The NTF-Elcac is shooting itself in the foot with recently released numbers regarding the revolutionary movement. It claims that the NPA is a spent force, with only one remaining “active front,” but then claims that its has “captured” 64 “camps,” facilitated the “surender” of almost 500, and seized more than 400 weapons from January to May 22 of this year alone.

“Every so often, the NTF-Elcac comes up with these numbers to justify the millions of funds that their officials are embezzling and squandering,” Marco Valbuena, chief information officer of the CPP, said.

He added, “Their so-called projects under the Barangay Development Project are mere showpieces and ostentatious infrastructure, not suitable livelihood projects that are often left abandoned.”

The CPP official pointed out that in some barangays, ducklings were distributed, instead of the promised pigs; or fingerlings were given to villages without fishponds. The NTF-Elcac set up bread-making facilities in farming communities where farmers barely earn enough to buy rice. Sewing machines that were distributed corroded because there are no orders. These are just some of the projects launched by NTF-Elcac to claim they are doing something in the barangays.

“But when it comes to the fundamental issue and demand of farmers for free land distribution, NTF-Elcac has done nothing,” said Valbuena. “Contrary to the masses’ demands, NTF-Elcac and the AFP are the ones driving farmers off the land to give way to the plunder of the country’s wealth by corporate plunderers.”

“That is why the masses still turn to the NPA,” Valbuena said.

“The NTF-Elcac and the AFP shamelessly use civilians to repeatedly parade as surrenders and present weapons that have been ‘seized’ several times to inflate the bounty money that goes straight to their pockets,” Valbuena added.

The CPP receives numerous reports from “surrenderers” who did not receive the promised funds and who are now detained in camps and used as slaves by soldiers.

“They are not allowed to return to their families and are treated like animals, fed only a few times a day,” Valbuena said. “Forcing them to surrender and treating them as prisoners are serious violations of international humanitarian law.”

The CPP encourages those forced to surrender to refuse to be used in the soldiers’ propaganda campaigns, refuse to guide combat operations that put their lives at risk, and insist that they be allowed to return to their respective barangays.