RHB: Criminal and counterrevolutionary
The decadence of the roving, bandit and counterrevolutionary "Rebolusyonaryong Hukbong Bayan" (RHB) continues to be exposed.
It was in 1997 when the Party expelled a number of incorrigible, factionalist and opportunist renegades in Central Luzon. A few of these elements formed the revisionist and splittist "Marxista-Leninistang Partido ng Pilipinas" (MLPP) that organized and led the RHB armed group.
Initially, the RHB operated in a number of towns in the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales. Most of its elements have since been neutralized in their previous areas of operation, with only a few of them left in Bataan and Zambales. Because of the NPA's pursuit and exposure of the RHB in Central Luzon and the latter's shrinking area of operations in the region, they have penetrated a number of barangays in the towns of General Nakar, Polilio, Infanta and Real in north Quezon; and a few barangays in Dingalan, Aurora.
The RHB's operations along the Aurora-north Quezon border are led and supervised by Miel "Amanda" Laurenaria, who was expelled as Secretary of the Southern Luzon Party Committee and was one of those mainly responsible for Operation Missing Link (OPML) in 1988. The OPML led by Laurenaria was a deranged operation involving the surveillance, arrest, torture and killing of many Party cadres and members, Red commanders and fighters and mass activists in Southern Tagalog on the baseless accusation and suspicion that they were enemy agents. Because of her leading role in, and obstinacy regarding, OPML, she was meted disciplinary action. Up till the time she was expelled from the Party for joining the MLPP and RHB, she has bullheadedly insisted on the correctness of OPML.
Because they were former members of the New People's Army, a number of RHB elements initially found it easy to approach the masses. They peddled the lie that they were the "genuine people's army". When they won the sympathy of the masses, they desperately spread concocted stories, intrigues and slander against the Party, NPA and the entire revolutionary movement. To convince confused elements to cross over to their side, they promise them financial support.
But as time goes by, the RHB's reactionary character is exposed and the list of their acts of counterrevolutionary violence and violations of the people's human rights grows longer.
The RHB is in cahoots with and is armed by the AFP and PNP. The bandit group directly participates and serves as guide in enemy operations against the NPA and revolutionary mass bases. It allows itself to be used by the military in intelligence operations against the NPA and receives rewards in exchange for information. The RHB's connivance with the enemy has led to enemy attacks and the death of a number of comrades. There have been several incidents where, instead of avoiding contact with the military, the RHB positioned itself near the enemy's entry and exit routes during military operations.
Aside from its links with the military, the RHB also serves as a private army of reactionary politicians and the likes of jueteng lord Bong Pineda. Aside from being guns for hire, they also engage in robbery, extortion and kidnap-for-ransom.
There have been negotiations between the RHB and the military regarding the former's integration into the CAFGU.
Because of the RHB's crimes, it has reaped the anger of the masses it has victimized. The RHB sabotages mass organizations and mass campaigns, such as the launching of agrarian revolution.
Following are a few of the latest documented crimes of the RHB against the people of Pampanga.
- February 5, 2001 in Barangay San Roque, Sta. Ana. Harassment and intimidation by armed elements of the RHB against Jesus Pangan, Jose Roxas and Benjamin Macapinlac, members of Aguman dareng Maglalautang Capampangan (AMC). The RHB barged into their respective houses.
- January 29, 2001 in Barangay Sto. Rosario, Mexico. Mauling and killing of Orlando "Tang Otning" Panlilio, 56, coordinator of STOP-Land Use Conversion sa Pampanga (STOP-LUC). Still alive after being shot several times, he was hacked to death by the bandits.
- January 27, 2001 in Barangay San Roque, Sta. Ana. Encirclement of Tatang Teryo Dizon's house by 16 men from a composite group of RHB and RGA elements. The RGA ("Rebolusyonaryong Gerilya ng Arayat") is a group of former NPA fighters who had surrendered and turned traitor. It now serves as a security force for the Pampanga Delta Development Project, and is thus also called the "Delta Gang". It is ordinarily engaged in extortion activities against subcontractors of the project.
- January 6, 2001 in Barangay San Antonio, Mexico. Murder of Eric Canlas, 24. Canlas was a volunteer worker at the office of the Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD) in the locality and the Fire Brigade in Mexico. He was also a member of Pacific Radio Communication.
- January 2001. Encirclement by 30 armed elements of the house of Tatang Primo Guarin, AMC chair. Failing to take Tatang Primo, the RHB shouted "Tatang Primo, binibigyan ka namin ng dalawang araw para umalis ng Pampanga!" (we give you two days to leave Pampanga)
- December 2000. Abduction of AMC member Fred Lacanlale, and forcing him to swear to "never have anything to do again with the peasant organizations" in their barrio.
- December 18, 2000 in front of San Lorenzo Elementary School in Mexico. Killing of Jesie Bagtas, 37 and Noel dela Cruz, 30, both AMC members and residents of Barangay San Nicolas, Mexico.
- October 2000 in Barangay San Agustin, Sta. Ana. Threatened killing of Javier Mallari, vice chair of the Sta. Ana chapter of AMC, if he refused to stop his organizing activities.
- September 1999. Forcible entry of 10 RHB elements into the house of Linda Cayanan, AMC Secretary-General. The RHB threatened to kill Cayanan if she did not stop organizing the peasants of Mexico. Five other houses of AMC members in Barangay San Nicolas, Mexico were likewise encircled.
Like others who split from and attempted to demolish the revolutionary movement, the MLPP-RHB will be relegated to the dustbin of history because of its antipeople and counterrevolutionary activities. Despite the RHB's certain fate, it is necessary to hasten its destruction to prevent it from wreaking havoc on the masses and the revolutionary movement. The NPA's successful tactical offensives have inflicted damage on this criminal group. Such actions, along with the mass movement that shall continue exposing its counterrevolutionary character, will crush the MLPP-RHB.
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