The US-Duterte regime’s fascist terrorism in the countryside was ruthless this year. The cruelty of Duterte’s armed minions against the peasant and poor masses is without equal. Amid raging pandemic and calamities, psywar, intelligence and intimidation operations are relentless in villages and communities which the enemy suspects of having mass organizations or Party branches or supportive or sympathetic to the New People’s Army (NPA). This suppression campaign against the masses, under the so-called Joint Campaign Plan-Kapanatagan, is carried out in parallel with large-scale, intense and sustained combat operations against NPA guerrilla fronts.

Retooled Community Support Program (RCSP) teams of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) lay siege, occupy and reign over villages. Its despicable aim is to eliminate any trace of revolutionary influence. Its operations last 3-6 months at the minimum, or up to three years in a cluster of villages.

Its fascist objective is to destroy the masses’ unity and cooperation. They pinpoint and gang up on those they suspect of being members of mass organizations, or having a relative in the NPA, a Party cadre, a former NPA fighter or just anyone who refuse to bow, surrender or serve as informant.

The fascists use red-tagging. They announce names over the radio or in tarpaulins. They paint a red X on the homes of those they suspect. They summon or take “suspects” in to report or “clear their names” in military camps where they are made to “surrender” and serve the enemy or take part in projects where the military rakes in money.

Those who refuse are arbitrarily imprisoned or threatened with death. They get repeated visits in their homes, which later get surrounded, entered or raided and searched, usually in the dead of night. Those who continue to resist are eventually liquidated. There are increasing cases of massacres later made to appear as encounters with the NPA. This 2020, at least 290 peasants were killed by the fascists.

The peasant masses are compelled to follow arbitrary policies imposed by the fascists, such as limiting amount of food and supply purchases, or prohibiting them to work in their fields on the pretext of “social distancing.” All these have no legal bases, violate their rights and a burden on the masses.

Community peace is disturbed. These ruffians promote cockfighting, all-night drinking, drug use, pornography and abuse of women. They fire their weapons at night to intimidate people. They drop bombs and fire artillery in mountains near villages, damaging farms and property of the masses and causes grave fear, especially among children.

The enemy spread intrigues non-stop to destroy the masses mutual trust and destroy their organizations. They vilify the people’s army and threaten the village folk that they will suffer the consequence of any NPA tactical offensive in their area.

The fascist regime’s dirty war is causing grave damage in some guerrilla fronts. The masses have become passive and disorganized and could not resist in the face of the enemy’s onslaught and abuses. This is due to some shortcoming of Party committees and NPA units to quickly adapt to the enemy’s siege tactic and carry out the necessary steps to maintain firm unity and cooperation with the masses.

Still, in many guerrilla fronts, the masses, together with their army, have valiantly stood up and fought back. Despite their losses, they continue to rise up and resist.

With firm assistance and guidance of the Party and NPA, the masses have remained united and have collectively acted and fought tooth and nail. With the army, they are not helpless. They stand firmly for their rights and fight for their well-being. They stand by each other. The welfare of one is fought by all. They are able to collectively and courageously fight cruelty and oppression. They have accumulated rich experiences in fighting back, openly or though other creative means. They collectively disobey the enemy, run circles around or completely ignore them. There find ways as long as they are determined and imbued with a fighting spirit.

The mass organizations continue to be strengthened and expanded to forge their unity and raise their determination and capability to resist. Even if enemy forces are in the village, they can meet and assemble without the fascists seeing or hearing. The strongest organizations are active in propaganda work and education. They thoroughly denounce the terrorist crimes of the AFP and Duterte regime and expose their lies.

In the face of the regime’s fascist repression, the link between the masses and the people’s army should not be severed. As it is of utmost importance, countless ways of communication and correspondence are developed. The people’s army perseveres in assisting the masses’ antifeudal struggles. They also actively fight against the enemy’s armed minions. The enemy’s spy network is disrupted. Those threatened by the enemy are temporarily taken in or brought to a safe haven. The fascist criminals in the villages are punished–sniped at and blasted away.

Across the country, the masses’ has proven that their determination to fight and overcome fascist abuses will not be crushed. Lessons and inspiration must be drawn from experiences of the masses, the army and the Party’s undaunted resistance, as well as the further deepening of the revolutionary mass base in the countryside.

In its desire to remain in power and perpetuate its reign of plunder and corruption, the Duterte fascist regime will undoubtedly continue to oppress and burden the masses. But the more Duterte resorts to cruelty and brutality, the more the masses and the people’s army are determined to resist and carry forward the people’s war.