On the alleged NPA plot to liquidate Ople

Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal
Spokesperson
Communist Party of the Philippines
December 17, 2002

Ople attaches excessive importance to himself. He conjures the illusion that his efforts to convince the European Union to regard the New People�s Army and Comrade Jose Maria Sison as "terrorists" have brought about an enormous setback to the revolutionary movement.

First of all, his efforts have not produced as much negative effect to the revolutionary work of the CPP-NPA. The CPP-NPA has proven capable of advancing its work regardless of the efforts of the US and other imperialist countries to suppress and oppose it.

The principal intended objective of the imperialists � which is the biggest effect of the inclusion in the listing of Foreign Terrorist Organizations � is the freezing of the foreign bank deposits of those they designate as "terrorist."

However, the CPP-NPA does not have substantial funds outside the country that are in danger of being frozen by the US and the members of the European Union. The CPP-NPA is self-reliant, and is not dependent on any financial or material support from outside the country. Although it solicits broad political and moral support from outside the country, the Filipino people � foremost among them, the peasant masses � wholeheartedly support it, and are the voluntary source of its large capacity to sustain the need to mobilize and advance the revolutionary work.

The US and the Macapagal-Arroyo governments are also waging a vilification campaign against the NPA and Comrade Joma in order for the European Union to include them in its listing of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. At present, the actual fight is still principally in the realm of propaganda and convincing the people of the world. Ople only imagines that they have scored such a big victory when the imperialist countries of Europe, under the leadership of the No. 1 imperialist and international terrorist, designated the NPA and Comrade Joma as "terrorist."

For the CPP-NPA, how the imperialist countries view us is not of primary importance. What is more important to us is the perception of the people and the middle forces of the world. The increasing challenge for the CPP-NPA is to explain to the people of the world that it is not terrorist but genuinely revolutionary and pro-people. On the other hand, it is the US and the puppet Arroyo regime that are the real terrorists. Instead of isolating the CPP-NPA, its revolutionary leadership in international forums is becoming more enhanced than ever.

Instead of dwindling, world sympathy, aid and assistance for the CPP-NPA is increasing and becoming more widespread in its struggle against the scheme of the US and the Macapagal-Arroyo government to pressure the CPP-NPA and its leaders. There are countries in Europe that do not fully support the inclusion of the CPP-NPA in the listing of "terrorists." Norway, for example, continues to express its willingness to host the peace negotiations between the NDFP and the GRP. On the other hand, the US, the European Union and the Arroyo government persist in their attacks. However, their efforts to insist that the CPP-NPA and its leaders are "terrorist" are only being exposed further as having a twisted logic, without any basis and without any respect for due process.

If Ople is awake and not just dreaming, he should realize that the alleged "assassination plot" against him is just a nightmare of his own imagination. I would like to emphasize that the NPA does not have any plan whatsoever and does not waste its efforts on insignificant persons. In my opinion, his mind and his health cannot sustain the rigors of his job. ###

Back to top