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This issue’s

highlights...The workers’ wretchedstate PAGE 3

3 NDFP consultantsout of jail PAGE 7

“Bungkalan” campaignin Hacienda Luisita

PAGE 11

Pahayagan ng Partido Komunista ng PilipinasPinapatnubayan ng Marxismo-Leninismo-Maoismo ANG

English EditionVolume XLII Number 15

August 7, 2011www.philippinerevolution.net

Editoryal

Benigno Aquino III churned out nothingbut lies and half-truths in his speech be-fore the opening of the reactionary con-

gress on July 25. He attempted to paint a pos-itive image of the state of the nation and of continuing change in a desperate attempt to re-store the people's trust in the reactionary gov-ernment. But he succeeded only in further iso-lating his regime and in reinforcing the people'sloss of trust in the ruling reactionary system.

Aquino wanted to create the illusion of progress and change under his regime. But thisfailed to strike a chord among the people whodaily are confronted with spiralling prices of oil

products, food and other basic commodities.Unemployment is widespread and wages are low.Millions of families are without decent homes.Disease is ram-pant and envi-ronmental degra-dation is massive.A myriad social andeconomic ills plaguethe nation.

By re-p r i s i n ghis anti-c o r r u p -tion rhet-o r i ca g a i n s tthe past re-gime, Aquinosought towin the

p e o p l e ’ strust andmake them

Aquino cannot restore the people'strust in the rotten ruling system

cling to hopes of change under his government.Even after a year in power, however, he hasfailed to charge, prosecute and punish Gloria

Arroyo or any of her big-time cohorts for numer-ous cases of plunder and corruption. The rise of the “Kamag-anak, Kaklase, Kabarkada, KabarilanInc.” underscores the perpetuation of cronyismunder the new regime.

Aquino tried to paint a rosy economic pic-ture by citing positive reviews by foreign creditrating agencies and the US government. But hewas conspicuously silent about the wretched so-cio-economic conditions of the vast majority of workers, peasants, ordinary employees, govern-

ment workers and the unemployed.

Aquino claimed that more than a million jobs were generated

last yearbut failedto men-

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Ang Bayan is published fortnightly by the Central Committee

of the Communist Party of the Philippines

Ang Bayan is published in Pilipino,

Bisaya, Iloko, Hiligaynon, Waray and

English editions.

It is available for downloading at

the Philippine Revolution Web Central

located at:

www.philippinerevolution.org .

Ang Bayan welcomes contributionsin the form of articles and news.

Readers are likewise enjoined to send

in their comments and suggestions for

the betterment of our publication. You

can reach us by email at:

[email protected]

Vol. XLII No. 15 August 7, 2011

Contents

Editorial: Aquino cannot restore the

people’s trust 1SONA 2011

Workers’ wretched state 3Worst year for OCWs 3Monthly demolitions 4Rich-poor gap 43 victims before SONA 4Protests on 2nd SONA 5

3 NDFP consultants freed 6NPA ambushes 39th IB 8

Offensives in Samar, Pangasinan 8

NPA frees victim of injustice 9

Cordillera people 10

“Bungkalan” in Hacienda Luisita 11

Crimes of the 8th ID 12News 13

ANG

2 ANG BAYAN August 7, 2011

tion how and where these jobswere created. He glossed overthe fact that more than a mil-lion people joined the laborforce last year. The reality isthat people are being kickedout of their jobs on a daily ba-

sis after the expiration of theirthree-month employment con-tracts. Aquino has failed to layout an economic blueprint togenerate mass employment forthe more than 11 million un-employed and underemployed.

Aquino’s IMF-trained eco-nomic managers refuse to heeddemands to develop local in-dustries and markets and re-duce reliance on importedcommodities. They insist onthe economic policies set morethan twenty years ago promot-ing liberalization of trade andinvestments, the privatizationof state assets and the deregu-lation of the operations of pri-vate investors. In the past twodecades, all measures in the

1987 constitution that soughtto protect the national patri-mony have all but been torndown, with charter amend-ments as the only other stepneeded to complete theprocess of renewed economiccolonization.

Aquino boasted of in-creased palay production al-though this has in fact been

caused only by a recovery of hectarage from previousdroughts and not by any in-crease in productivity. Hebragged about reducing riceimportations but failed to di-rect the National Food Author-

ity to raise its local palay pro-curement to break down therice trading monopoly of bigcomprador businesses who arein cahoots with big bureau-crats. On the other hand, hecontinues to ignore the de-mand for land reform in the Co- juangco-owned Hacienda Luisi-ta.

The closest thing Aquinohas to a poverty alleviationprogram is the World Bank-de-signed doleout scheme calledthe Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipi-no Program (4Ps). By dolingout a few thousand pesos amonth to families belonging tothe “poorest of the poor,”Aquino deceives the people in-to believing that he could lift

them from their poverty evenwithout resolving land hungerand massive unemployment aswell as the other roots of theirimpoverishment.

Aquino failed to address themost fundamental and pressingissues being put forth by thepeople. They demand jobs,higher wages, land reform andrespect for human rights. They

want a stop to oil price hikesand demand the nationaliza-tion of the oil industry. Theycall for a halt to the demoli-tion of urban poor communi-ties. They demand an end to USmilitary intervention in the

Philippines and US interferencein the Spratly Islands problem.

Aquino failed to cite thepeace negotiations with theNational Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) as oneof his government's priorities.The commitment to expeditethe release of all NDF peaceconsultants remains unfulfilledas 13 of them are still incarcer-ated in various prisons. Whilethe Aquino regime drags itsfeet in the peace negotiations,its fascist troops continue tostomp their boots and trampleon human rights in so-called“peace and development” oper-ations in the countryside.

Aquino’s state of the nationaddress is a reactionary, pro-

imperialist and antipeoplespeech characterized by end-less lies and deception. It is adesperate entreaty to the Fil-ipino people to continue re-posing their trust in the rottenand crisis-ridden semicolonial and semifeudal system. Howev-er, Aquino and his Americanspinmasters are completelywrong to assume that theycould lead the people awayfrom the path of national anddemocratic mass resistancethrough their empty declara-tions and political gimmickry.

In the face of the worsen-ing conditions of poverty andoppression, the Filipino peopleare becoming acutely aware of the need to wage revolutionary

struggle as the only straightpath to social and national lib-eration. This is evidenced bythe continuing growth of theNew People’s Army and the in-tensifying mass struggles un-der the Aquino regime's firstyear in power. ~

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ties. Despitethis, the De-partment of Labor and Em-p l o y m e n t

(DOLE) ap-proved a mere`22 raise in the Cost of LivingAllowance of private sectorworkers in the National Capital Region. The `1,800 increase inthe monthly salaries of gov-ernment employees is way be-low their demand for a `6,000monthly hike.

The number of unemployedrose by 11.3 million and theunderemployment rate contin-ues to worsen despite relent-less efforts by the governmentto water down the definitionand categorizations of the un-employed. An SWS survey hasshown that Aquino registeredthe worst unemployment ratein his first year as president

compared to other presidents.Sixty percent (60%) of the em-ployed are part-time workersand almost half of those whohave jobs are in the informal sector—with no security of tenure, no benefits and nounion rights.

Aquino's "straight path"clearly favors capital over therights and interests of workers.

Akbayan, a partylist groupclosely allied with Malacañangis currently pushing a bill thataims to legalize contractual-ization in up to 20% of the in-dustrial workforce instead of demanding job security for all workers.

Workers do not enjoy anyprotection from dangers in

their workplace. According tothe Center for Trade Union andHuman Rights and the Insti-tute for Occupational Healthand Safety Development, 214workers have died in variouswork-related accidents sinceJanuary 2011. ~

3ANG BAYAN August 7, 2011

SONA 2011

The workers’wretched state

Filipino workers became even more impoverished and op-pressed in the first year of the Aquino regime.

Worst year for Filipinomigrant workers

Filipino migrant workers are hailed as "modern-day he-roes" but they continue to suffer neglect under the

Aquino regime.The Aquino government slashed almost half of the bud-

get allocation for migrant services this year (from `19.5billion to only `10 billion).

The previous year was marked by the Aquino regime'sfailure to resolve various problems faced by migrants. Itfailed to repatariate 90% of Filipino stranded in Libya, andprovide enough support to thousands of migrants facingvarious problems overseas.

Despite the political turmoil in foreign lands, Aquino

continues to encourage Filipinos to work abroad, attractedno doubt by the prospect of shoring up his regime with anestimated $22 billion in remittances by the end of thisyear. The labor-export policy remains the center of Aquino'semployment generation program. There are now almost 15million Filipino migrant workers. ~

Five unionists became vic-tims of extrajudicial killing du-ing this period.

Mass leaders and workers'rights advocates continued tosuffer from persecution.Among the 72 Southern Taga-

log leaders and activists whowere slapped with trumped-upmurder charges was Atty.Remigio Saladero, a well-known trade union lawyer. Thiswas after a court dismissedanother manufactured murder

case against the

"ST 72" in2009.

The real value of theworkers' al-ready gross-

ly inadequatewages for the

year was erod-ed further by`4,000 due to in-cessant hikes in the

prices of commodi-

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Monthlydemolitions

An urban poor commu-nity was demolished

every month during Be-nigno Aquino III's first year as president.Up to 27,000 families or 103,555 individ-uals lost their homes in 14 violent demoli-tions conducted in various parts of thecountry since July 2010. Three activistsfrom this sector became victims of extraju-dicial killing in the same period.

The demolitions, which were undertak-

en to give way to national projects showthat the urban poor have no place inAquino's Private-Public Partnership (PPP)program. They are forcibly evicted fromtheir communities even in the absence of relocation sites for them. Even if reloca-tion sites are available, these are often de-void of livelihood opportunities and social services. ~


SONA 2011

Yawning gap

between rich and poor

The rich are getting richer under the US-Aquinoregime.

According to a survey by Forbes Magazine, therichest Filipinos were able to expand their busi-nesses by 39%, from US$16.4 billion in 2010 toUS$22.8 billion this year.

On the other hand, another survey has revealedgovernment reductions in the poverty threshholdfrom `54 to `46 in order to understate the num-ber of poor Filipinos. The number of impoverished

Filipinos stayed high at 23.1 million, nonetheless.

The Aquino government slapped the public atlarge with high taxes and fees, while it went easywith taxing the oil companies despite the super-profits the latter raked in from the series of hikesin the prices of petroleum products.

Oil prices have been raised 27 times since Jan-uary 2011. ~

Three persons became victims of political killings days before Benigno Aquino III's

State of the Nation Address.They come on top of the 48 victims of extra-

judicial killings recorded in Aquino's first year.On the night of July 10, two masked motor-

cycle-riding men killed Roque Laputan, 59, a

member of Anakpawis in Davao del Sur. Laputanwas at a store in Barangay Tagansuli, Malalag,Davao del Sur when he was shot. One of themen held his neck in a stranglehold andpulled him away for the other man toshoot him twice in the head. La-putan died on the spot.

Laputan was one of the leadersof protest actions against the op-erations of the foreign-ownedXstrata-Sagittarius Mines Inc. in

Davao del Sur. The company also plans toput up a coal-fired plant in the same area.

Meanwhile, two residents of Pangarap Vil-lage in Caloocan City were killed after armedguards opened fire at them. The victims wereamong the residents protesting the demolitionsin the area. Aside from the fatalities SolimanGomez and Rommel Fortadez, six other resi-

dents were wounded in the shooting.Witnessed said that the armed guards

watching over a lot owned by Gregorio AranetaIII were drunk at the time. Araneta is a son-in-law of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos and aclose relative of Manuel "Mar" Roxas II, thenewly appointed secretary of the Department of

Transportation and Communica-tion.

Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Marianohas called for an investigation of

the incident. Particularly in Pangarap Vil-lage, the shooting was not the first of its kind. On April 28, three residents

were wounded when armed guards of Carmel Development Inc. owned by the

Araneta family indiscriminately firedtheir weapons.

Said Cristina Guevarra, secre-tary-general of HUSTISYA, an or-ganization of relatives of human

rights violations, political killings continuewithout letup under Aquino even as justicecontinues to elude the victims of human rightsviolations under the previous administra-tion. ~

3 victims days before SONA

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In the National Capital Re-gion, 14,000 rallyists marchedalong Commonwealth Avenuein Quezon City before Aquinobegan his speech at theBatasang Pambansa. Theyburned a 14-foot effigy of Aquino as a symbol of the fail-

ing grade given to him by thepeople.

Delegations of peasantsfrom Hacienda Luisita joinedthe protest action. They calledfor the immediate distributionof the Cojuangco-Aquino fami-ly's vast estate and demandedthat Aquino stop his familyfrom pretending to be pro-peasant.

Aquino is a failure as presi-dent, said BAYAN. The peopledid not feel any changes in theprevious year as prices of com-modities and transportationfares continued to rise, pover-ty and unemployment wors-ened and services like housing,education, health and the likecontinued to deteriorate.

BAYAN added that humanrights violations continued togrow under Aquino's presiden-cy. The government still refus-es to release many political prisoners. BAYAN also assailedAquino's failure to punish Glo-ria Macapagal Arroyo for hercrimes.

Meanwhile, Aquino's SONAwas likewise greeted with

protests in other parts of thecountry.

Outside NCR, the biggestmobilizations were in Min-danao. More than 10,000 peas-ants from all over the islandlaunched protest actions, saidKilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipi-

nas-Southern Mindanao secre-tary-general Pedro Arnado. Therallyists burned an effigy of Aquino showing US imperialismand a comprador clinging tohim to symbolize the people'sdisappointment over his rule.They also slammed the contin-

ued demolitions of urban poorcommunities in Davao City andother parts of the country, in-tensifying militarization in thecountryside and the pro-impe-rialist Public-Private Partner-ship (PPP) program.

In Panay, up to 3,700 at-tended gatherings in threeprovinces to assail the SONA.In Iloilo City, 2,500 people

massed up in front of the Uni-versity of the Philippines inthe Visayas and St. ClementChurch and marched to theprovincial capitol where theyheld a rally and concert. Mean-while, some500 personsrallied at Cross-ing Banga and

New Washing-ton in Kalibo,

Aklan while in Capiz, 700protested at the Roxas Cityplaza.

In Southern Tagalog, up to2,000 persons were mobilizedfor the "people's SONA"launched in the region's vari-

ous provinces. This was after aseries of mass actions the pre-vious week. Protesters in Lagu-na burned an effigy of Aquinoafter their rally.

In Bicol, some 1,000 peopleled by BAYAN and the KilusangMagbubukid ng Pilipinasmarched towards the NinoyAquino Park in Daraga, Albaybefore proceeding to Peñaran-

da Park in Legazpi City. BAYAN-Bicol assailed Aquino for per-petuating the globalizationpolicy under the Philippine De-velopment Plan.

In Cagayan de Oro, urbanpoor residents staged streetplays at Cogon Market, thecity's biggest. The rallyists por-trayed the difficulties of a fam-

ily forced to make ends meetwith a meager budget due tolow wages and high prices.

In Zamboanga City, protest-ers held a picket-rally to de-mand the ouster of US militarytroops and respect for the

country'ss o v e r -eignty.

I n

I l o c o sSur, pro-gressiveg r o u p s

r a l -lieda t

Protests greet Aquino's2nd SONA

P

rotest actions within and outside the country greeted Be-nigno Aquino III's second State of the Nation Address

(SONA) on July 25. The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan(BAYAN) and its allied organizations led the mass mobilizations.

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6

3 NDFP consultants out of jail

T

hree political detainees, all of them consultants of theNational Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) are

now free. Advocates of human rights and a just and last-ing peace hailed the release of Jovencio Balweg of Abra,Maria Luisa Purcray of Agusan del Norte and Jaime Soledad of Leyte. The Aquino regime had pledged to release all detainedNDFP consultants as early as February 21.

First to walk out of prisonwere Balweg and Purcray whowere released on July 22.Balweg had even joined thefour-day simultaneous hungerstrike of 230 out of the 354political detainees nation-wide that began in the morn-ing of July 22. Soledad wasreleased in the afternoon of July 25.

Fourteen other NDFP con-sultants continue to languishin jail. Among them are AlanJazmines, Eduardo Sarmientoand Eduardo Serrano who are

detained at the PNP Custodi-al Center in Camp Crame andRandy Malayao who is incar-cerated at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology inTuguegarao City. They areamong more than 300 politi-cal prisoners detained in var-ious detention facilities of the reactionary government.

Meanwhile,

the numberof political p r i s on e r sgrew inJuly. Aday be-f o r eBalwegw a sfreed, af o rme ractivistwas ar-r e s t e dby po-lice andmilitary el-ements inher home

in Naguilian, La Union on Ju-ly 21. Gloria Quiñones Flo-resca, 57, who was arrestedin front of her four-year oldgrandchild was formerly anorganizer of the Solidarity of Ilocos Associations of Women(Silaw), an affiliate of GABRIELA-Ilocos.

On July 23, a leader of theAggay tribe was arrested bysoldiers from the 17th IBCharlie Coy and elements of the PNP Regional MobileGroup on suspicion that hewas a member of the New

People's Army. Vicente Ag-bayani, 48, was arrestedwithout warrant while he wasworking in his swidden farmin Barangay Masi, Rizal, Ca-gayan. According to his wifeSalomea, Agbayani was beat-en up and blindfolded. Hisrelatives searched for him for

days beforefinding him

detained atthe Bureauof Jail Manage -ment andPenologyin Tugue-g a r a o

City.A g -

bayani is theleader of the

Timpuyog DagitiMannalon nga Ag-gay iti Zinundun-gan Valley and thelocal chapter of the Katribu party-list group. ~

ANG BAYAN August 7, 2011

FASCIST STATE ON A RAMPAGEPlaza Burgos in Vigan City.They brought with them two"giants" symbolizing Aquinoand Arroyo to underscore thefact that there was no differ-ence between their tworegimes.

In Baguio, activists helda "workers' lunch," eatingonly rice and chayote todramatize the people's con-tinuing hunger and poverty.

In Bacolod City, protest-ers gave Aquino a failingmark and burned an effigyportraying him as a US pup-pet. One of their bases forthe failing mark was the Con-

ditional Cash Transfer dole-out program which theycalled an insult to the poor.

In Cebu City, theNagkahiusang Drayber saSugbo-PISTON led protestsalong Colon Street, the me-tropolis' biggest thorough-fare. They expressed theirdisappointment at Aquiino's

failure to order the repeal of the 12% Value Added Tax onpetroleum products and put astop to the endless series of oil price hikes. They also hithim for his deceptive "Panta-wid Pasada Program" fordrivers.

In Leyte, up to 500 peo-ple protested at the old busterminal in Tacloban City.

There were also anti-SONA mass actions overseas.

In the US, BAYAN-USA leda protest in New York Citywhere Aquino was roundlycriticized for being a USlackey.

In Canada, a rally waslaunched in Quebec slam-ming Aquino's failure to re-solve poverty and the coun-try's other problems.

Simultaneous anti-SONAmass actions were launchedand statements issued by mi-grants in New Zealand,Hongkong, Taiwan, South Ko-rea, the Middle East and Eu-rope. ~

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7

4 Moros fall victim to military atrocities


FASCIST STATE ON A RAMPAGE

Four Moro civilians fell victim to grave humanrights violations in June and July.

In a report, the Mindanao People's Caucus

said operatives of the Special Operations TaskForce of the Philippine Army 1st Infantry Divi-sion (SOTF-PA) arrested Abdul Ajid Balanting,39, in his house in Barangay Libug, Sumisip,Basilan on July 23. The operatives were forcinghim to admit to being a member of the AbuSayyaf and involvement in the mass kidnappingand attack on Lamitan town in 2001.

Balanting was stripped, doused with gaso-line and set on fire by Capt. Sherwin

Guidangan, S/Sgt. Elmer Magdaraog,Sgt. Edgardo Santos and Sgt. GeorgeAging, all elements of the SOTF-PA.Balanting's ears, face, abdomen andgenitals were burned.

The victim's relatives only cameto know about his horrendous experi-ence when they filed a writ of habeas corpus and the military wascompelled to transfer Balanting tothe Bureau of Jail Management andPenology in Isabela City.

The AFP had no choice but to order the ar-rest of the four soldiers after the case was ex-posed in the media. Many believe that the se-vere torture suffered by Balanting was done inrevenge for the death of seven elements of thePhilippine Marines and the wounding of 25other soldiers in an Abu Sayyaf ambush in

Patikul, Sulu on July 28.

Still another case of torture was disclosedto the media on August 2. Asrap Musa, a 17-

year old student was arrested without warrantby SOTF-PA elements on June 23 and broughtto the military unit's headquarters in IsabelaCity where he was beaten up and immersed ina drum full of water to force him to admit thathe was an Abu Sayyaf member. He is now de-tained at the Basilan Provincial Jail and hasbeen charged with illegal possession of explo-sives, which he denies.

Earlier, on June 8, Philippine Army Special

Forces elements shot at Moner Esmael,30 and Gayla Sabtal, both Moro fish-

ermen.

The victims were aboard adugout canoe and fishing a few

kilometers off the coast of Kaliantanain Naga, Zamboanga Sibugay whenSpecial Forces members opened fire

at them at around 4 a.m. Esmael waswounded in the calf and brought to a

hospital. Sabtal remains missing and is feareddead.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as-sailed the slander and abuse being inflicted onMoro civilians by the Aquino government'sarmed forces, saying these were clear violationsof human rights, of the ceasefire agreement be-tween the MILF and the Philippine governmentand of International Humanitarian Law. ~

NPA in 2nd punitive actionvs Masbate mining firm

For the second time around,the New People's Army(NPA) Jose Rapsing Com-

mand punished the FilmineraMining Corporation (FMC) inSitio Guimobatan, Barangay

Syndicate, Aroroy, Masbate.On August 1, an NPA special

unit detonated explosives on ahuge water reservoir that the gi-ant mining company has beenusing to process gold. The oper-ation paralyzed and stoppedFMC's operations, said National

Democratic Front-Bicol spokes-person Ka Greg Bañares.

The FMC, which was firstmeted punishment by the NPAin April 2007 is managedby Masbate Mining Pro-

ject and is a subsidiaryof the Aus-tralian-Canadi-an-owned Cen-tral Gold Asia.Its open pitgold miningoperations

have led to grave crimes againstthe people such as widespreadenvironmental destruction, theplunder of the province's natural resources and the murder andmanhandling of small miners

and residents of the area.These were all being done in

cahoots with 9th ID troops andthe Philippine National Police.

Due to the people's ardent

support, the NPA was able toundertake the punitive actiondespite the presence of a 20-man Special Civilian Armed Aux-iliary (SCAA) under the 22nd IB,aside from a company of the 9thIB based near the mining com-pany. ~

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8

VICTORIOUS NPA OFFENSIVES


military operations. Their ob- jective was to ensure the un-encumbered operations of mining companies in the vastancestral lands of the B'laan

and Tagakaolo tribes.Prior to this, a soldier from

the 73rd IB was killed in an-other ambush staged by thepeople's militia on July 26 inSitio Malbag, Barangay LittleBaguio. ~

NPA ambushes 39th IB

in Davao del Sur

Four soldiersof the 39th IB were killed and many more werewounded in an ambush in Barangay Tikulon, Malita, Davaodel Sur on July 29 by Red fighters of the Valentin Palamine

Operations Command (VPOC) of Far South Mindanao Region.

To cover up their militaryfailures and court the people'ssympathy, Lt. Col. Oliver Artuz,39th IB chief immediately ac-cused the NPA of conducting a"treacherous" ambush due to

its alleged use of banned landmines.

VPOC spokesperson Ka Den-cio Madrigal explained thatthe NPA did not violate humanrights or the rules of war be-cause it used command-deto-nated explosives (CDX) andnot contact-detonated landmines that do not have de-fined targets and explode upon

contact with any person or an-imal.

Madrigal added that com-pared to bomber aircraft likethe Toratora, OV10, Sikorsky,MG520 and the like used bythe Armed Forces of the Philip-pines that indiscriminatelyrain bombs in the countrysideand other communities, the

CDX used by the NPA are con-trolled and detonated only inthe presence of legitimate mil-itary targets. The NPA com-mander and blasting officermake sure that no civilian ishurt during the detonation.

The NPA used the CDXagainst the armed enemy todefend the territories of the

National Democratic Front inMalita, said Ka Dencio Madri-gal. Soldiers of the reactionarygovernment have been on theattack for months in the areato pave the way for large-scaleforeign mining operations. Us-ing civil-military operations as

NPA ambushes military convoy in Samar,

attacks CAFGU detachment in Pangasinan

RED fighters of the Arnulfo Ortiz Command (NPA-Samar)ambushed a military convoy on the night of July 20 inParanas, Samar.

Soldiers of the 34th IB were on the way back to theirheadquarters in San Jose de Buan town aboard five six-by-six trucks when they were hit by command-detonated ex-plosives and fired upon by the NPA between BarangaysConcepcion and Canliques in the same town.

According to the NDF-Eastern Visayas Information Bu-reau, a sergeant was killed and six others were wounded inthis attack. The Red fighters seized all the firearms of thefascist soldiers.

That same day, a unit under the Mt. Amandewin Com-mand (NPA-Leyte) launched a counter-offensive on troopsof the 19th IB who were on the attack in Carigara, Leyte.Two soldiers were killed, said NDF-EV spokesperson Fr. San-tiago Salas in a statement. There were no casualties on theNPA side.

Meanwhile, an NPA team daringly closed in on a CAFGUdetachment in Barangay Bachelor East, Natividad, Pangasi-nan to hurl two grenades at around 10 p.m. of August 2.The CAFGU elements were unable to return fire until theNPA operatives had reached a safe distance. It took almost10 minutes before a vehicle bearing the enemy woundedzoomed out of the camp. It also took almost half an hourbefore the paramilitary forces began to fire their weapons,aiming at no particular target.

The harassment operation against the detachment

formed part of a series of attacks by various NPA units onenemy patrol bases that have dotted the Caraballo moun-tains since last year. First to be harassed was a camp inBarangay Namulandayan, Lupao, Nueva Ecija. Detachmentsin Sitio Lingkupan, Barangay Cabangaran, San Quintin andin Barangay RA Padilla, Carranglan were each pepperedwith bullets twice, on separate occasions. ~

cover, the commanders of the27th, 73rd and 39th IB met atLittle Baguio to oversee the

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VICTORIOUS NPA OFFENSIVES

NPA frees victim of injusticein daring operation

The New People’s Arny’s (NPA) rescue operation that freedDennis Rodanes while he was being transported by person-nel of the Philippine National Police/Bureau of Jail Man-

agement and Penology (PNP/BJMP) to the Davao Penal Colony(DAPECOL) to serve a life sentence meted by a reactionary court

of the Philippine government was an act of revolutionary jus-tice.

Thus said Ka Rigoberto F.Sanchez, spokesperson of theMerardo Arce Command of theNew People's Army (NPA) inSouthern Mindanao Region. Ina statement dated July 30, hehailed the Red commandersand fighters of the Herminio

Alfonso Command (HAC) evenas the revolutionary forces and

masses rejoiced at the daringmilitary action and the imple-mentation of revolutionary justice.

On July 21, at around 4a.m., Red fighters under theHAC blocked a BJMP vehicle ata checkpoint they set up in

Sitio Maluos, Barangay Sinuda,Kitaotao, Bukidnon. The vehi-

cle had come from Ozamiz Cityin Misamis Occidental and wason its way to DAPECOL inDavao del Norte, said HACspokesperson Ka Isabel Santia-

go.The NPA immediately freed

Rodanes, who had been meteda life sentence by a repressiveand antipeople court thatbased its judgment mainly onthe false evidence planted bythe Philippine Army 1st In-fantry Division, said Santiago.

Out of the 11 PNP/BJMP

personnel, four of its officerswere arrested and placed inNPA custody. The Red fightersalso seized the 13 firearms of the BJMP escorts consisting of four M16s and nine pistols andrevolvers.

The remaining seven BJMPpersonnel and the other pris-oners were allowed to proceedto DAPECOL.

The NPA said the fourPNP/BJMP officers werearmed, active and regular offi-cers of the counterrevolution-ary and repressive machineryof the reactionary governmentof the Philippines.

They undertake police func-tions in prisons of the reac-tionary state that serve as im-

portant instruments of thegovernment's counterrevolu-tionary war. Thus, they are le-gitimate military targets andwere arrested by the NPA. Theyare now under investigation.

Nonetheless, Sanchez clari-fied that their continued cus-tody is guided by NPA rulesand is under the authority of

the people's democratic gov-ernment. Their basic rights arebeing respected and their wel-fare ensured. They are beingtreated well by the NPA andare in the care of the revolu-tionary masses, added the MACspokesperson. ~

Philippine revolution on the internet

The Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC) is back on-line. The PRWC is the official website of the Communist

Party of the Philippines and can be accessed at www.philip-pinerevolution.net. It was inaccessible for close to twomonths due to technical problems. The PRWC is managed by

the CPP Information Bureau.In its pages can be found copies of Ang Bayan and all

statements issued by the CPP and other revolutionary organ-izations. In the next several weeks, it will also be carryingvarious other documents, publications, songs, videos andphotographs featuring the different aspects of the Philippinerevolution.

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Proof of the region's wealthis the sheer number of miningapplications that now encom-pass up to half of Cordilleranterritory. Among the companiesplanning to operate in the re-gion are Phelps Dodge withpending applications in Patia-

can, Quirino, Ilocos Sur and Ba-tong Buhay, Pasil, Kalinga; ninefront companies of LepantoConsolidated Mining Co. to cov-er 311,853 hectares in 29 townsin six provinces; and Nickel-Asiawhich is slated to take over the194,640-hectare concession of Cordillera Exploration/Anglo-American Exploration. There are

likewise 33 mining applicationscovering 292,600 hectares invarious parts of Abra, and plansto put up five geothermal and38 hydroelectric power plants inthe region.

But only imperialist andbourgeois comprador companieshave benefited from the region'swealth. The Cordillera is a vic-tim of grave neglect by the gov-

ernment. The national budgeta l l o c a -

tion for the entire region isequivalent to that of the loneprovince of Pangasinan. Five of its six provinces are among the15 poorest nationwide. The re-gion also has the least numberof paved roads and the leastnumber of concrete and perma-

nent bridges. This is in spite of the presence in the Cordillera of huge rivers and tributaries feed-ing the five megadams supply-ing electricity to most of Luzon.

The Aquino regime's only re-sponse to the Cordillerans'poverty is the Pantawid Pamil-yang Pilipino Program (4Ps)which is being implemented in

49 areas in the region. Therehas been no improvement at all in these areas, whose healthand educational facilities con-tinued to deteriorate despitethe massive funding purportedlyprovided.

Worse, the Cordilleran peo-ple's struggles to assert theirright to life, land and livelihoodis being repressed through mili-

tary brutality. Under OplanBayanihan, the abusive

Ree rng inee r edSpecial Opera-tions Teams(RSOT) of Oplan

Bantay Laya no-toriety have beenrenamed Peaceand Development

O p e r a t i o n sTeams. Butthere hasbeen nochange inthe operat-ing soldiers'a b u s i v eways. They

continue to occupy schools,day-care centers, barangayhalls, clinics, private residencesand places sacred to thepeople—all of which violate therights of civilians and endangertheir lives. The soldiers' abuses

have spared no one—young orold, woman or man.

The AFP has clearly been tar-geting the people because of their growing organized opposi-tion to the entry of destructivemining and other corporationsthat enjoy the military's protec-tion.

Another counterrevolution-ary maneuver by the AFP is its

resuscitation of the moribundand fractious Cordillera People'sLiberation Army (CPLA). The Of-fice of the Presidential Assistantfor the Peace Process is report-edly allotting a `400 millionlivelihood fund for a new organ-ization comprising the "reunit-ed" factions of the CPLA to proj-ect the illusion that the peace

process has been advancing inthe region. In fact, as far backas 2008, CPLA elements had al-ready been integrated into theAFP as a special paramilitaryforce.

This maneuver has no otherpurpose than to sabotage andobstruct the peace negotiationsbetween the Aquino governmentand the National Democratic

Front of the Philippines. TheCPLA will also be revived as aprivate army at the beck andcall of local warlords or evenMalacañang, and used againstthe revolutionary forces.

The Aquino regime has mere-ly perpetuated the oppressiveand exploitative policies andlaws that have paved the wayfor the plunder of the region'snatural resources by foreign andlocal exploiters. The Cordilleranpeople's hopes of rising fromtheir poverty and oppression lienot in the Aquino regime's emp-ty promises but in launchingpeople's struggles and advanc-ing armed revolution. ~

Oppression and povertyin the Cordillera

T

he Cordillera people's poverty and oppression mirror thewretched state of the people nationwide. This is despite thefact that their region is one of the richest in terms of natural

resources.

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adopted by the members of ULWU and AMBALA. One of themost important is that theythemselves must till the land,which must never be rentedout to others.

The peasants are called up-

on to defend the lands fromthe goons of the Cojuangco-Aquino family and the latter'sbanker-business partners whoare both poised to use violenceas well as political and eco-nomic power to evict thetillers. Aside from violence anddeception, the Cojuangco-Aquino clan will likely enlistthe help of financiers and oth-

er landlord allies to reclaim theland. In fact, a number of farmworkers have already beenserved notices of eviction.

Nature of the "bungkalan"

campaign. "Bungkalan" is aform of direct people's actionto assert their right to life andlivelihood. The campaign wasfirst begun in 2005 as a source

of food and other sustenancefor the peasants who were thenin the thick of a strike. Whenthe strike ended, the campaignwas further expanded, provid-ing the peasants relief fromtheir wretched lives when noth-ing but sugarcane was plantedin the estate.

Under ULWU's militantleadership, the farm workers

were able to assert and retaintheir occupancy of the land forthe next four years. In fact, in2009, they were able to collec-tively reap benefits from up to

“Bungkalan” as a formof political and economicstruggle

The peasants and farm workers of Hacienda Luisita havebeen asserting their right to land and livelihood by under-taking a campaign to till idle lands on the vast estate. The

campaign, called "bungkalan" (collectively tilling the land),continues to expand. From 200 peasant and farm workers (see

Ang Bayan's July 21, 2011 issue), the number of participantshas now doubled to 400.

Among those who have joined the campaign are peas-ants and farm workers from theAlyansa ng mga Magbubukid saAsyenda Luisita (AMBALA) andthe United Luisita WorkersUnion (ULWU). They enjoysupport from the Alyansa ngmga Magbubukid sa GitnangLuson (AMGL), Alyansa ngMagbubukid sa Tarlak (AMT)and KARAPATAN-Tarlac. Alsothrowing in their support areFr. Greg Obejas of the Luisita

Peasant and People's Alliance(Luppa), the barangay council of Balite, Tarlac City and theTarlac City Council.

The lands they are tillinghad long been idle. On theother hand, the chronicallyunemployed farm workers of Barangay Balite have longwanted to till these lands inorder to have a source of in-

come.Up to ten hectares of land

was surveyed, with eachhectare assigned to a group of peasants and farm workers totill. A camp has been built toserve as a "cultivation center"to ensure that the tilling isdone collectively. Here, thereare seed beds planted

to okra, gourd,squash and stringbeans. Some of thefarm workers alsobrought tree saplings forplanting.

The "cultivation center"also serves as a guard postagainst attempts to dislocate

and evict the participants andas a receiving area for sup-porters from other sectors.Discussions, consolidation pro-grams and other activities arealso held here.

They have two hand trac-tors to plow the land at pres-ent, and are waiting for more.The hand tractors have beencrucial in fast-tracking landpreparation to enable the par-ticipants to till a bigger area.

The various unions and

groups that have been spear-heading the campaign havecalled on all sectors for sup-port and encourage visits totheir camp at Hacienda Luisi-ta. All political, moral and fi-nancial support received will surely strengthen the peas-ants' struggle.

To ensure the campaign'ss u c c e s s ,

the tillersmust strictlyabide by thepolicies

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CORRESPONDENCE REPORTS2,000 hectares of land cultivated in various parts of the hacienda. Many farmers have also begun puttingup small piggeries and poultry farms, which wasstrictly prohibited by the hacienda management.

All this became possible at the height of the strikebecause of the latter's extraordinary strength and res-onance, the landlord family's isolation due to the Ha-

cienda Luisita Massacre and the fascist marauding of the Philippine Army's Northern Luzon Command andthe PNP Special Action Force, and exposés on the mis-erable conditions of the farm workers on the estate.The campaign continued even after the strike becauseof the long delay in the issuance of the Supreme Courtdecision on the peasants' petition against the stockdistribution option. The masses also maintained theirstrong fighting spirit and enjoyed broad political sup-port.

"Bungkalan's" success. According to assessments

conducted by the unions and members participatingin the campaign, "bungkalan" has afforded them moreroom for initiative, maneuver and flexibility in theirmass struggles. It has provided income to strikers andsupport for their picket lines, thus strengthening themasses' unity and will to fight. Their collective resist-ance and organized initiatives to assert their demo-cratic rights to life and livelihood instead of relyingon doleouts from the landlord and the reactionarystate can no longer be easily banished from the mass-

es' consciousness.Another measure of success is the revitalization of the environment. From lands exclusively planted tosugarcane, which the peasants could not eat, thecountryside has come alive with greenery and cropsthat now serve as sources of livelihood.

The Cojuangco-Aquino clan can be expected tofoist all kinds of deceptive and repressive maneuversto maintain its feudal land monopoly. Thus, the ben-efits attained through "bungkalan" are constantly indanger of being lost either through violence or legal

maneuvers by the landlord family. So long as landlordpower is not sufficiently eroded by the advance of armed revolution, there will be many serious limits tothe consolidation of the political and economic victo-ries attained through the campaign. The peasantsmust attain expertise in conducting legal struggle,continue to gather broad political support, furtherstrengthen their unity and raise their fighting spirit.

They must continue strengthening their political and organizational unity. They must avoid theeconomism trap, where they become content with theimmediate fruits of the land and neglect the strugglefor genuine land reform. They must firm up their uni-ty regarding policies on how to divide the land anddistribute its benefits and how to continually improvethe collectivization of labor and farm implements todevelop the land. They must also persist in their con-sciousness-raising efforts to maintain the solidity of their life and death struggle for land. ~

Crimes of the8th ID against

the people of Samar

The 8th Infantry Division hasgone allout in implementing theAquino regime's Oplan Bayani-

han in Samar island this year. Inmany barrios of Northern and EasternSamar, stark violations of interna-

tional humanitarian law have beencommitted in the course of militarycampaigns in addition to causingadded hardships to the people.

The New People's Army has report-ed that Aquino's troops have beenencamping right in the middle of civilian communities. To evade accu-sations of violating international hu-manitarian law, the soldiers claimthat their encampments are tactical

in nature. They set up so-called "tac-tical command posts" and "tactical patrol bases." In fact, their camps arepractically permanent in nature dueto the sheer frequency and number of their operations. This has angered thepeasants who have had to suffermany restrictions on their movementsand whose livelihood and securityhave been affected.

Investigations by the Silvio Pa- jares Command (SPC) revealed thatthe 87th IB's Bravo Coy has beenstaying in the villages of Bangon,Bagacay and Capacujan in Palapag,Northern Samar. Its Charlie Coy is fo-cused on Barangay Potong, Lapinigtown and in Barangays Silhagon,Hubasan, Naparasan and Burgos inMapanas town. Local governmentunits have been made to sign memo-

randa of agreement with the militaryand peasants are being coerced to at-tend town meetings called by the fas-cists. In the affected barrios, the sol-diers have been conducting censusesand calling for surrenders. Some vil-lagers have also been beaten up.

The SPC added that the 14th and

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CORRESPONDENCE REPORTS

Health workers slamprivatization of hospitals

NURSES and other employees of the Na-

tional Center for Mental Health (NCMH)in Mandaluyong City and the PhilippineHeart Center (PHC) in Quezon Citywaged protest actions against plans toprivatize their hospitals.

On July 29, nurses, employees andhealth workers rallied at the NCMHcompound to oppose the facility's im-pending privatization and transfer toAntipolo City. The government plans to

sell the NCMH's 48-hectare lot to pavethe way for the construction of residen-tial and commercial buildings in thearea. The protesters said more than5,000 patients will be affected by pri-vatization because most of them arepoor and could not afford to pay formedical treatment. Also at stake arethe jobs of the hospital's 1,700 em-ployees and workers.

Meanwhile, hospital employees

staged a picket-rally in front of the PHCon July 8 to demand a higher budgetfor the facility instead of putting it upfor sale. The hospital, which owes morethan `46 million in debt because of itssmall budget has been put on the auc-tion block by the Quezon City govern-ment..

63rd IBs have divided amongthemselves the area com-prising San Vicente vil-lage in Catubig and thebarrios of San Miguel,

Perez, Quirino and Imeldain Las Navas. The soldiersenter and leave these vil-lages at will, maintainingan almost permanentpresence. They have setup their headquarters inBarangay Imelda, wherethe fascists had conduct-ed a census and an-nounced that other vil-

lages would follow suit.The 14th IB is also

focused on an area inEastern Samar and has

a company that shifts baseamong San Roque village in Ji-papad and Buko, Pandol and

Balagon villages in Can-avid town. While

based in its tactical command post in avillage, it also sendstroops to scour sur-rounding barangays.The fascists interro-gate the peasants onthe whereabouts of the NPA and alsoconduct recruitmentdrives. They likewise

guard evacuation cen-ters during calamities,

gather wood fortheir camps and

conscript civilians to constructdetachments. They have intro-duced gambling by running acockpit that is open every Sat-urday.

The peasants affected bythis militarization have al-ready assailed the restrictionson their mobility and the dele-terious effects on their farm-ing activities. They scoff atthe soldiers' claims that themilitary is in the area to pro-tect the people, as they, infact, pose a danger to thecivilians. The peasants have

also called on the NPA to pun-ish the fascist troops whosepresence not only imperils butweighs heavily on them. ~

CPP condoleswith Norwegian people

THE Communist Party of the Philippines and the entire

revolutionary movement condoled with the Norwegianpeople after two successive terrorist attacks killedclose to 80 people on July 22.

The first was a bomb attack near several govern-ment buildings in the Norwegian capital of Oslo thatkilled eight people and injured several others. Twohours later, 69 youth were shot and killed by a gunmanin the island of Utoya. The attacker, Andres BehringBreivik, shot 14 to 18 year olds who were then attend-ing a youth camp sponsored by the ruling Labor Party.The Labor Party is known for its policy of tolerance to-wards the country's migrant population. Breivik is ananti-communist, anti-Muslim and antimigrant Norwe-gian. Investigations by the Norwegian police and amanifesto published by Breivik have revealed that hewas also responsible for the Oslo bomb attack.

Breivik's acts earned widespread condemnationeven as sympathy poured in for the victims, their fam-ilies and the Norwegian people as a whole. Amongthose who condemned the attacks was the Internation-al League of Peoples' Struggles (ILPS). In a statement,

the ILPS said that the biggest and worst forms of ter-rorism in the world today do not come from believersof Islam or even such notorious organizations as the al-Qaeda but from the imperialist powers that whip upchauvinism, racism, religious bigotry and fascism, op-press and exploit the billions of working people andlaunch wars of aggression to kill people in the hun-dreds of thousands and millions.

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