Reply to the black propaganda of the 8th Infantry Division

Fr. Santiago "Sanny" Salas
Spokesperson in Eastern Visayas
National Democratic Front of the Philippines
August 05, 2003

The National Democratic Front in Eastern Visayas strongly condemns the false and baseless aspersions on the revolutionary movement by the 8th Infantry Division that came out one after the other in the radio and print media of Region 8.

The masses of the people deserve to know that it is not the revolutionary movement but the military that carries out or backs various incidents of holdups, rustling and extortion in our region. The criminal gangs in Catbalogan, San Jorge, Calbayog, Hinabangan and Paranas are armed with high-powered rifles that could only have come from the AFP. Some of these groups, unsurprisingly, are based and operate near military camps. The NPA units in the above areas have confirmed that one of these gangs is led by elements of the Intelligence Service of the AFP (ISAFP), while the other groups are headed by active or ex-military men. There has in fact been a nabbing of an AFP element for leading robberies in Western Samar. These criminals prey on the common people, including small and medium entrepreneurs. In their nefarious activities, they invoke the name of the NPA, not only to extort but to tarnish as well the reputation and prestige of the NPA and the entire revolutionary movement.

The people's democratic government carries out the integral policy of revolutionary taxation in exercising political power in its territories. Likewise, any commercial activities that grievously harm the people and the environment are sternly forbidden. For those permitted to operate, it is the big businessmen, especially foreign monopoly corporations, who are imposed revolutionary taxation and not the common people and small businessmen. The accumulated revolutionary taxes go to the strengthening of the people's democratic power, including the mass campaigns to improve the lives and political awareness of the people in the revolutionary territories. This is the complete reverse of the squeezing of taxes by the Macapagal-Arroyo regime from toiling Filipinos, which only swell the pockets of the big politicians, or the budget of the fascist military, or the endless payment of the foreign debt.

Instead of putting the blame on the revolutionary movement for the lack of peace and progress in Philippine society, as prated by Eric Avila in Eastern Samar, it is the 8th ID that should be asked to explain to the people of Eastern Visayas why the AFP siphons off a major part of the national budget, while trickles go to social services like education, housing and health. The AFP must also be held accountable before the Filipino people how come the billions in military budget merely go into the pockets of high-ranking officers.

The truth is that 88% of our population - or more than 70 million Filipinos - are living in poverty. Even Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo grudgingly admitted in her SONA that she had not done anything significant to uplift the economy and the plight of the suffering people. The crisis is in fact deepening because of the Arroyo regime's policies that favor the landlords, comprador bourgeoisie and foreign monopoly capitalists. Not only does the regime ignores the basic demands of the people for land, work and social services, but it also tries to force the common people to bear the brunt of the crisis. Meanwhile, graft and corruption by the powers that be shamelessly continues, with Gloria and Mike Arroyo leading the way. When the Filipino people - including the junior officers and rank and filers in the AFP - cry out against injustice and struggle for their rights, they meet force and brutal suppression by the military. More and more of the people are realizing the truth that this oppressive, exploitative and bankrupt ruling system embodied by the Arroyo regime must be overthrown. This is the reason why the revolutionary armed struggle of the Filipino people continues to intensify.

The 8th ID is so desperate to arrest the advance of the revolutionary movement in the region and the gradual isolation of the military from the ranks of the people. It wants to create the impression that the victorious tactical offensives of the NPA are acts of terrorism. But the successive raids on Calbiga in Samar, and Quinapondan and Oras in Eastern Samar, as well as the ambush in Catbalogan, Samar, have shown instead that the NPA strictly observes the international laws of war. These were legitimate military targets of NPA operations that also take due care to protect the lives and properties of civilians. Policemen and soldiers who survived the attacks are witnesses to the fact that the NPA respects the rights of the surrendered, the wounded and others who are hors de combat. If the NPA follows the international laws of war even in the heat of battle, how much more the prohibition of the recruiting of minors as combatants? It is also undeniable that these NPA operations had the valuable and wide support of the masses of the people, from the preparations, to the actual offensive, and until the withdrawal of the Red fighters.

On the other hand, it is the 8th ID itself that should answer for acts of terrorism and violating the laws of war. The 19th Infantry Battalion that is under it has to answer for the massacre of six civilians and three hors de combat NPA fighters in Kananga, Leyte. The 52nd IB also has to account for the killing of innocent peasants and arson in Pinabacdao and Calbiga, Samar. Military troops on special operations today in 10 barrios in Calbiga stay in the houses of civilians and turn the barrios into virtual hamlets. The 34th IB also summarily executed a captured NPA Red fighter in San Jose de Buan, Samar. And these are only the major cases in 2002 and 2003 of the military's violation of human rights and international humanitarian law.

The NDF reaches out to the people and the mass media in Eastern Visayas because they deserve to know the truth and nothing less. The 8th ID's psywar agents who rely on lies, fabrications and baseless propaganda on the false assumption that they can sway public opinion against the revolutionary movement only further expose the unjust and counterrevolutionary war of the Macapagal-Arroyo regime. ###

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