JOMA: ARMED REVOLUTION STILL THE MAIN FORM OF STRUGGLE

“Contention on the GRP-NDFP Talks”

“…the main form of struggle is armed revolution. But this form of struggle can be stronger and much more effective when complemented and reinforced by legal forms of struggle. The armed and legal forms of struggle are interactive and help each other in the advance of the revolutionary movement.”

This is an excerpt from Jose Maria Sison’s message during 2007 National Conference of the Party List Elections. Sison attributed the “armed revolution” to speak of the continued use of the New People’s Army or NPA in the pursuit of Communist victory. However, NPA’s armed offensives are complemented with its legal machineries that include their supportive Partylist groups or else their members’ participation in politics. To be exact, these are militant organizations and personalities that are exercising their democratic rights for the benefit of the CPP. These are their so-called legitimate moves that was intended to cover-up the unrelenting abuses of the NPA.

So far, government efforts had been a throw-around for the CPP that decided to exploit such for their advantage. Ceasefires had been randomly used by the New People’s Army to buy them some time to recuperate, recruit as much militia as they can and even enhance their logistics. More or less, this would never push through as intermittent fracas had been inevitable during the so-called diplomatic lengths. Like the killing of Congressman Rodolfo Aguinaldo in 2001 that put the GRP-CNN negotiations into its three-year standoff. The Gloria administration made four abortive attempts to resolve the issues against continued Communist insurgency. All four failed due to the CPP-NPA’s flagrant violations.

Putting an end on Sison’s Maoist ideals was never part of the revolutionary group’s plan. Their armed strength had been the core of their struggle. This is the Reds’ way of getting what they want.

The re-implementation of the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees or JASIG this July was supposedly the government’s way of living-up their end of the agreement. But this made no typical changes to the guerillas’ heightening offensives. Aside from the landmining of the 57IB vehicle in Pres. Roxas, Cotabato last September 02, the NPA had also ordered the tightening of Oplan Linis Demonyo across Davao area that cost a handful of victims. Furthermore, its extortion schemes and election rackets like permits to campaign and win were also rounding up in Central Visayas and Southern Luzon. These moves run alongside its money-making program for MAKABAYAN that is moving the candidacies of militants in the like of Satur Ocampo. So with all the merry-go-round of CPP-led harassment to the next, is there really a possibility of peaceful accord?

Murderers like Randall Echaniz and Elizabeth Principe have already been set-loose. The two who had been listed on the CPP-NPA-NDF’s list of so-called political prisoners are now roaming free, sadly in the pursuit of the negotiations. The government should be reminded that these criminals are not the so-called political prisoners as they claimed to be. They are felons who have wronged a handful of innocent civilians and should not be freed in the first place.

But have we heard of these JASIG “recipients” denouncing the call to arms of their comrades in the NPA? Or else, have we even heard of JOMA Sison recognizing the efforts this administration managed to make? Unlike what Sison said, the Filipino people are not rallying behind his Communist mindset or mandate for war. Juan dela Cruz is not that ignorant. Who would want war in the first place, except for the CPP that made it part of their insurrectionary aim. Perhaps, this is reason enough for the government to call it quits and rethink its decision of conferring with the CPP-NPA-NDF, which is obviously disinterested in conciliatory talks.