Press Statement

Karlos Manuel
Spokesperson
Efren Martires Command
New People's Army-Eastern Visayas
April 18, 2005

The people's ordeal is fast worsening. They continue to suffer under the grave political and economic crisis. It is not only the common people who cry out against such harsh exploitation and oppression, but even the middle classes and the small business people. This has come about because of the inhumane and anti-Filipino way that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo runs the government. Instead of the interest of the Filipino people, it prioritizes and protects the interest of the big landlords, comprador bourgeoisie, and the foreigners led by US imperialism. Arroyo has completely abandoned her honeyed promises to the masses of the people when she was just jockeying to be in power.

Whatever grievances, criticisms and calls of the people for genuine reforms have only been met with the grimness of fascism and militarization. Today the people suffer the brunt of state terrorism that is comparable to or even worse than Marcos-era martial law. Military authority overshadows civilian supremacy. Fascist laws that are being churned out disregard democratic processes and trample on basic human rights. The blind and reckless "anti-terrorism" campaign of the Arroyo government gives license to grave military abuses.

The choice of the "Butcher of Mindoro", Brig. Gen. Jovito Palparan, as the new commanding general of the 8th ID PA is unsurprising. The Arroyo regime believes that the likes of Palparan � a master of abductions and extra-judicial killings � will be able to silence the legal opposition and subdue the revolutionary movemen. This is one of the many desperate measures of the Arroyo regime to forestall the people's resistance and to remain in power. Palparan quickly strutted his stuff as Arroyo's favorite butcher. After publicly announcing that he would subdue the opposition within six months, there has been continuing killings of leaders of militant groups, especially Bayan Muna. Abductions and wholesale harassment were also extensive. Military campaigns in the barrios intensified, resulting in grave military abuses. They do not realize that through such means, they are pushing the people to the wall and convincing them, who have long been hungry and desperate, to bear arms and wage revolution.

The military's grave human rights violations are inseparable from Arroyo's general counter-insurgency program that is anchored on her support of Bush's "war on terrorism" throughout the world. The cases of human rights violations in the country have been increasing since Arroyo declared support for the "war on terror" of Bush, which prods the Arroyo government to launch militarist and fascist attacks on the people who have done nothing but stand up for genuine freedom and democracy.

In this situation, the Efren Martires Command of the NPA-Eastern Visayas calls on those who love genuine democracy and freedom to stand up and be fearless in the face of the terrorism of the present state. Let us struggle to defend our civil liberties and democratic rights. Let us be unafraid of struggling against the abuses of the military led by Palparan. Let us launch a powerful protest movement to unseat the inhumane and anti-Filipino Arroyo regime. The EMC likewise calls on all those who can bear arms, be they female or male and not less than 18 years old, to join the NPA and participate in launching the armed revolution. This is the only right road and the principal means of ovethrowing the reactionary government and usher the new system that truly serve the national and democratic inetersts of the Filipino people.

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