Reports from Correspondents:
Vigorous, swift and effective action of the masses in the guerilla zones

Basahin ang artikulong ito sa Pilipino

In Batangas, many remarkable experiences show the mass movement's readiness to struggle militantly against militarization in the course of vigorously supporting the armed stuggle.

This has been proven by the many instances where they were able to determinedly, expeditiously and effectively launch concerted actions in defense of their rights and the interest of the revolutionary movement in their community. As such, they are able to blunt the fangs of fascism and raise the level of their courage.

Speedy action to free an arrested comrade. By means of the masses' timely reaction, a Red fighter was promptly freed from the hands of fascist troops. On April 12 at 9:30 in the morning, Mayor Cesar Platon ordered the arrest of Ka Noli, a native of Calaca. Ka Noli was tasked by the Melito Glor Command to deliver an invitation for Platon to talk with the people's army within a guerrilla zone. As soon as Platon received the invitation, he ordered the police to apprehend Ka Noli. Nonetheless, as soon as he was arrested, he was able to send a text message to comrades using the cellphone he had with him.

Comrades, Ka Noli's relatives and townmates in Calaca acted with dispatch. The incident was also instantly reported to Karapatan, a human rights advocacy organization. They all agreed that something had to be done straight away in order to keep the police and Platon's minions from summarily executing Ka Noli and to have him freed at the soonest possible time.

At 11:00 in the morning, Karapatan representatives arrived at the municipal hall of Tanauan. They learned that Ka Noli had been transferred to Camp Malvar in the neighboring town. Before 2:00 in the afternoon, Ka Noli's relatives and neighbors had arrived at Camp Malvar, accompanied by representatives from Karapatan. They asked to see Ka Noli alive and unhurt. However, Ka Noli was not allowed to face them because he was still allegedly being interrogated. They stood vigil all night at Camp Malvar.

The next day, more of Ka Noli's townmates and friends and people from the various towns of western Batangas arrived. Up to a hundred people rallied right in front of the camp. They demanded Ka Noli's release.

Wanting to avoid the rally, the PNP provincial commander ordered that Ka Noli be brought back to Tanauan where charges would be filed against him. The rallyists promptly transferred to Tanauan.

It took a long time for the PNP to bring Ka Noli to Tanauan because he had been taken and tortured by intelligence operatives of the Solcom (Southern Luzon Command) and the PNP Batangas Provincial Office.

Ka Noli's supporters grew suspicious about the long delay in Ka Noli's transport to Tanauan. They launched a rally in front of the municipal hall. Because of the pressure they exerted, the PNP was no longer able to delay the surfacing of Ka Noli any further.

As soon as Ka Noli was brought to Tanauan, the PNP hurriedly filed charges without going through due process. Ka Noli was slapped with a P10,000 bail, which the rallyists immediately raised. Very early the next morning, they posted bail and jubilantly brought Ka Noli home.

The spirited and determined action of the masses to have Ka Noli freed and to save his life served to inspire him even more to decisively overcome all the hardships he experienced in the hands at the enemy. After being freed, he immediately rejoined his unit in the people's army.

Courageous resistance against betrayal. A former fighter of the people's army surrendered to the enemy on June 15. The 20th SF Coy immediately took advantage of this. They launched military operations in the Batangas area where he used to operate so he could point out the houses that he knew were being used as basing by the NPA in those barrios. The SF had planned on intimidating and subjecting the people to psywar to stop them from supporting the people's army. In every village they went to, the SF ordered the barriofolk to gather in front of the traitor they had in tow. The traitor pointed to a bench and said, "Isn't this where I had my hair cut?" He brought his SF companions to a house and said to them, "This is where I used to stay." He even picked a soap dish and said, "Isn't this soap dish mine?"

Instead of being intimidated, this only further stirred up the courage of the masses in the militarized barrios. Everyone there disowned him and openly showed their anger at him and his SF companions. The people looked daggers at him. Others could not help but rebuke him frontally.

The SF conducted operations in the area for a week, but not a single resident yielded, nor faltered in the face of such betrayal against them. There was nothing the SF could do to pressure and frighten the masses. All that time, an NPA unit was posted nearby. The unit remained calm, because they thoroughly reposed their trust in the masses' all-out support for the people's army.

Speedy mobilization against militarization. At 2:00 in the afternoon of August 9, an encounter took place in Lopez Coral, Calaca in western Batangas, between an NPA unit based there, and a "Back to Basics Class 01" squad operating in Calaca. Class 01-01 is an SF unit of the Philippine Army, which is under Task Force Banahaw.

Three days before the encounter, the SF had deployed nine sections of Class 01-01 (13-14 people per section) into the farther stretches of western Batangas. The section had also been conducting operations in the barrios for three days.

When the military sought directions, a farmer pointed to the opposite direction in order to mislead the enemy away from the place where he knew an NPA unit was staying. The enemy suspected that the farmer had deceived them, so they took the opposite direction. Thus, the enemy troops encountered the NPA unit. Two enemy troopers were immediately wounded while the entire NPA unit was able to retreat safely.

In desperation, the enemy fired shots indiscriminately in all directions while scampering away. Even the masses' sugarcane crops were hit by machine gun fire. Residents of the vicinity seriously feared for their lives. They planned their move.

Even before this, the people had already been preparing for a mass action against the enemy's frequent militarization of the area. They now transformed this mass action into an urgent indignation rally against the strafing perpetrated by Class 01-01 in their area. The masses held a rally in the barrio without delay. They also sought help from Karapatan. The next day, a fact-finding mission arrived at the barrio to investigate the reported strafing of Class 01-01. They also pushed through with the rally in front of the PNP's 401st Mobile Group in Palico, Nasugbu to complain against the Philippine Army's operations. Due to the people's earlier mobilizations against militarization and human rights violations in the area, an agreement had been reached between the masses and the Calaca PNP as early as 1999. According to the terms of the agreement, the AFP or PNP should inform the people about their operations before conducting them. The people complained against the AFP's uncoordinated and unannounced conduct of operations. The 401st MG denied any knowledge about the PA operation and promised to take action on the complaint. The next day, the Class 01-01 operation was terminated.

There are many other examples of effective mobilizations by the masses of Batangas that show their determination, audacity, wit and capacity to fight for their own welfare and for the growing needs of the revolutionary movement and armed struggle. These prove that the future of the revolution depends on the firmness and courage of the masses both in warding off and defeating the enemy.

September 2001
English Edition

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