The banner story of a national broadsheet (Philippine Star https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/09/02/2293347/npa-launches-offensive-vs-govt-insurgency-free-quezon-province) last September 2 entitled “NPA launches offensive vs gov’t in ‘insurgency free’ Quezon province” gave a very clear picture of that momentous event in the province.

The news article captured the exact contrasting image of a revolutionary guerilla front in an “insurgency free” area.

The NPA were there the whole time. We never left.

The Philippine Army’s top brass down to their lieutenants continue to spout out-of-tune lies that the police and top local executives sing more ridiculously off-key with—the suspected armed group that launched the attack were not from Quezon province.

They, by their own doing left themselves with no other choice but to choke on their own ludicrousness after declaring Quezon last June as “insurgency free” .

Gov. Helen Tan has always been a staunch supporter of the Joint Campaign Plan-Kapanatagan of the military and police even before she became the provincial governor in 2022. During her term as Quezon’s 4th District Representative, she has put hundreds if not thousands of lives of her constituents in danger by actively campaigning for forced and fake surrenderees in the district.

Under the corruption-ridden Barangay Development Program (BDP) of the NTF-ELCAC, a whopping P20 million per barangay is at stake for every village that will be declared as “conflict manageable and ready for development”.

By shamelessly conniving with NTF-ELCAC and 201st Infantry Brigade, Gov. Tan not only got the chance to dip her blood-stained hands in BDP funds but has effectively paved the way (pun intended) for her multimillion contractor husband Engineer Ronnel Tan, who moonlights as Regional Director of DPWH in Region I.

If recollections may vary, let me refresh Gov. Tan and 85th IBPA’s muddled memories. It was only last month that elements of 85th IBPA conducted aggressive operations in Tagkawayan against the NPA guerillas in the area. Pictures and nom de guerre of officials of the Apolonio Mendoza Command were posted. To my great amusement, my name was on top of the list.

Why in the world were they hunting NPA guerillas of Quezon last month in Tagkawayan and then denying our very presence after the successful ambush in the municipality?

We know why.

Gov. Tan and the 85th IBPA are such bare-faced liars that their web of lies are fastly catching up to them, rendering them as trying-hard, unfortunate, unfunny clowns.

Gov. Tan failed miserably in her attempt at comedy. She should have learned by now that there are no amount of focused military operations is going to solve the armed conflict that has been raging in the countryside. 

We are kindly advising her to instead seriously focus on the root cause of the war that the peasantry of the province are more than willing to partake in. She should instead address the landlessness of the poor coconut farmers. This is the most fundamental reason why they chose to take up arms, to regain their farmlands. This is an inevitable requisite to attain just and lasting peace in the country.

The recent tactical offensive against the Philippine Army was the demand of the people of Quezon. Its resounding success was made possible under the leadership of the CPP and the overwhelming support of the revolutionary mass base among the peasantry.

The same peasants Gov. Tan has been feeding to the fascist dogs of NTF- ELCAC and 85th IBPA know their enemy. They are now celebrating the success of their army that never left and is here to stay with them to carry the armed revolution WITH and FOR them.#