|
Thursday, January 01, 2004
Panay rebel movement gaining strength: CPP
By Nanette L. Guadalquiver
THE Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said the revolutionary movement continues to gain strength in Panay Island amid massive military operations.
"The rebel movement registered significant gains in 2003 as it frustrated intensive military operations," the CPP said in a statement marking their recent 35th Founding Anniversary.
A military officer in the region, however, said there is no reason for the CPP to celebrate because it has done nothing for the country except contribute to the destruction of government properties, killing of own comrades and conduct of extortion activities.
He added if the underground movement wanted reforms they should now cooperate with the government.
"What they have done for 35 years was to try to grab power through armed struggle which is a violation of human rights," the military official added.
He said communist rebels even killed and tortured hundreds of their comrades who had dedicated their lives to the movement on suspicion that they were government spies.
Mass support
The executive committee of the CPP's Panay regional party committee said "thousands of farmers, workers, women, youth, and those from the middle class have joined organizations that support the armed struggle and the New People's Army (NPA)."
"The growth in mass support has been coupled by the increase in members of the CPP in the island," said CPP-NPA leader Concha Araneta.
Araneta added, "The membership of the party on the island has reached more than a thousand and it will double in the near future. This only shows the widening political power and influence of the Party as it deepens its roots in the revolutionary mass movement."
Widespread attacks
Moreover, the CPP urged its forces to launch more widespread and frequent attacks on government troops in the coming years.
Continuous training for NPA guerrillas have been held to prepare for the offensives, the group said.
Not intimidated
Araneta said the revolutionary movement will "not be intimidated by the intensified military operations" in the island led by the Philippine Army's Task Force Panay.
"The CPP, NPA and other revolutionary mass organizations are ready to confront the simultaneous and multi-battalion attacks in all our guerrilla fronts," she declared as the group chided the government troops' "frustrated intensive campaign to crush the NPA."
The government troops, they said, figured in "several cases of misencounter resulting to casualties."
"These only highlight the failure of their strike operations against the NPA," the added.
Concha cited the death of Lt. Gonzales, commanding officer of the 33rd Division Reconnaissance Company, who was shot to death by one of their men in Capiz and the killing of Cafgu
member Morgan Dalid in Daan Sur, Tapaz, Capiz after he was "shot by mistake by (troopers) of the 47th IB."
"The three battalions (47th IB, 12th IB and Provisional IB) deployed against the NPA in Panay shows the strength achieved by the revolutionary movement," Araneta said.
(January 1, 2004 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[ return
to top ]
[ home
]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
