NPA: Philippine Army In Negros Island To Safeguard Ruling Class And Imperialist Interests
Maoche Legislador | Spokesperson | Negros Island Regional Operational Command (Apolinario Gatmaitan Command) | New People’s Army
February 16, 2024
It is no surprise that reactionary state troops will not be pulled-out from Negros Island after the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division pretentiously claimed guerrilla fronts on Negros were already dismantled. It is also natural for Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Lacson to parrot such talk as he represents the exploiters and oppressors of Negros Island whom the mercenary 3rd ID serves.
The Apolinario Gatmaitan Command-New People’s Army Negros Island Regional Operations Command (AGC-NPA) strongly belies the 3rd ID’s claim that it has “dismantled” even one guerrilla front on the island. Up to now, all five guerrilla fronts under the AGC-NPA continue to perform as the Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) primary weapon in waging protracted people’s war through extensive and intensive guerrilla warfare on the basis of an ever widening and deepening mass base in their respective areas of responsibility.
The sustained presence of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on the island bares its hogwash ‘dismantled’ declaration out in the open and exposes the anti-insurgency campaign as a fascist means to a neo-liberal end. To present a facade of a dismantled front, the AFP, Philippine National Police (PNP) and National Task Force (NTF)-ELCAC carry out a series of onslaught through military offensives and psywar and intelligence operations on peasant communities, conceal countless human rights violations through declaring fake encounters and fake surrenders, and promote corruption-ridden and band-aid government programs like the Barangay Development Program.
Relentless focused military operations in Negros continue to result in numerous human rights violations, most recently the ransack of a peasant home by the 15th IB and 47th IB in Cauayan, Negros Occidental. There are about 600 incidents of human rights violations perpetrated by reactionary state forces on Negros Island under the US-Marcos II regime as monitored by the National Democratic Front (NDF)-Negros, involving over 39,000 victims.
After ‘dismantled’ declarations and the recommendation of placing Negros Island under a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS), reactionary propaganda machinery bombard the media with promises of ‘development’ and ‘progress.’ The scheme is obvious—suppress dissent in resource-rich communities to pave the way for the interests of multinational corporations and big comprador land lords. The AFP/PNP/NTF-ELCAC are mere tools and attack dogs of the ruling class and their imperialist master to railroad neo-liberal projects such as destructive mining and quarrying from northern to southern Negros, a commercial plantation in Candoni town, expansive land reclamation projects to transform Bacolod City and Dumaguete City into “super” and “smart” cities, environmentally unfriendly bulk water projects or mega dams in north and south central Negros, and other forms of economic attacks against the people.
In truth, reactionary state forces will remain on the island to safeguard the interests of big compradors and landlords and bureaucrat capitalists like Gov. Lacson in connivance with imperialists. The reactionary state requires its armed machinery to paint the picture of security for the ruling class, so it can continue to exploit and oppress the Negrosanon masses.
While fascism and neo-liberalism persist, Negrosanons find justness in armed resistance. In this semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, the oppressed and exploited have reasons everyday to support and join the revolutionary movement. So long as the rule of the few lingers, the NPA and the people’s democratic revolution cannot be dismantled.
Source : https://philippinerevolution.nu/statements/philippine-army-in-negros-island-to-safeguard-ruling-class-imperialist-interests/