The RMPC-NPA expresses condemnation and outright disgust on the recent claim of the PNP in Sta. Catalina, Negros Oriental involving the arrest of Charlie Saliganan, who they suspect as an active member of the revolutionary movement. Lt. Gen. Danao’s commendation of the arrest is akin to his commander-in-chief Marcos’ talent for fabrications. This act is nothing but hogwash to bolster their misplaced egos and insatiable greed, as Saliganan is not a member of the revolutionary movement.

The reactionary troops have piled lie after lie to cover up their failure of meeting several extended self-imposed deadlines of quelling the armed revolution. Danao is obviously sucking up to the illegitimate US-Marcos regime with his bloody record as Marcos’ first SONA nears. He aims to reap both monetary rewards and promotions for himself.

And like Danao, the 302nd Brigade Commander Brig. Gen. Leonardo Peña’s repeated claim of a ‘dismantled’ Southeast Front now only operated by ‘remnants’ is a myth consistently disproved by recent encounters and their focused military operations in the area. The sycophant Peña is sitting on this fiction to hide his brigade’s embarrassment as the NPA continues to flourish and is fully supported by the revolutionary masses in Negros Oriental.

It has become a pattern of the AFP and PNP to arrest civilians, red-tag them as members of the CPP-NPA coupled with exaggerated yet inexistent positions, plant firearms and ammunition that do not match with each other during illegal arrests, and fabricate trumped-up charges. All of these senseless follies have become the milking cow of fascist troops to extort bail money or leech off of intended funds for ‘rebel returnees’. Unwittingly, these dirty tricks push the people to side with their NPA.

The top officials of the mercenary troops have revealed themselves to be bootlickers serving the Marcos-Arroyo-Duterte (MAD) alliance to advance the interests of the few, deliberately bulldozing the rights and welfare of the majority of the Negrosanons. The state’s desperation ridden with corruption, disinformation and atrocities will continuously debunk their recycled scripts of a weakening revolution and swell the numbers of the NPA even more.

What the likes of Danao and Peña need to understand is that the armed struggle cannot be obstructed by their ridiculous mix of ‘benevolent’ persuasion and brutal methods if the former does not work. The revolution cannot be dismantled by state violence as that will only reinforce and urge the Negrosanons and the entire Filipino people to wage a just war against all forms of injustice and oppression. ###