The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) strongly condemned the US-Duterte regime’s unabated attacks against revolutionary forces and the Filipino people in its dirty war. During the last week of November, it successively attacked five peace consultants of the Na­tio­nal De­mocra­tic Front of the Phi­lip­pi­nes (NDFP) in violation of the the Joint Agree­ment on Safety and Immu­nity Gua­ran­te­es (JASIG).

On November 25, at around 3 a.m., police elements raided the house of couple Eugenia Magpantay and Agaton To­pacio in Angono Rizal and killed them in cold-blood. Both are 69 years old and suffering from various infirmities such as dia­be­tes and rheumatoid arthritis. They were most likely fast asleep when the they were murdered. Both were former Party officials who retired recently due to health problems.

The butchers were so infuriated at the couple that they had not given them any chance to live. However, the couple will never be forgotten by the oppressed and exploited masses, especially those in Central Luzon, for their nearly four decades of revolutionary service. Magpantay was a former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee who was among the leading communist cadres who convened the 2nd Congress of the Party in 2016. To­pacio was a member of the NPA’s National Operational Command and served as secretary general of the Central Luzon Re­gio­nal Party Com­mit­tee.

The CPP also denounced the unjust conviction of Be­ni­to Tiamzon and Wil­ma Austria who were sentenced to life imprisonment by the court in Quezon City last November 27. The conviction was based on the trumped up charges of kidnapping and illegal detention which were slapped against them. This was in relation to the arrest of then Lt. Abra­ham Ca­sis (now a retired general) and five other soldiers who were held as prisoners-of war (POWs) by the NPA-Southern Tagalog way back in 1988. Disarming and arresting military elements as POWs is a legitimate act of war.

Meanwhile, state forces also arrested former NDFP consultant Alfre­do Ma­pa­no while working at Phivi­dec in Ta­go­lo­an, Mi­sa­mis Ori­en­tal on November 27. Mapano was earlier released in 2016 after being detained for more than seven years to participate in peace negotiations in Norway. Mapano laid low and worked at the said company after the Duterte regime ended the peace negotiations. The Phi­lip­pi­ne Ecu­me­nical Peace Platform raised concerns over the traitorous arrest of Mapano who already availed of the surrender and “reconciliation” program of the reactionary state.