Hoodwinked by the 80th IB and Philippine National Police-Rizal, thirty (30) Dumagats were arrested in Barangay Calawis, Antipolo City on April 13. The Dumagats were summoned to their barangay hall to supposedly receive government aid but were arrested by the 80th IB and PNP-Rizal on the basis of “association” with the revolutionary movement in the province. To this date, they are being kept inside the 80th IB’s headquarters in Barangay Pinugay, Baras.

“The Duterte regime’s fascist assault in Rizal and Rizaleños is intensifying by the day,” said Ka Macario Liwanag, spokesman of the New People’s Army unit in Rizal (Narciso Antazo Aramil Command).

Apart from this, another batch of forced surrenderees was facilitated by the 2nd ID in Barangay San Jose, Antipolo City consisting of supposed former “supporters” of the revolutionary movement from various provinces of the Calabarzon including Rizal.

Dumagat rights are under attack as they stand against the construction of the ₱24.5-billion project Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project in barangays of Rodriquez, San Mateo and Antipolo city which will displace and affect livelihood of peasant and minority peoples.

The project is being undertaken by WaWa JVCO Inc., a joint venture company of Enrique Razon’s Prime Metroline Infrastructure Holdings Corp. (Prime Infra) and Oscar Violago’s San Lorenzo Ruiz Builders and Developers Corp. and will be funded by a loan agreement signed with BDO Unibank Inc. in 2019. The project was approved by the Duterte regime under a 30-year raw water supply offtake
agreement.

Prior to the arrest, focused military operations, coupled with psychological warfare thru the Retooled Community Support Program operations, have been disturbing the peace of Rizal’s towns. The Philippine Army and PNP-Rizal have imposed restrictive military lockdowns in Barangays Calawis of Antipolo and Puray of Rizal.

“Justice has not yet been served to victims of the ‘Bloody Sunday’, yet the 80th IB and PNP-Rizal are on rampage again,” Liwanag lamented. “In March, few weeks after the ‘Bloody Sunday’, a similar tactic was implemented wherein 30 minority peoples of Barangay Puray were arrested on charges of rebellion,” he added.

Arman Guerrero, spokesperson of the National Democratic Front-Rizal, said that amid these attacks the Rizaleños’ struggle is “like a surging water that the regime cannot stop.” Like the NPA-Rizal, Guerrero said: “The US-Duterte regime is fast-tracking the Rizaleños’ desire to take on the path of armed revolution and overthrow his terrorist reign.”