Dante A. Ang, Publisher
Manila Times
May 28, 2004

This article was featured in the Manila Times . The views contained herein are of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CPP and the revolutionary forces.

I was pleasantly surprised to receive a call a few weeks ago from someone who introduced himself as Ka Roger. Quite frankly, I could not immediately tell whether I was talking to Ka Roger or not.

Nonetheless, one thing led to another and before I knew it was already talking to him about a possible personal interview.

I told Ka Roger I would like to write an in-depth article on the whys and wherefores of the organization I said I can�t understand why communism is on the decline in other parts of the world in contrast to the Philippines, where the NPAs are gaining strength and ground.

In Europe and the Americans, the communists have renounced the armed struggle and chosen to join the democratic process instead. Closer to home, china is basking in capitalist glory, giving the United States a run for its money. Chinese products flood the US market.

Ka Roger had a simple but ready answer. The USSR and China, he said, are revisionists. They have abandoned the cause. Nonetheless, he was interested to talk about a wide variety of subjects and promised to call again.

I did not hear from him for sometime and I though that was it. I had forgotten all about it until last Sunday, while driving home from my farm in Batangas, when Ka Roger called unexpectedly. He was apologetic for not having called me earlier. Must have been due to the intensified military operation in his area of operation, I thought.

Anyway, I made sure that we understood each other I reiterated to Ka Roger the issues I wanted discussed. More important I emphasized that I would ask hard questions like, �Is the NPA terrorist organization? Are you no different from the ordinary extortionist?�

I told him I would understand if he wouldn�t feel comfortable talking about the hard issues against him and the organization. I hastened to add that I would not waste my time writing pleasant stories about him and the NPAs.

And so the following Tuesday off I went to the boondocks that dot the great divide between the provinces of Quezon and Bicol. Up there, you can�t help feeling as if you were transported back in time. The surrounding barangays are impoverished. Only rough roads. No potable water. No trycicles either only carabaos.

Ka Roger and the fully armed young men who were with him certainly don�t look like terrorists or extortionists or whatever. They looked like simple folk. Friendly. Caring. They exude sincerity, commitment and loyalty to their cause.

However the military would paint them to be, the fact remains that they sincerely believe in the cause they are fighting for. They see no change happening in the country whoever wins in the election in May.

Ka Roger�s close-in security men are very young. The youngest is 18 years old and very shy. Doesn�t talk much. Armalite in tow, he stood guard some 30 feet away from us for possible police and army infiltration while I was interviewing Ka Roger.

They are not against foreign investments per se, but these must not prejudice the interests of the local businessmen. Ka Roger believes the world is one big community.

He remains hopeful that the peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front will succeed. He noted that active generals are against the peace talks but that Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita is for pursuing them.

I hope I can finish the transcript of my taped conversation with Ka Roger within the next few days. The interview took several hours for two straight days. The Manila Times will be coming out with a feature on the NPA. Ka Roger�s profile will also be published as a sidebar.

The interview went smoothly. All along, I was afraid the military might discover Ka Roger�s presence and storm the camp while I was there. Thank God nothing of that sort happened. We packed up and left the camp the next day after the second interview with Ka Roger.

He has a solution to every imaginable problem that besets the country today. You may disagree with him on the issues of the day, but you�ll have to give him an A for conviction.

He may not have a college degree but he certainly knows the affairs of government more than some public officials I know. Like most of us, he, too, is a dreamer. He dreams that one day soon, the Filipinos will be free from foreign domination and influence.

I think I am beginning to appreciate better how the NPA�s feel about the government and why and how they look at issues. To understand them, you must fell where they are coming from. By and large, the NPAs are victims of our own system; of the societal inequities--deprived opportunities and social and political injustice.

Out there where the government is hardly seen, much less felt, it is easier to make an enemy of the State rather than a friend of it. And for as long as corruption and poverty, among other social ills remain unchecked no amount of government propaganda can reverse the inevitable explosion of the social volcano. Heaven forbid.

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