NOLCOM operations in Aurora are all for press release and fascist designs--CPP

October 24, 2005

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today disclosed that the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM)'s claim of victories in the massive military operations and air strikes conducted by their several AFP battalions in the province of Aurora during the past three weeks were "all for press release and have fascist designs." The CPP spokesperson Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal said that all these operations were victorious only by way of NOLCOM press releases. He said "There were exactly zero encounters and zero casualties on the NPA side," contrary to NOLCOM claims that at least 14 NPA fighters have been killed in several encounters.

"The massive land operations and aerial bombings conducted by the NOLCOM were all sound and fury devoid of any military victory. In fact, no NPA unit was in the area of the NOLCOM's operations," said the CPP spokesman. "Aided by the masses in the area who monitored AFP movements, NPA fighters in the area simply shifted and avoided enemy operations."

At the same time the CPP spokesperson warned that "While the content of the AFP's press releases are pure hogwash, there are vicious fascist intents behind them." Last week, Gen. Romeo Tolentino even made a show of presenting a large cache of C-4 explosives claimed to have been discovered from an NPA camp purportedly overrun by the AFP operations in Aurora. In the same press conference, Gen. Tolentino also presented a bogus letter claiming that the explosives were purchased using funds provided by "Ka Satur" insinuating further that Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo provided the funds for the purchase. Rep. Ocampo vehemently belied and denounced the accusation.

Rosal has condemned the AFP fakery, calling it a devious attempt to frame up Rep. Ocampo and set him up to be a target of the military and fascist death squads. Rosal refuted NOLCOM claims that the NPA in Aurora kept such a huge cache of explosives.

"Gen. Tolentino is lying through his teeth. Rosal added that "the much- vaunted catch of the NPA's so-called C-4 explosives cache could only have come from the AFP's own arsenal."

Rosal also said Gen. Tolentino is continuing the NOLCOM's tradition of being a "factory of lies." Rosal recalled NOLCOM's systematic distortion of facts regarding the December 13 massacre at Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac. NOLCOM made false claims that NPA fighters were among the demonstrators and were the ones who first fired at the soldiers. Investigations into the massacre disproved the AFP claims and pinpointed specific NOLCOM forces' responsibility in the killing of at least seven strike participants.

Rosal said that aside from the bogus letter which Gen. Tolentino presented in his latest press conference, NOLCOM has also been circulating at least five more bogus internal communications of the NPA mentioning by name some local leaders of progressive parties.

"Apparently, the objective of NOLCOM's current propaganda sham is to frame up leaders and members of progressive parties and mass organizations in Central Luzon and set them up to be targets of military and fascist salvage squads. It is the same dirty tactic employed by NOLCOM prior to the killings of leaders and supporters of the Hacienda Luisita strike, progressive parties and mass organizations in Tarlac. And it is the very same tactic brought wholesale from the killings and other fascist acts that have followed Gen. Jovito Palparan all the way from Mindoro, through Eastern Visayas and now to Central Luzon," said Rosal.

Palparan was recently assigned to head the Philippine Army's 7th Infantry Division based in Nueva Ecija, under the NOLCOM.

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

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