The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) condemns the US-Marcos regime and its Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), specifically, the 81st Infantry Battalion, for the aerial bombing, helicopter strafing and artillery shelling at the villages at the borders of Tagkawayan, Quezon and Del Gallego, Camarines Sur, during the early morning hours of March 4.

The supposed target of the AFP was a guerrilla camp of the local unit of the New People’s Army (NPA). Initial field reports indicate that no NPA Red fighter was hurt and that the unit was able to quickly shift to another area. The said NPA unit was assigned to the area to help organize and mobilize the masses to cope with drought conditions caused by El Niño.

According to local residents, the bombing and strafing carried out by the AFP covered a wide radius, hitting areas across several barangays that border the towns of Del Gallego and Tagkawayan in Quezon. According to residents, bombs, bullets and shells exploded in the proximity of civilian farms and communities. At Barangay Maguibuay, Tagkawayan, at least three local coconut farmers were nearly hit as helicopter gunships strafed at a copra kiln where they were working at that time. This was despite the fact that they lit a big fire to signal that they were civilians.

The employment of aerial bombing, strafing and artillery shelling violates international humanitarian law as it endangers civilian lives and destroys forest and natural resources, that serve as water source, as well as livelihood of people. The employment of these weapons, furthermore, constitutes disproportionate use of force and causes unnecessary numbers of deaths and superfluous injuries to adversaries.

The AFP has been carrying out an aerial bombing and artillery shelling spree across the country, using bombs and howitzers supplied by the United States and Israel. At least three incidents of aerial bombing and shelling have been reported in Bukidnon since January. Over the past few days, the AFP also carried out aerial bombing and artillery shelling at the border villages of Escalante City and Toboso town in Negros Occidental, as well as in Barangay Torocadan, San Joaquin, Iloilo.

It is grossly obscene that the US-Marcos regime is squandering billions of pesos in their aerial bombing and artillery shelling campaign while the peasant masses struggle to cope with worsening drought amid El Niño conditions. Every time that the AFP drops a 500-lb bomb (which costs around ₱250,000 each), the peasant masses cannot help how this could have fed a family of five for 1.3 years.

The aerial bombing and artillery shelling drive of the US-Marcos regime clearly aims to terrorize the peasant masses, who are being accused by the fascist regime of continuing to provide material and political support to the New People’s Army. The US-Marcos regime’s terror drive, however, is succeeding only in further inciting the people to take up arms and joining the revolutionary armed struggle.