Presidential Legal Counsel chief Atty. Salvador Panelo. INQUIRER PHOTO/LYN RILLON
MANILA, Philippines — The five decades-long insurgency of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) is a “failed rebellion,” Malacañang declared, as the nation’s Maoist movement celebrates its 50th anniversary on Wednesday.
“The 50 years of Joma Sison’s rebellion speaks for itself. It’s a failed rebellion,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
“It only resulted in loss of lives of Filipinos specially the numerous young students who were killed in battles, skirmishes, battles and in sickness in the hills, who could have served their country well in pacific and productive means, as well as destruction of properties,” Panelo added.
He cited that “the NPA’s (surrenderers) are coming in droves responding to the call of the government to return to the fold of the law, while Sison remains ensconced in his ivory tower of comfort and luxury while his comrades die for a lost cause.”
Sison, founding chair of the CPP, has been in exile at the Netherlands after peace talks with government failed in 1987.
Failed promises
For the last 50 years, CPP-NPA National Democratic Front (NDF) failed in delivering their promises to their members, and instead of traversing the way to democracy and success, thousands of lives have been lost for the sake of their own war.
The organization “No to Communist Terrorist Group Coalition” or NTCC is urging for a stop of the 50 years of lies and deceit.
Mario Ludades, spokesperson ng NTCC, IP leader in the Cordillera Administrative Region and the original of the 18 founders of CPP, said only Joma Sison remains in the party and he continuously living the grand life in the Netherlands.
“Those intellectual youth and individuals, those who were victims of purging in the organization come from the peasant group, workers, laborers, students, indigenous people. They are the ones who lost their lives for the sake of the so-called “peoples war. But what really hurting is the fact that innocent civilians are the real victims of their war,” said Ludades.
Those great young people like Edgar Jopson and Lean Alejandro were became victims of the wrong ideology of the CPP NPA NDF. While currently, young children are being lured to fight as NPA
The CPP NPA NDF are also using “legal fronts” like Anakbayan, LFS, NUJP, CEGP, SCM and others to deceive and brainwash the youth to join the “kilusan” or movement.
Panelo also accused Sison of living a comfortable life abroad while his comrades continue their armed struggle in the Philippines.
“No wonder the forces on the ground no longer follow him, hence, his regular rants against PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) to give himself the appearance of relevance. It’s time for him to wave the white flag before his physique gives up on him. There is honour in returning back to a democratic society and embracing the constitutional order,” he said.
‘Ex-NPA members’ speak out
As the CPP celebrates its 50th year of existence, former ranking member and founder of the organization blast the group and exposed its “deceit and lies.” They also claimed that the CPP’s armed wing NPA had “no chance of winning” its armed struggle against the government.
This developed as the Police Regional Office Cordillera condemned the NPA for attacking the CAFGU (Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit) Active Auxiliary Patrol Base in Uma, Lubuagan, Kalinga at dawn on Sunday, Dec. 23, killing the base commander and hurting three other personnel.
The CPP officer, who signed a statement sent to several media outlets in the Cordillera as “Ka Danny,” said he was “a witness that the CPP, NPA and NDF [National Democratic Front] are just using the party-list groups like Bayan Muna, ACT [Alliance of Concerned Teachers] and Anakpawis as fronts.”
“No chance of winning! We are the living witnesses, the former cadres and members of the crusade, of the wrongdoings of the NPA against the masses,” claimed Ka Danny, who said he was an 18-year member of the CPP and “official of the higher organ of the Legal and Unification Committee.”
“Because if they are really sincere in what they are fighting for, there will come a time that they will succeed. But in reality, they are just using the implementation of peace talks to deceive the youth and try to teach them that the country is experiencing a wrong system!” added Ka Danny, who said he was the “political officer” of three party-list congressmen from Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and ACT.
As of posting, the CPP could not confirm Ka Danny identity.
The statement was co-signed by Mario Ludades, one of the original 18 founders of the CPP and currently the spokesperson of the No to Communist Terrorist Group Coalition.
An indigenous peoples’ leader in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ludades said only CPP founder Jose Maria Sison remains in the party from the original 18, “and he is continuously living the grand life in the Netherlands.” /kga
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