The Apolinario Gatmaitan Command-New People’s Army (AGC-NPA) honors the firmest red salute to the martyred Red fighters in Barangay Gatuslao, Candoni town, Negros Occidental, after two successive encounters on November 21 and 22 in Sitios Tigmaya and Suso, respectively. Ka Janine, Ka Fita, Ka Wani, Ka Nonoy, Ka Mark, Ka Wally, Ka Jacob and Ka Jogar offered the highest form of sacrifice to the altar of the revolution, by laying their lives in defending the interests of the oppressed against the mercenaries of the ruling class, particularly the 15th and 47th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

While the AFP spews out that the ‘major encounter’ is a victory, there is a need to clarify that these encounters happened in an area that has affected thousands in pursuit of profit. What the fascist troops celebrate is actually proof that they are nothing but paid scoundrels of big-landlord compradors that do the dirty work and commit atrocities against countryside communities.

For several months, especially since September, the AFP has conducted focused military operations in Candoni and nearby towns, conducting checkpoints, harassing residents, and setting up blockades. These operations serve to protect the interests of the Araneta and Consunji families who are spearheading the 2-billion peso oil palm plantation spanning 6,000 hectares in the area, forcibly stealing land from farmers and indigenous peoples. Aside from the mentioned activities, the AFP have also been actively red-tagging legitimate organizations who are defending their rights to land and life. Aside from this, an entire platoon of 47th IB troops is patrolling around the plantation area, while threatening residents as well.

It should be clear by now that the AFP’s operations serve to instill fear among the people so the oil palm plantation can proceed it’s full-scale implementation. Yesterday, on November 24, three AFP helicopters dropped bombs in the boundaries of barangays Gatuslao and Agboy (near the farmer communities in Sitio Nava). The fascist troops also indiscriminately fired in Pagatban River in the boundaries of Candoni, Ilog and Hinobaan towns, killing one carabao in the area. These barbaric acts of the AFP brought fear to the residents and displacement of their livelihood.

The eight martyred Red fighters are testament of the revolution’s commitment to defend the people against foreign and local exploiters. The AFP and their landlord-comprador hirers would do well to remember that the main component of the national democratic revolution is agrarian revolution. To remove the shackles of feudalism and semi-feudalism, genuine land reform must be implemented, a feat that is only attainable through the establishment of Red political power, and not the phony reactionary laws that have only presented band-aid solutions and have even consolidated land monopoly of the elite.

As the revolutionary movement mourns the death of comrades, it also transforms grief to collective action to demand justice. By now the AFP should realize that while they prattle nonsense regarding the revolution’s defeat, it is state terrorism that they themselves propagate that serves us the undying spring that will produce even more Red fighters ready to take up arms and resist imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat capitalism.