The Chadli Molintas Command – NPA Ilocos-Cordillera Region joins the National Operational Command and the rest of the regional operational commands in the entire country in condemning the brutal murder of comrade George “Ka Oris” Madlos and his attending medic while enroute for medical check-up. We also extend our heartfelt condolences to Ka Oris’s and Ka Pika’s families, kinfolks, friends and all those who love them.

Ka Oris and Ka Pika were unarmed and could not possibly offer any armed resistance when killed. The actions and boastful pronouncements of the AFP particularly the officers of the 4th ID led by its blood-thirsty coward commanding officer Maj. Gen. Romeo Brawner right after their death is full of suspicion and misleading accounts. These are obviously indicative of brazen violations of the rules of armed engagement stipulated in Article 3, Protocol 2 of the Geneva Conventions. Said article states as follows: “Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely…”

Ka Oris died at 8 o’clock in the evening of October 29 but the military refused to turn-over his corpse to his family and instead made a ridiculous announcement that he was afflicted by Covid-19, as basis for hurriedly cremating his body. But no medical examination was ever conducted with the presence of any member of his family. Neither was his family consulted for the decision to cremate his body. The truth is, the cremation was hurriedly undertaken to conceal the horrible way in which he was slain.

Gen. Brawner is hallucinating with his audacious claim that the shameless overkill of an unarmed ailing senior citizen will incapacitate the armed revolutionary forces in Mindanao and the entire country. Brawner is at the height of his arrogance and stupidity to call for the surrender of Ka Oris’ wife, comrade Maria Malaya and the mass surrender of Red commanders and Red fighters lest the same fate befall them. There is no honor in murdering an unarmed ailing revolutionary like Ka Oris. The old Ifugao folks where Brawner hails from have an appropriate term for conceited liars – LANGKAK! Having yourself decorated with blood-soaked medals and promotions and your twisted sense of heroism are highly reproachable to the oppressed and exploited masses.

Braving steep mountain trails and raging rivers, Ka Oris made a short visit to a guerrilla front somewhere in the Ilocos-Cordillera Region a few years back. In his brief but memorable interaction with comrades in the region, he made a remarkable imprint in emphasizing the urgent need and how to overcome the problem of military and political conservatism which are necessary to advance the armed revolution to a higher stage. He expressed his deep appreciation of the revolutionary optimism and enthusiasm shown by the comrades in the region. He was also happy to relate that he was awed by the majestic landscape of the Cordillera mountains and the indomitable spirit of the Igorot peasants in making their ancestral lands productive. For centuries, these ancestral lands were valiantly and collectively defended by the national minorities of the Cordillera, and continue to be defended under the present semicolonial and semifeudal ruling system through advancing the people’s war.

We cherish Ka Oris’s legacy as a beacon of selfless service to the masses and revolutionary perseverance amidst his difficult personal circumstances. Suffering from a chronic kidney disorder for over three decades did not impede him in performing his assigned tasks to the best of his ability until his death.

The fascist mercenaries of the AFP may have been able to end his life but the legacy he left for us shall surely serve as an inspiration for thousands of dedicated revolutionaries to carry on the advance of the people’s armed revolution until final victory.