LUCENA CITY – Key officials of the Duterte administration are “singing a chorus of fantastic lies” to pave the way for the declaration of martial law, the Communist Party of the Philippines said Wednesday.
“These recent propaganda blitzkriegs was orchestrated by Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana’s fraud-filled message in a vain attempt to discredit the Party and revolutionary forces, sow confusion and justify increasingly militarist and repressive measures against the people,” the CPP said in a press release.
The CPP dismissed as “a complete fabrication” claims made by Lorenzana that the CPP has planned the “Oust Duterte Movement” to culminate by October.
“Duterte’s henchmen are hyping-up this lie prompting many to ask, whether Duterte is, in fact, planning to declare martial law or a general crackdown by October,” it said.
3-year plan
According to Lorenzana, the insurgents have crafted a “three-year plan” to “advance the revolutionary movement,” including a plot to unseat the President should he disagree with the establishment of a coalition government.
The plan, he said, was the product of the second People’s Congress of the CPP-NDFP (National Democratic Front of teh Philippines) and the CPP Central Committee Plenum from October to December 2016.
“Based on the foregoing deliberate actions of the CPP/NDF/NPA, it is obvious that they are not sincere to talk peace,” Lorenzana said.
Church-Left alliance
The CPP also slammed the Duterte regime for claiming that a “Church-Left” alliance was behind the supposed ouster plan.
“With Duterte’s tirades against the Church and religious beliefs having backfired, he is now accusing bishops and church leaders of conniving with ‘terrorists’ in the hope of casting aspersions against his critics,” the CPP said.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque claimed that it wouldn’t be surprising if Church leaders would unite with the CPP and its armed wing, the New People’s Army to oust Duterte.
Roque, however, refused to name those Church leaders.
Local peace talks
The CPP also reiterated that the “local peace talks” being promoted by Lorenzana would not prosper.
“All units of the NPA and committees of the CPP are united under the central leadership of the Party. The Party and NPA fully support the Negotiating Panel of the NDFP in its representation of all revolutionary forces in negotiations with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines,” said the CPP.
Exiled CPP founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison also slammed the proposed localized peace talks and branded it as a military tactic to create division and intrigues among revolutionary movement.
“Ang localized peace talks ay taktika ng fragmentation at intrigue laban sa kilusang rebolusyonaryo,” Sison said in an online interview.
Sison said local peace negotiation has long been proven wrong by the rebels since the reestablishment of the CPP in 1966-68 during the “First Great Rectification Movement.”
He said the collapse of the first peace talks and a ceasefire in 1987 had left valuable life and death lessons among communist cadres.
“Pati centralized formal talks ng NDFP sa Manila hindi pwede dahil sa pagmamanman ng kaaway at kasunod na pagdukot, tortyur at pamamaslang ng AFP personnel na nalalantad sa mata ng kaaway,” he said./lb