CPP denounces anti-PTC propaganda drive
April 26, 2004

The Communist Party of the Philippines today said that "phoney social democrats and NGO racketeers" have been working with the psyops experts of the AFP in carrying out a propaganda campaign to malign the Permit-to-Campaign policy through which the New People's Army supervises election-related political activities in revolutionary areas.

In a statement, the CPP Information Bureau said that "certain phoney social democrats used misinformation and deception" to cajole some bishops and other church people to sign a paid-ad published last April 16 that raised questions concerning the PTC.

The CPP denounced the Akbayan party, in particular, for claiming that the PTC violates the people's right to information. "All political parties, candidates as well as other people who have the right of access automatically also have full freedom of expression in revolutionary areas."

The CPP also said that the claim by the Akbayan party that the PTC policy abets corruption attempts to "obscure the fact that the ruling political and electoral system is rotten to the core".

"They try to prettify and venerate the rotten system and, with extreme prejudice and mind-stretching logic, try to pass on to the CPP/NPA the blame for the ruling system's filth and corruption," the CPP said.

The CPP recalled that "the NGO racketeers among these phoney social democrats and pseudo-reformists were the ones who masterminded and benefited from the multi-billion PEACe bonds racket last 2001 in league with corrupt associates in high levels of the government bureaucracy."

The CPP emphasized that of all the expenses spent by politicians during election campaigns, the PTC access fees are "are comparably a most insignificant amount, and directly benefit the people in the form of support for socio-economic projects and the like in the revolutionary areas."

The CPP also said that the permit-to-campaign which is required of all candidates conducting political campaigns in revolutionary areas is not to be equated with the access fees which are determined according to the political stand and economic status of candidates.

"It suffices that many candidates give various forms of voluntary material support to the revolutionary movement and the socio-economic programs of the people in the revolutionary areas according to their ability," the CPP added.

The CPP said that the implementation of the PTC has been generally accepted by politicians nationwide "despite the frenzied propaganda which the AFP-PNP, the clerico-fascists and the likes of Akbayan have whipped-up against the PTC."

It also clarified that "it is not the policy of the CPP-NPA to punish with military force unarmed transgressions of the PTC policy."

The CPP also said that the AFP has been using the election campaign to pursue its "counter-insurgency offensives" against the NPA.

"Unfortunately, certain politicians with evil intent and in cooperation with the AFP bring along armed troops in their campaign sorties inside revolutionary areas. It is thus just for the NPA to face them with restraint and give them battle when necessary," the CPP said while acknowledging that "there may have been a few excesses which are the subject of corrective measures."#

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

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CPP denounces anti-PTC propaganda drive April 26, 2004

CPP denounces anti-PTC propaganda drive
April 26, 2004