia detachment in Misamis Oriental province, an ambush of an Army unit in North Cotabato province and the seizure of firearms from a security agency in Tagum City and police headquarters in Misamis Occidental, according toMadlos.
The NDF spokesperson, however, admitted the guerrillas were still far from achieving a key objective—strategic stalemate or the stage in which government and guerrilla forces are on equal footing.
“We have realized that achieving the strategic stalemate of the people’s war is still quite far,” saidMadlos.
He said that aside from increasing the strength of the NPA, the armed component of the NDF, guerrillas also needed to win the support of up to 30 million Filipinos to advance the revolution.
Turning to President Aquino, whose administration has all but given up on peace talkswith communist guerrillas, Madlos said the transition from the Arroyo to the second Aquino administration failed to usher in meaningful changes in the government and society.
Corruption continued, as shown by the pork barrel scandal, human rights abuses persisted, prices of basic commoditieswere on the rise and government incompetence showed in its response to Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” Madlos said.
“Aquino must be ousted and prosecuted,” he said, without specifying for what offenses the President should be prosecuted for.
According to Madlos, the most glaring sin of omission committed by Mr. Aquino was his failure to himself push for the distribution to farmers of lands in Hacienda Luisita, a more than 6,000hectare estate owned by the President’s family in Tarlac province.