CPP, NPA unfazed by Arroyo's "counterattacks"
July 3, 2003

The Communist Party of the Philippines is unfazed by the "political, diplomatic and military counterattacks" of President Macapagal-Arroyo in face of recent successful tactical offensives of the New People's Army in Samar and Compostela Valley.

Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal, spokesman of the Communist Party of the Philippines, belittled the order from President Arroyo to redeploy AFP troops from Mindanao to New People's Army areas.

"We expect that these troops will again unleash brutality against the people," Rosal said.

However, Rosal said, "deploying more AFP troops in NPA guerrilla zones also means more targets of NPA tactical offensives and thus more weapons to arm the growing number of NPA Red fighters."

Rosal called "Row Four" Arroyo's order for the police and local government filling in for the AFP in order to solve the problem of overstretching of government troops over several fronts. "Row Four" is Rosal's favorite term to refer to grade school pupils assigned to the last row of the class for being dullards.

Rosal said the "revolutionary movement is not at all fazed by Arroyo's so-called counterattacks".

"The Arroyo government represents the past. It is rotten, isolated and much detested by the people," Rosal declared.

"On the other hand, the revolutionary forces are progressive. They are surging forward and enjoy the widespread support of the people," Rosal stated. "The revolutionary movement will definitely outlast Arroyo's government."

Rosal also recently urged NPA local commands to "emulate the Red fighters in Samar and Compostela Valley and carry out more and bigger tactical offensives against the hated fascist troops of the AFP."

"There will always be military targets," Rosal said.

He further dismissed President Arroyo's statement calling the recent NPA offensives as "terrorist acts" saying that "Arroyo has become so blinded with her 'terrorist syndrome' that she cannot even distinguish between revolutionary military actions and acts of terrorism."

At the same time, the CPP spokesman scoffed at Arroyo's order to review the possible revocation of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), saying "the Arroyo regime has long been disregarding and violating the agreement as shown prominently by efforts to have Comrade Sison extradited to the Philippines."

"Furthermore," Rosal added, such a move "counteracts supposed recent efforts of the government to resume peace talks."

Several days ago, a government team led by House Speaker Jose de Venecia flew to The Netherlands to meet the negotiating panel of the National Democratic Front to discuss the possibility of resuming peace negotiations. ###

Reference:
Anne Buenaventura
Media Officer
Cellphone Number: +63910-240-3553

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CPP, NPA unfazed by Arroyo's "counterattacks" July 3, 2003

CPP, NPA unfazed by Arroyo's "counterattacks"
July 3, 2003