Department of National Defense (DND)
Secretary Delfin Lorenzana was right on the dot when he said that the terrorist
New People's Army (NPA) is a "bane" to the country's peace, security
and national development.
Last March 29 the communist terrorists
will be “celebrating their 50th year of futile, delusional and
vicious existence that is a bane to our country's peace, security and national
development," the DND Secretary said in a statement.
As always the NPA would conduct treacherous
celebratory attacks and other criminal acts to mark their anniversary, the DND
chief stated that the Armed Forces of the Philippines is always on high alert
for such attacks and has urged the public to be vigilant against said atrocities. *
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| (photo credit to owner) |
"While the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is on
heightened alert to fully protect our people and thwart possible hostilities by
the NPA, we enjoin the public to be more vigilant and proactive in securing our
communities against treacherous activities such as intimidation, extortion and
murder of innocent civilians, burning of private properties and vital
installations and conduct of ambuscades against government security
forces," the DND Secretary said.(PNA.gov.ph)
There is an interesting article that was written by Ms. Getsy
Tiglao regarding the New People’s Army in her column in the Manila Bulletin
which was published last February 23, 2018, titled “Media should stop
romanticizing the NPAs”.
In her article she talks about the practice of mainstream media in
giving the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army millions worth
of free publicity- the very same people who shoots down our soldiers and
policemen, burns communication installations or equipments and would always
terrorize the countryside with their mandatory self imposed “revolutionary
taxes.”
We are going to fully quote the written piece of Ms.Tiglao for our
readers reference and full appreciation of the topic.
Media should stop romanticizing the NPAs
I don’t know why in
this day and age, Philippine media continues to romanticize the criminal and
terrorist group known as the New People’s Army (NPA). They put on the
front page photographs of these Communists, in effect giving this rebel group
millions of pesos worth of free publicity.
*
Editors are quick
to pixelize violent images of crime scenes on both print and on television, but
then they unthinkingly showcase photographs of armed NPA cadres – the same
people who won’t hesitate to shoot down a Filipino soldier, policeman, or any
politician or businessman who refuses to pay their illegal “revolutionary
taxes.”
It’s been 50 years
since the creation of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). By this
time, the members of media who in their youth may have been sympathetic to the
Communist movement, should have realized that Communism is a failed ideology.
Even the People’s Republic of China, which has a unitary Socialist-Communist
government, grew and developed only after adopting capitalist and market
reforms starting in 1978.
They should also
know by now that the CPP was the one behind the Plaza Miranda bombing on August
21, 1971, as testified by many witnesses, including former cadres. Jose Maria
Sison, the founder of the CPP, wanted to trigger a revolution but what he
caused instead was a declaration of martial law in the entire country.
Parts of Mindanao
and the Visayas continue to be poor and undeveloped because of the presence of
the NPAs. Investors are reluctant to build industries in far-flung areas
because of the likelihood that the communists will attack them and destroy
their property and businesses if they don’t pay the communists’ extortion fee. *
Despite this,
Philippine media still devotes long and fawning interviews with Sison, the CPP’s
propaganda leader who is enjoying the good life in Europe. Local media
publishes glamorized portraits of young pretty NPAs with their Macbooks without
the slightest awareness of the hypocrisy of it all. They are unwittingly
sending a message to the youth that it’s cool to be a Communist cadre. Yes, the
girl says, I am an NPA but I love Apple!
The fact is that
Communist cadres are always on the run from the military. They trod through
miles of dirt and jungle, eat mainly camote and old coconut (niyog), and suffer
through bouts of malaria, diarrhea, and various illnesses, including
tuberculosis. Their teeth fall due to malnutrition and bad hygiene.
If they don’t
surrender to government, they are eventually killed in an encounter or shot by
their fellow Communists when they cleanse ranks. This is the reality, and not
the idealized version being promoted by Communist propagandists, aided in part
by mainstream media. Is this really the future that newspaper and television
executives want for our youth?
The goal of the CPP
is to overthrow the government through violent means, mainly guerrilla warfare.
Thus their armed wing, the NPA, has been behind many ambushes of soldiers and
policemen. The Duterte administration gave up on its talks with the Communists
last year due to the non-stop NPA attacks that resulted in the deaths of many,
including civilians. *
The Armed Forces of
the Philippines (AFP) has long identified the CPP-NPA as a serious threat to
our democracy. I believe that our military has the smarts and capability to
defeat the Communists. The problem has always been the lack of support to the
AFP and the general reluctance of leaders to order a full-scale campaign
against the rebels.
This is slowly
changing though as President Rodrigo Duterte, despite his socialist leanings,
has seen the crucial role of the AFP in keeping the republic intact. Military
arms and equipment are now being upgraded. So are the salaries and benefits of
our men and women in uniform.
Imagine if the AFP
had failed to win the war in Marawi. We would have had a city within our
country controlled by the decapitation-happy Islamic State.
Many Philippine
presidents start out with a desire to enter into peace negotiations with the
Communists. But then they always leave the negotiating table feeling frustrated
and betrayed.
The Duterte
administration is only the latest to try, and fail, to reach an agreement with
a group that has no genuine desire for peace. Really, now, how can you expect
government to agree to a deal where the NPA will not lay down their arms? *
Media people should
start looking at Communist groups for what they really are – as a threat to our
democratic society.
Unfortunately,
local media has taken the adversarial role of the press to the extreme,
forgetting that it also has a role in building a nation. There is no shame in
helping your country grow and develop so that millions of Filipinos can be
lifted out of poverty. What is shameful is helping criminals and terrorists in
their goal to overthrow a legitimate government through violent means.
Editors, reporters,
publishers, and newspaper owners should rethink their practice of promoting –
inadvertently, I hope – the Communist ideology. Our media people should think
deep and hard as to which side they want to win.
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Report from Manila Bulletin
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