The National Democratic Front of the Philippines National Executive Council and the NDFP Peace Negotiating Panel strongly condemn the treacherous and cowardly abduction and summary executions of Ericson Acosta and his companion, Joseph Jimenez. Acosta was a resource person of the NDFP Peace Panel, specifically the Reciprocal Working Committee Socio-Economic Reforms (RWC-SER), while Jimenez was an ardent advocate for peasant rights and a dedicated organizer.

Acosta during the peace talks held in Noordwijk Aan Zee, The Netherlands, May 2017.

The NDFP-NEC and the NDFP Peace Panel extend their sympathies to the family, friends, comrades and the people whom Acosta and Jimenez have lived with, loved and served.

Acosta and Jimenez were taken by AFP fascists of the 94th and 47th Infantry Battalions and from a house they were staying early morning of November 30 at Sitio Makilo, Barangay Camansi, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental. Hours later, the AFP fascists who took them claimed they were killed in an encounter which turned out to be fake. They were summarily executed and no amount of spinning and fake news can cover the facts. The entire family – father, mother and their three children, with whom they were staying with, was also taken to the headquarters of the 47th IB. According to Jimenez’ family, the bodies of Ericson and Jimenez have indications they were stabbed and hacked.

We immediately demand that the family who was also abducted by the AFP fascists be released unharmed.

The treacherous abduction and summary executions of Acosta and Jimenez, like all other NDFP peace consultants and unarmed revolutionaries before them are war crimes. Like all other murdered revolutionaries and civilians, Acosta and Jimenez were victims of the GRP’s dirty and brutal war against the Filipino people.

The AFP’s bankrupt psywar storyline that the unarmed revolutionaries were tipped off by the very people whom they repress and brutalize has been belied time and again by the number of continuing offensives mounted by the New People’s Army (NPA) and the increasing casualties on the side of the AFP fascists. These armed operations against fascist soldiers and police by the New People’s Army have been mounted with the deep support of the oppressed peasant masses.

Time and again, the AFP and whichever US-supported regime takes the reigns of the GRP, have been losing the battle for the hearts and minds of the people because they peddle lies, disinformation, and fake news – in faithful adherence to the US’ so-called counter-insurgency manual.

As an NDFP resource person, Ericson Acosta, participated actively and contributed in the drafting of the NDFP’s Comprehensive Agreement on Socio-Economic Reforms (CASER). He was among the younger resource persons during the peace talks held at the Noordwijk Aan Zee, The Netherlands in May 2017.

The NDFP National Executive Council, the NDFP Peace Panel and the entire revolutionary forces and people give their salute to Ericson Acosta and Joseph Jimenez.

Their loss inspires more of the oppressed and exploited to take the revolutionary path, and for the revolutionary forces to work unyieldingly to achieve and win genuine peace, freedom, democracy, social justice and economic emancipation, if not through the negotiating table, then in the battlefield and the hearts and minds of the Filipino people.#

Luis Jalandoni
NDFP Chief International Representative
Member, NDFP National Executive Council

Julie De Lima
Chairperson, NDFP Peace Panel