For almost two weeks now, #DiMasaligan continues without pause to lay siege to 10 hinterland villages of Calatrava, Negros Occidental subjecting its civilian populace to intense state terrorism and de facto martial rule. The on-going campaign of encirclement and suppression covers the villages of Marcelo, Minautok, Hinab-ungan, Hilub-ang, Laga-an, Cruz, Macasilao, Winaswasan, Lalong and Cambayobo encompassing large swathe of rugged and forested terrains, as well as, populated areas.

Movements of civilians were severely restricted and fascist soldiers occupied civilian structures and communities such as gymnasium, chapels or places of worship, and village centers.

Aside from this, known military intelligence agents or assets along with masked collaborators (former revolutionaries who abandoned the masses and the revolution in exchange for ephemeral comfort) are roaming around the population centers like wild dogs harassing, intimidating and coercing residents suspected of being NPA supporters or having ties with the revolutionary underground mass movement. They flaunted a so-called NPA “hit list” containing names of personalities targeted for liquidation. The NPA does not maintain a hit list, but take note on individuals duly tried and convicted in a fair and impartial judicial proceedings by the revolutionary people’s court as the main implementing arm of the people’s democratic government. Besides, from what we culled from various sources, the alleged “hit list” comes from disresputable and scurrilous elements whose credibility is next to nil.

Several companies of soldiers of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were deployed in a fashion akin to an enormous dragnet in order to supposedly corner and pin down the “remnants of RJPC-NPA of not more than five Red fighters”, if the ludicrous pronouncements of #DiMasaligan top honchos were to be believed. The campaign went in full throttle as the June deadline to destroy the NPA expired in utter failure.

This run counter to the latest gasconade of the AFP and NTF-Elcac regarding an additional 43 “insugency-free” villages in Negros Occidental. Scores of these “liberated” villages in Northern Negros are currently under intense focused military operations which put into question the validity of such declaration.

The true intention of this campaign is not only to restrict and contain the NPA to a designated area for a decisive and purely military engagement, but equally important is to sow state terror in a vile and desperate effort to isolate the NPA from the people and weaken people’s resolve to fight.

Amid immense difficulties, RJPC-NPA units and its people’s militia and village self-defence forces were not only able to preserve themselves, but also launched successful special operations, punitive actions and others in defense of the masses and their anti-feudal and anti-fascist struggles.

As the genuine people’s army, the NPA enjoys the boundless support of the masses. No amount of fascist onslaught and terror can shake the unbreakable bond between the NPA and the people.

RJPC-NPA calls on the human rights organizations, intitutions and agencies to investigate the current military siege in Calatrava.

We also would like to bring to public’s attention the plight of a teacher in Barangay Cambayobo who was wounded in a strafing incident as #DiMasaligan fabricated a fake encounter months ago that resulted in the death of farmer Jeje Redoble. The said case must be investigated and the concerned teacher duly compensated.