PRESS RELEASE
Information Bureau
Communist Party of the Philippines

Ermita insinuation is irresponsible, stupid and malicious -- Ka Roger
November 19, 2004

Communist Party of the Philippines spokesperson Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal today lambasted Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita for insinuating that it was the New People's Army that incited striking workers of Hacienda Luisita and Central Azucarera de Tarlac and their supporters to provoke troops of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to open fire, resulting in the massacre of more than 10 people.

"Ermita's statement is completely irresponsible, stupid and malicious," CPP spokesman Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal said. "The Arroyo government is desperately trying to mitigate the brutality of the savage fascist and mercenary troops who perpetrated the heinous massacre of unarmed civilians at Hacienda Luisita."

"On the other hand, Ermita seem to unintentionally reveal the fascist nature of the AFP. What he is saying is, 'if provoked, AFP fascist soldiers, like wild dogs, will insanely fire at unarmed civilians.' In fact, this happens all the time in countryside," Rosal said.

"It is extremely moronic for Ermita to think that he can assuage the people's anger against the Arroyo regime and the AFP by insinuating that the NPA infiltrated and instigated the people to provoke the fascist troops to fire at the demonstration," said Rosal.

"The fact is that the demonstrators were unarmed and the demonstration was peaceful," Rosal said. "Another fact is that AFP troops who were armed to the teeth should not have been there at the strike area. Armadong armado sila at tila may balak talagang pagbababarilin ang mga welgista."

"According to news reports, the Central Azucarera de Tarlac (CAT) has been losing as much as P5 million per day because of the strike. The Cojuangcos were desperate. They wanted to break the back of the striking workers," Rosal said.

"The Cojuangcos and Malaca�ang thought they could force their will on the workers and stop the strike by firing at them. They miscalculated the political costs," Rosal added.

Rosal also criticized Ermita for insinuating that the NPA was responsible for bringing thousands of supporters of the CAT workers' strike to Hacienda Luisita.

"Because their struggle is just, the striking workers of CAT have thousands of supporters. The November 16 massacre succeeded only in highlighting the justness of the CAT workers' strike, steeling their determination and further broadening the ranks of their supporters," Rosal explained.

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



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