ANGPahayagan ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas

Pinapatnubayan ng Marxismo-Leninismo-Maoismo

Duterte'scounterinsurgency will fail

Like a broken record, Duterte has repeatedly declared that hisregime will crush the New People's Army (NPA). Recently, hethreatened anew that "something big will happen" amid the

failures of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) focused andsustained military operations in the countryside.

Instead, the all-out war underthe DSSP Kapayapaan and AFP-PNP Joint Campaign Kapanataganare pushing millions to take thepath of militant and armed strug-gle.

Overall, no unit of the NPA hasbeen crushed since Duterte endedpeace talks between his regime andthe National Democratic Front ofthe Philippines. The AFP is merelyfooling itself in bragging that it has"recovered" NPA territories (whichis doubly ridiculous consideringthat Duterte claims the NPA has no

territory). The AFP and Duterteknow very well that NPA guerrillaunits are fluid and can base wher-ever in the vast countryside.Across the country, the NPA con-tinues to strive to deal blowsagainst AFP units which relent-lessly scour and unleash terror inthe villages and communities.

Undoubtedly, Duterte will failwith his "whole-of-nation ap-proach," patterned after the"whole-of-government" and"whole-of-society" of his US impe-rialist master's "counterinsur-

NPA-Isabela

seizes 14 firearmsFOURTEEN FIREARMS WERE seizedby the New People's Army (NPA)-Isabela in an armed action againstthe Task Force Kalikasan (TFK) atSitio Lagis, Barangay SindunBayabo, Ilagan City. Five pistolswere confiscated during the opera-tion. The TFK is under the ProvincialEnvironment and Natural ResourcesOffice and is actively supported bylocal police and military forces.

In connivance with the AFP andPNP, it spearheaded the demolitionof houses and eviction of residentsfrom Sitio Lagis in June. This hasresulted in the displacement ofaround 56 families who have beenfarming in the area for threedecades already.

Simultaneously, Red fightersconfiscated an M14, AK47, sevenpistols, ammunition and handheldradios from five police operativeswhen their convoy was stopped at

EDITORIAL

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between criminal and bureaucratsyndicates are intensifying. His al-lies are openly fighting it out forbigger pork barrel allocations,kickbacks in government contracts,bureaucratic favors and shares inthe loot of syndicates in corruptagencies such as the Bureau ofCorrections, Bureau of Customsand Bureau of Internal Revenue.His minions are also scramblingagainst one another for bribes ofsmuggling and illegal drug syndi-cates. His "anti-corruption drive" isalso a big joke amid frequent ex-posés of big anomalies under hisgovernment.

Even "counterinsurgency" is aplayground of corruption ofDuterte's officials. Millions of pesosare pocketed as kickback by hisgenerals and their contractors inprocuring secondhand ships andhelicopters, as well as arms, bombsand bullets for military operations.Generals steal the operationalfunds of their troops. They pocketthe salaries of their men, especiallyof the peasants they conscript asCAFGU forces. They wring even the

funds for civilians forced to surren-der and for hypocritical projects andsocial services. Corruption is mostwidespread in Mindanao, wherebrigades and battalions artificiallybeef up the tally of "surrendered"Red fighters.

But above all, the regime'scounterrevolutionary scheme willfail because it confronts a party andpeople's army that is highly disci-plined and deeply rooted among themasses. These are the strongest andmost consolidated force resisting histyranny and defending the people.They enjoy the trust and support ofthe people that is earned notthrough coercion and violence.

The Communist Party of thePhilippines and the New People'sArmy have withstood and defeatedcounterrevolutionary operations ofreactionary regimes. Not only havethese overcome the 14-year Marcosfascist dictatorship, it was also ableto build and strengthen the people'sarmy across the country. Thesewere not crushed by the brutalsuppression campaigns of the suc-ceeding pseudo-democratic regimes.

The NPA is relentless in defend-ing the people from the brutalitiesof the war primarily directed againstcivilians. At the same time, it con-tinues to exert effort to frustratethe Duterte regime's campaign ofsuppression. The people's supportfor their Red fighters and Partycadres is boundless.

Across the country, the peopleare firmly defending their demo-cratic organizations and the victo-ries they have won over pastdecades. Agrarian and economicstruggles continue to be mounted,while organs of political power areestablished. In areas where theseorgans and the people's govern-ment exist, the people exercisedemocracy among themselves tofurther broaden and strengthentheir unity.

Just like under the Marcos dic-tatorship, the armed revolution andthe people's resistance to tyranny isbound to strengthen.

"Duterte's...," from page 1gency" manual. Military "coopera-tion" with civil agencies cannotconceal the rise of the regime's mil-itarism and fascism.

The AFP trumpets "whole-of-nation" in the forcible surrender ofcivilians, terrorizing their communi-ties and destruction of their liveli-hood. "Whole-of-nation" is also be-hind AFP coercion of localgovernment units to declare theNPA as "persona non grata" andban "Leftist groups" fighting forpeople's rights. This maneuvers aimto subsume civilian institutions un-der the military, destroy the peo-ple's democratic organizations andreplace these with those upholdingfascist doctrines. Invoking "whole-of-nation," the military perpetraterelentless human rights abuses andput entire communities under theirrule.

Duterte's "counterinsurgency"will fail because his regime is rottento the core. His government is miredin deep and virulent internal con-tradictions because of his greed forfunds and thirst for power. Rivalries

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Editorial: Duterte's counterinsurgency willfail 1NPA-Isabela seizes 14 firearms 1Foiled FMO in Agusan del Norte 3Military intervention in schools 4Multitrillion budget for dictatorship 5Victorious Monde Nissin strike 6Widespread E-CLIP corruption 6Bakwit schools 6State forces arrest NDFP consultant 7Duterte regime frees criminals 7Palay farmgate price drops to P7 7AFP harasses tobacco farmers 8West Papuans' struggle 8

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Contents

September 7 , 2019 ANG BAYAN3

"14 firearms...," from page 1

Foiled FMO in Agusan del Norte

The Armed Forces of the Philippines is covering up the failure of its fo-cused military operation (FMO) at Mt. Hilong-hilong in North Eastern

Mindanao last month to brag and save face. This was the statement of KaSandara Sidlakan, spokesperson of the New People's Army (NPA)-NorthEastern Mindanao Region, on September 4.

Mt. Hilong-hilong is locatedat the triboundary of Agusan delNorte, Surigao del Sur and Agu-san del Sur. It is part of the Di-wata mountain range and pro-vides habitat for various speciesof fauna and flora.

The 402nd IBde launched itsFMO from July 20 to August 15using its 29th IB and 36th IB,together with elements of thePhilippine National PoliceCaraga and CAFGU. The saidoperation served as a test mis-sion of the 11th and 12th ScoutRanger Company. In sum, 1,000troops of the AFP and PNP weredeployed during the operation.Similar to other FMOs, the mili-tary also used attack heli-copters, artillery and drones forsupport.

The operation covered thetowns of Sibagat in Agusan delSur, Carmen, Cantilan, Madridand San Miguel in Surigao delSur and Remedios T. Romualdez(RTR) in Agusan del Norte.Troops were also deployed inthe cities of Butuan and Cabad-baran in Agusan del Norte. Thesaid areas, particularly the townof Cantilan, is covered by de-structive mining operations, in-cluding that of the Marcven-tures Mining DevelopmentCorporation has been permittedto operate in more than 4,799hectares of forestlands. Its op-eration covers the central wa-tershed which serves as a majorsource of water for irrigationand drinking across the region.Previously, the operation permitof the company has been sus-pended twice for damaging theenvironment.

The AFP bragged that its

an NPA checkpoint in an adjacentarea.

Samar. Five soldiers of the 63rdIB were killed in an armed action ofthe NPA-Western Samar on Septem-ber 2 at Sitio Rizal, Barangay Bulao,Basey. Another encounter between amilitary column and an NPA unit en-sued at around 2 p.m. at Sitio Guin-pondoan, Barangay Cogon in the sametown.

The said enemy unit was thenpursuing Red fighers who harassed aunit of the 63rd IB.

On August 30, two soldiers werekilled while four others were woundedin a harassment operation of Redfighters at Purok 1, Barangay Mabini,Basey. In retaliation, soldiers indis-criminately strafed the area, wound-ing a 14-year-old child.

The 46th IB perpetrated the mur-der of the barangay chairman of Beriin April, forced surrender of farmersfrom Calbiga and Pinabacdao, andtorture of three farmers in Basey.

Masbate. Four harassment oper-ations were mounted by the NPA-Masbate on August 18 and 19 againstthe PNP and 2nd IB. On August 18,Red fighters harassed a police detach-ment in Barangay Bayombon, Masbate

City. On the next day, a soldier waskilled in a sniping operation of the NPAagainst a detachment of the 2nd IB inDel Carmen, Uson. On the same day,the NPA also fired at PNP detach-ments in Guiwanon, Barangay Danao,San Jacinto, and in San Rafael, SanPascual.

Negros Occidental. Soldiers ofthe 79th IB were ambushed by theNPA-North Negros at Sitio Moreno,Barangay Paitan, Escalante City onAugust 31. Three soldiers werewounded in action. Consequently, thesoldiers indiscriminately fired theirguns even in areas where some oftheir troops were positioned. Around10 soldiers were killed in the crossfire.

The 79th IB has been occupyingBarangay Paitan for almost a yearalready under the guise of "peaceand development," disrupting thelivelihood and lives of residents.Soldiers are coercing civilians tosurrender. Cases of illegal arrestsand extrajudicial killings have alsobeen reported in the area. The com-pany-sized combat operation andincreasing military presence in thebarangays of Escalante has com-pelled residents to evacuate fromtheir communties.

troops was able to overrun NPA"camps" even though these were onlyformer tactical bases or Lumad farm-lands. Actuallly, nine encounters en-

sued between AFP troops and NPAunits from July 25 to August 12,wherein three soldiers were killedincluding a 29th IB lieutenant. Ma-jority of enemy casualties weredealt in a demolition operation inthe mountainous area of BarangayMahaba, Cabadbaran City on Au-gust 12. A Red fighter was martyred

"FMO...," continued on page 4

ANG BAYAN September 7 , 2019 4

Military intensifies intervention in schools

THE ARMED FORCES of the Philippines (AFP) has intensified its interventionin schools and universities across the country in compliance with the direc-tion of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict whichwas established through Executive Order No. 70. These are patterned afterthe "whole-of-nation approach" counterinsurgency campaign and is a majorcomponent of the AFP's psywar operations (now dubbed "information opera-tions") across the country.

It primarily aims to dismantlethe democratic organizations ofstudents and impose fascist ideol-ogy in campuses. To actualize this,soldiers (in uniform and armed)conduct so-called youth fora, infor-mation drives, trainings, youthleadership summits in campuses.These activities vilify democraticorganizations such as Anakbayan,League of Filipino Students andeven progressive parties such asthe Kabataan Partylist and BayanMuna. In such activities, the saidorganizations are maliciouslytagged as "communist fronts" or"NPA sympathizers" to illegalizethese and justify the violent sup-pression of its their members. TheAFP presents malicious videos, paid"victims" and fake surrenderees.

Among those recently con-ducted were youth and student as-semblies in Mindanao, including theyouth leadership summit in Mt. Mo-riah Camp, Malaybalay and the mil-itary visit at the Bukidnon National

School of Home Industries. Similarassemblies were conducted by the8th IB at the Bangcud NationalHighschool and Malaybalay NationalHighschool. The Bukidnon StateUniversity was most frequented bythe AFP. On August 31, the AFPgathered around 280 youth partici-pants from three barangays inRemedios Trinidad Romualdez,Agusan del Norte, in a forumwherein the military vilified pro-gressive organizations. The 402ndIBde is also scheduled to conduct a"leadership development training"for Sangguniang Kabataan repre-sentatives from Butuan. The 3rd IBalso assembled more than 150youth from several barangays ofCalinan, Davao City.

Similar assemblies are alsoconducted in Luzon and Visayas.The 303rd IBde conducted a forumat the University of St. La SalleIntegrated School in Bacolod onAugust 23. The AFP also formallyannounced its plan to conduct a

"youth leadership summit" forhighschool students in Negros aspart of its so-called CommunitySupport Program. In NorthernSamar, 803rd IBde troopers con-ducted school visits to conduct an"indoctrination campaign." Amongthose they visited was the Uni-versity of Eastern Philippineswherein a National Service Train-ing Program seminar for studentswas held on August 31. As early asJuly, hundreds of youth have beenassembled by AFP troops. The AFPalso uses career guidance semi-nars for senior high school asvenue to peddle malicious attacksand lies.

These psywar operations pri-marily target students and youth inprovinces wherein focused opera-tions are simultaneously beingconducted by the AFP. The militaryhas long been using this strategy inits operations, especially in far-flung villages.

On top of these psywar opera-tions, cases of surveillance by AFPand PNP elements against studentactivists from the Polytechnic Uni-versity of the Philippines and Uni-versity of Santo Tomas have beenreported as well. In Samar, thePNP Regional Mobile Group inter-rogated members of The Pillar,student publication of the Univer-sity of Eastern Philippines. In UPPampanga, police operativestrooped to the campus after stu-dents conducted their protest inconjunction with the UP Day ofWalkout and Action. The Rise forEducation Alliance in University ofSan Carlos-Cebu also reportedsurveillance against their campusactivities by police operatives.Meanwhile, the 3rd ID announcedthat it will deploy its troops at theWest Visayas State University andother universities including UPVisayas wherein the League of Fil-ipino Students and Anakbayan arepurportedly active.

during the encounters.In retaliation, the AFP attacked civilian communities in barangays Ma-

haba and Puting Bato in Cabadbaran City. It bombed the said areas 15times in four days. Bombs were also dropped in the areas using Au-gustaWestland helicopters. Huey helicopters were also used to evacuatewounded soldiers and deliver supplies for operating troopers.

Before and after the combat operation, the AFP militarized 15barangays surrounding Mt. Hilong-hilong under the guise of “communityorganizing for peace and development” (COPD) operations. Using this asa pretext, soldiers besieged the barangays to coerce civilians to surren-der, and intimidate and threaten them by repeatedly summoning them tobarangay halls where troops are usually stationed. They often conducthouse searches to coerce residents to "surrender" and pledge allegianceto them. In Barangay San Antonio in RTR, 29th IB troopers murderedfarmer Roger Mandag on July 30. Earlier, he was repeatedly coerced bysoldiers to surrender.

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September 7 , 2019 ANG BAYAN5

Multitrill ion budget for dictatorship

Budget for peace and development—this was how the US-Duterte regimedescribed its proposed P4.1-trillion budget for 2020. This is far from

reality as the multitrillion budget is bound to be corrupted and will be used tofund anti-people programs and projects, and to intensify fascism.

The proposed P4.1-trillion bud-get for 2020 is 12% higher than theP3.662-trillion budget for 2019. Thebudget increase was based on thegovernment's projected 6.5-7.5%gross domestic product (GDP)growth in 2020, a target that it willcertainly fail to reach amid the pro-duction decline in various economicsectors such as agriculture andmanufacturing. In fact, the GDP de-clined to 5.5% which is the lowest inthe past 17 quarters.

The said budget will primarilybe funded by tax revenues. TheDuterte regime estimates that taxrevenues, including additional taxesimposed under the TRAIN lawamong others, will increase toP3.54 trillion. This is 12.3% higherthan the P3.15-trillion tax revenuecollection in 2019. However, theregime will still have borrow heavilyas the revenue is short by P677 bil-lion.

In sum, the government is setto loan up to P1.4 trillion in 2020.By the end of 2019, the nationaloutstanding debt is expected toreach P7.853 trillion. By 2020, it isexpected to peak at P8.767 trillion.Consequently, the net debt percapita of every Filipino is expectedto balloon to P72,518 and P79,780in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

The president and his minions'pork barrel

The proposed 2020 budget isriddled with anomalies. Of the P4.1trillion-budget, only P2.36 trillion isallocated for government agenciesand departments. The remainingP1.73 trillion will go to the "specialpurpose fund," or the lump sums inthe budget dubbed the "presidential

pork barrel” as its utilization is un-der the personal control of thepresident. For every P10 that thegovernment will spend in 2020, P4can be considered as Duterte'spersonal funds.

Anomalous projects, which arecommonly the source lawmakers'hefty kickbacks, have been overtlyplaced in the proposal. Part of thisis the P972.5-billion allocation forthe “Build, Build, Build” program tofund infrastructure projects alreadyawarded to his favored bureaucratsand bourgeois compradors.

It also includes other projectswhich have long been used as milk-ing cows by politicians such as roadconstruction and "repair" projects.Among these are the proposed con-struction of a 338.3-kilometer roadnetwork, which is equal to the dis-tance between Manila and NagaCity. Another suspicious allocationis the P16.9-billion fund for the“preventive maintenance” of 955kilometers of road networks (equalto the distance between Baguio Cityand Hongkong). The “preventivemaintenance” will certainly serve ascorrupt officials' lucrative source ofkickbacks under the guise of roadrepairs.

Irrigation projects are anothersource of huge kickbacks. AroundP36.3 billion is allocated for na-tional and communal irrigationprojects, while P2.2 billion is allo-cated for small irrigation projects.Majority of these projects are notdelivered, and funds for these areoften just pocketed by congressmenand local government officials. Alarge chunk of funds is also allo-cated for the construction of a na-tional irrigation systems, even if

some of these have been long beenopposed by the people. These in-clude the P919-million Jalaur RiverMultipurpose Project Stage II, theP890-million Balog-balog Multi-purpose Project in Isabela, theP800-million Lower Agno River Ir-rigation System Extension Projectin Pangasinan, and the P500-millionMalitubog-Maridagao IrrigationProject Phase II in North Cotabato.

The 2020 budget proposal alsoincludes the construction of theChico River Pump Irrigation Projectwhich is vehemently being opposedby minority peoples residing at theproject site. It will be mainlyfunded using Chinese loans.

Funds for fascismAside from corruption, the

Duterte regime has also increasedit budget for intensified fascism.

The budget of the PhilippineNational Police further increasedfrom P173.5 billion this 2019 toP184.9 billion in 2020. Part of thisis the P3 billion for the recruitmentof 10,000 new police operativesand P14.4 billion that will be usedto help fill up 26,685 positions inthe PNP.

Another P546 million is allotedfor the PNP's implementation of thedespised “war on drugs,” and anadditional P1.4 billion for agenciessuch as the Department of Interiorand Local Government, which totalsto P1.9 billion in Oplan Tokhangbudget.

The Department of NationalDefense budget will also increasefrom P183.9 billion this 2019 toP189 billion in 2020. ApproximatelyP25 billion will be used for the sec-ond round of procurement of warmatériel under the Revised AFPModernization Plan. Among thoseset to be procured by the AFP areadditional secondhand vessels,

"Budget...," continued on page 6

ANG BAYAN September 7 , 2019 6

Widespread E-CLIP corruption

IN THE NORTH EASTERN Mindanao Region (NEMR), Maria Malaya reportedthat about P60,000 are pocketed by AFP officials for every civilian they areable to coerce to surrender. Reports from various barangays and communitiesacross the region indicate that those coerced were promised to be givenP65,000 each.

In truth, however, majority ofthem have not received even a sin-gle centavo. The maximum com-pensation received by some wasonly P5,000. There were caseswherein the P5,000 compensationwas used as initial payment for mo-torcycle loans. Subsequently, "sur-renderees" are obliged to pay infull the P65,000 balance. Thus, AFPofficials are able to rake in kick-backs in double. On top of fundsthey are able to pocket from the E-CLIP budget, they also serve asagents of motorcycle companies.Some surrenderees were also co-erced to train as CAFGU elementsand were promised high salaries. Inreality, however, they receive nosalary and are only compensatedwith a few kilos of rice and a fewpieces of noodles and canned sar-

dines.Data obtained by the NDF-

NEMR indicate that around P5.8million in E-CLIP funds have beenpocketed by AFP officials in the re-gion. Meanwhile, P480 million sup-posedly for 8,000 "NPA suren-derees" across Mindanao have alsobeen corrupted by these officials.

E-CLIP has only aggravated theplight of the residents in the region.It is only used as a milking cow bycorrupt AFP officials. The NPA-NEMR has long belied the fake sur-render campaign of the butcher AFP.The military has only repeatedlyused and paraded as "surren-derees," its assets in barangays,former NPA members who have longlaid low and civilians who were co-erced to surrender in fear of of beingcharged or killed by state agents.

Bakwit schools open in

Quezon and Davao City

A BAKWIT SCHOOL (school forevacuees) held its opening ofclasses for the current academicyear last September 2 at the Uni-versity of the Philippines-Diliman inQuezon City. Around 50 Lumadstudents, their teachers and lead-ers participated in the activity.

Meanwhile, 155 students par-ticipated in the opening of classesin another Bakwit School at theUCCP Haran in Davao City. TheSalugpongan administration saidthat they decided to open the Bak-wit schools amid the Department ofEducation's refusal to revoke itssuspension order against theirschools.

Simultaneously, Lumad com-munity leaders and students fromthe Save Our Schools Networkstaged a picket in front of theHouse of Representatives in con-junction with the conduct of De-partment of Education budgethearing last September 3.

Victorious Monde

Nissin strikeMONDE NISSIN WORKERS' second strike last Au-gust 27 was successful as the management agreedto negotiate with the Monde Nissin Labor Associa-tion-LIGA (MNLA-LIGA) regarding the retrench-ment of 176 workers. The management agreed tocompensate dismissed contractual workers a sepa-ration pay of not less than P100,000 each.

The MNLA first staged its strike on August 6 inwhich the management agreed to regularize itscontractual workers. However, it reneged on itspromise and cunningly terminated the contracts ofthe said workers.

The MNLA-LIGA stated that the struggle of theworkers will not stop with their acceptance of sep-aration pay.

In fact, Monde Nissin workers were amongthose who protested against low wages, contractu-alization and suppression during the Heroes' Daydemonstration last August 16.

NutriAsia and Peerless Products ManufacturingCorporation workers also participated in theprotest.

radar and surveillance systems, attack helicopters andplanes and other military equipment for counter-insurgency.

Another P522 million is allocated to various agencies forthe National Task Force to End Local Communist ArmedConflict. The fund will be used to intensify the suppressionand intimidation against civilian communities using the mili-tary and police's "whole-of-nation approach."

There are also projects which aim to enhance the reac-tionary state's intelligence capacity. Among these is the P20-million allocation for Project D.I.M.E. (Digital Imaging forMonitoring and Evaluation) which will be used for the pro-curement of drones, light detection and ranging (LIDAR)systems, and other equipment purportedly for monitoringthe the delivery of projects in the countryside, but are actu-ally for the intensification of surveillance in hinterland com-munities.

Aside from these projects, confidential and intelligencefunds particularly for the Office of the President (OP) willalso balloon to P4.5 billion in 2020. In sum, more than P8.28billion is allocated to various agencies for confidential andintelligence expenses. This is the source of funds for gov-ernment's various "black operations" such as maintainingdeath squads and perpetrating other heinous attacks againstthe people.

"Budget...," from page 5

ANG BAYAN September 7 , 2019 7

State forces arrest NDFP consultant

JOINT ELEMENTS OF the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of thePhilippines illegally arrested Esterlita Suaybaguio, 60, in Cubao, Quezon City onAugust 23. Suaybaguio is a consultant of the National Democratic Front of thePhilippines (NDFP) in its peace negotiations with the GRP. She was arrested basedon a fabricated case of illegal possession of firearms and explosives, similar tocharges against other NDFP consultants. She was also slapped with trumped upmurder and frustrated murder charges.

The Communist Party of thePhilippines (CPP) demanded Suay-baguio's immediate release as she isprotected by the Joint Agreement onSafety and Immunity Guarantees(JASIG) which was signed by the gov-ernment of the Philippines and theNDFP. Suaybaguio's Document ofIdentification indicates that she is aconsultant for Mindanao concerns.

Fidel Agcaoili, chief negotiator ofthe NDFP, condemned the arrest. Hesaid this is yet another block to thepossibility of resuming negotiations.The CPP and NDFP demanded thatthe trumped up charge againstSuaybaguio and other detainedNDFP consultants and staff bejunked.

Meanwhile, attacks by Duterte'sarmed forces and his landlord cohortsin the countryside continue unabated.

Since May 23, 2nd IB troopershave been occupying 23 barangays in

the towns of Cawayan and San Fer-nando, Masbate. During the first weekof September, the NPA-Masbate re-ported that the fascists have alreadyentered four barangays in Uson. Hu-man rights perpetrated by the 2nd arewidespread in these villages. The saidbattalion is under the command of Lt.Col. Fabon.

In Bulacan, farmers at Sitio Com-pra, Barangay San Mateo in Norza-garay are subjected to continuousharassment by the Royal MollucanRealty Holdings Inc. which is notori-ous for attempting to grab 75.5hectares of farmlands that have beentilled by farmers since the 1960s. OnSeptember 2, its goons forcibly en-tered the residences of the membersof the Samahang Magbubukid sa SanMateo. They also cut the power sup-ply lines in the area, stole the resi-dents' goats and destroyed theircrops.

Palay farmgate

price drops to P7

THE LOWEST FARMGATEprice of local palay (unhuskedrice) was pegged at P7/kilolast August from P22-24/kilowhich was the highest pricelast year. This was after theinflux of relatively cheaperimported rice into the localmarket. This has adverselyaffected the overall localagricultural production whichhas decreased by 1.27% dur-ing the 2nd quarter of theyear and is the lowest in thelast three years. The public,especially farmers, are awarethat this is due to the rice lib-eralization law which Dutertesigned last year.

Even then, farmers werealready wary of the P10-billionsubsidy which was allocatedfor those affected in the sec-tor. According to Bantay Bigas,the amount is insufficient tosupport about 2.7 million af-fected farmers especially thatonly 10% of these are directlygiven to farmers in the form ofloans. Farmers have long beenburied in debt due to high pro-duction costs and land rent.Instead of addresssing theirplight, half of the said subsidy(P5 billion) will be used to pro-cure farming machinery.

Simultaneously, the ricemilling industry is graduallybeing destroyed. The Philippi-ne Confederation of GrainsAssociation stated that about4,000 rice mills (40% of thetotal number of local ricemills) have gone bankrupt andbeen forced closed down dueto the deluge of cheaper im-ported rice. In a congressionalhearing last August 28, theMakabayan Bloc, togetherwith farmers and rice millers,demanded to junk the rice lib-eralization law which is killinglocal rice production.

Duterte regime frees criminals

MORE THAN 1,700 heinous crime convicts have been released by the Duterteregime through the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) Law.

The GCTA provides for the early release of inmates, including those sen-tenced to life imprisonment, as reward for their good behavior in prison.

This releases came under fire following a public outcry, especially that of thevictims' family, against the alleged plan to release former Calauan Mayor AntonioSanchez who was convicted over the rape-slay of Eileen Sarmenta and her com-panion Alan Gomez, and for killing father-and-son Nelson and Rickson Peñalosa.

The people were enraged even more with the direct endorsement of Sal Pan-elo, Duterte's minion, of Sanchez's release at the Bureau of Pardons and Parole.Panelo was one of Sanchez's defending lawyers during his trial.

To save face, Duterte dismissed Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) CommissionerNicanor Faeldon. Previously, Faeldon was also dismissed as chief of the Bureau ofCustoms after being implicated in smuggling shabu.

Majority of those freed by the Duterte regime are rapists and murderers.Aside from Sanchez, it also freed four of the seven inmates convicted for therape-slay of the Chiong sisters in Cebu in 1997.

The GCTA Law was enacted under the regime of Benigno Aquino III in 2013.

September 7 , 2019 ANG BAYAN8

AFP harasses tobacco farmers

The Solidarity of Peasants Against Exploitation (Stop Exploitation) con-demned Lt. Col. Charles Castillo of the 81st IB for tagging the organiza-

tion as a legal front of the CPP-NPA. Castillo said this after a dialogue betweenthe peasant group and the military in the office of Gov. Ryan Singson at theIlocos Sur Capitol on August 8.

Stop Exploitation is demandingthe direct distribution of the 15% ex-cise tax on tobacco which was en-acted in 1992 (RA 7171) and 1996(RA 8240). The said tax is suppos-edly for the enhancement of the pro-duction capacity and livelihood oftobacco farmers. In 2016 alone, thereactionary government was able tocollect up to P15.8 billion (15% ofP105.4 billion) in tobacco excisetaxes. The group, however, said thatthey are left with almost nothing.Since its enactment, only a handfulreceive a P15,000 subsidy, or worse,a sack of fertilizer.

Farmers demand subsidy, pro-duction incentives, and programswhich will concretely address theirplight including high productioncosts and low income. In addition,they also call for palay productionsupport as most of them engage in itafter harvesting tobacco.

A research by the NationalDemocratic Front-Ilocos indicatesthat the 2016 fund is sufficient to

construct an irrigation system for26,800 hectares of farmlandsacross the region, and procure sev-eral tractors and farming equip-ment. Around 38% of the fund isenough to subsidize an entireplanting season and allow 37,000farmers to cultivate an hectare ofland each. There will still be a sur-plus which can be allocated forhealth and education services forpeasant families.

In reality, however, almost 85%of the said fund are used to con-struct infrastructure projects thatdo not directly benefit farmers andare merely used as milking cows bylocal politicians and warlords in theregion. In 2001, it was exposed thatthe Singson dynasty of Ilocos Surcorrupted about P224 million fromthe said fund. Similarly, Sen. ImeeMarcos is also accountable forplundering P213 million from thefund when she was still governor ofIlocos Norte in 2011 to 2013.

Syndicate regimes have suc-

West Papuans' struggle for national liberation

Thousands of West Papuans have continuously staged massive demon-strations since August 17. They mounted their rallies in conjunction with

the commemoration of the national independence day in Indonesia to demandnational liberation and cessation (separation from Indonesia as an indepen-dent nation).

Instead of addressing their de-mands, the Indonesian governmentdeployed an additional 1,200 mili-tary and police operatives in theprovince to violently suppress thedemonstrations. On September 3, atleast two Papuan students werekilled when paramilitary elementsattacked their dormitory. Similarly,six were killed, including a child,while more than a dozen were

wounded, when Indonesian troopsstrafed and dropped teargasgrenades on the protesters in Deiyaon August 28. These series of at-tacks are part of the continuinggenocide campaign of the Indone-sian state against Papuans.

History of foreign interventionWest Papua (formerly Nether-

lands New Guinea) was a part of the

Dutch East Indies (presentlyz In-donesia) which was colonized by theNetherlands since 1880. After rec-ognizing Indonesia's independencein 1949, the Dutch government re-fused to let go of its hold over WestPapua to ensure its economic inter-ests in the region.

But in the 1960s, former USPresident John F. Kennedy plottedthe transfer of West Papua to In-donesia in favor of the local rulingclass in the latter. In 1969, a refer-endum was held wherein Papuanswere supposedly allowed to vote foror against West Papua's integration

cessively been involved in plunder-ing tobacco funds. In 2001, formerpresident and hueteng lord JosephEstrada was charged for asking fromGov. Luis Singson P130 million fromthe tobacco fund. Meanwhile, underthe pretext of "protecting publichealth," Rodrigo Duterte imposedanother increase in tobacco excisetaxes last July 25. In January, thereactionary government was able tocollect more than P20.5 billion intobacco excise taxes.

Even local government officialsof the reactionary government takepart in malversing the fund. From2016-2018, four local governmentunits have failed to issue reports asto how they spent the P1-billionthey were allocated respectively.The government was able to collectmore than P41 billion in excise taxesduring the said period.

Relatedly, Stop Exploitation de-manded to raise the farmgate pricesof tobacco at a standard price ofP128/kilo, without classification.This is to reverse the underpricing(P28-P82/kilo) and bogus grading ofVirginia, Burley and Native tobaccoby traders and big companies inconnivance with the National To-bacco Administration.

"West Papua...," continued on page 9

ANG BAYAN September 7 , 2019 9

to the republic of Indonesia. In-donesian soldiers handpicked 1,025Papuans to participate in the refer-endum and coerced them to vote forintegration.

The integration ensured thefree entry of local and multinationalmining and plantation companiesand their plunder of West Papua'snatural resources. Among these arethe US-based Freeport and Aus-tralia-based Rio Tinto, companiesthat are notorious for destroyingthe environment. Japanese compa-nies are also at the forefront in de-nuding the forests and depletingthe natural gas (together with UScompanies) in the island. Mean-while, big compradors and Indone-sian capitalists are grabbing theancestral lands of Papuans as sites

for large commercial plantations.

Decades-long struggleThe West Papuans's aspiration

for self-determination and nationalliberation was clear from the verybeginning. In 1965, they foundedthe Free Papuan Movement, anarmed group of the New GuineaRaad, the West Papuan people'sgovernment which they establishedin 1961. In 2015, the MelanesianSpearhead Group, an organization ofcountries in the Oceania subregion,recognized the coalition of Papuangroups under the United LiberationMovement of West Papua.

To suppress the Papuan peo-ple's struggle, the province hasbeen continuously placed under defacto martial law. With more than

45,000 Indonesian troops, it isconsidered the most militarizedprovince in the country. Amongthose deployed here are KonstrandCommandos who were trained,armed, and funded by the US andAustralia.

Intense militarization results ingenocide and massive eviction ofPapuans. Since 1969, more than100,000 Papuans have been killed,while tens of thousands have fallenvictim to other human rights viola-tions.

In the face of worsening foreignintervention in their ancestral landsand suppression of their rights, theWest Papua National LiberationArmy continues on waging guerrillawarfare to achieve national libera-tion.

"West Papua...," from page 8