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Friday, May 06, 2005
Ka Luis Taruc’s death mourned
By Albert B. Lacanlale and Chris Navarro
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and provincial officials here grieved Thursday the death of former Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa mga Hapon (Hukbalahap) supremo Ka Luis Taruc, who died of heart failure last Wednesday at the St. Luke’s Hospital in Manila.
In separate statements, the President, as well as Pampagna Governor Mark T. Lapid, Representative Rey B. Aquino (3rd district) and Angeles City Mayor Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin joined the Kapampangans’ mourning on the death of the man who fought for the country’s independence from Japanese invasion and the peasant’s freedom from poverty.
Taruc, born on June 21, 1913, was confined at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City prior to his death. His remains lie in state at the Funeraria Paz also in Quezon City.
The family of the late social justice advocate said he had been undergoing dialysis since he acquired kidney failure.
Malacañang’s statement
“Ka Luis Taruc was not only a fighter for the poor and the oppressed but also a champion of peace. His memory will always remind us that even at times of ideology strife, there is always a window for rebels and governments to pursue a middle ground based on democracy and social justice — for a nation to unite and heal itself,” Arroyo said.
“We extol both his courage and his deep sense of nationalism as a revolutionary, and his statesmanship for peace. We condole with his family on behalf of the Filipino people,” the President added.
Paying tribute
At the same time, the governor also paid tribute to Taruc’s exemplary contribution to the advancement of social reforms in the country since the late 40s.
“We, the Kapampangans pay our respect to the late Ka Luis Taruc, an advocate of social justice and one of the great disciples of the Socialist Party of the Philippines. As one of the great Kapampangans, his name will remain in our hearts and consciousness forever. For Ka Luis, our utmost tribute and respect,” Lapid said.
Moved
Much like his personal relations with former Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Director Raymundo Punongbayan, Aquino said he is moved by the death of “friends and heroes” of the Kapampangan. Taruc was special guest on festive and officials occasions in this city when Aquino was still the local chief executive.
“Both men (Punongbayan and Taruc) symbolized dedication to duty and countrymen. Their lives should be remembered and honored as what we do these days,” Aquino said.
Great loss
Angeles City Mayor Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin said Taruc’s death is a great loss to Angeleños, adding that his contribution to society is his quest for social reforms.
Lazatin said Taruc’s strong sense on patriotism and duty to his country led him to engage the Japanese Army as leader of the Hukbalahap in Central Luzon.
Taruc, 92, is the founder of the Hukbalahap, the largest guerilla organization during the Japanese occupation.
The son of poor peasants, Taruc studied at the University of Manila for two years (1932 to 1934) and then became involved in the cause of the Philippines’ landless peasants.
Strongly drawn to Marxism, he joined the Socialist Party in 1935. In November of that year the socialists and communists merged, giving Taruc a chance to meet with fellow Kapampangan martyr, Don Pedro Abad Santos, founder of the Socialist Party of the Philippines.
A native of San Luis, Pampanga, Taruc led some 30,000 guerillas during the height of the Huk revolution in 1947 to 1954 and mostly controlled Central Luzon. Accounts of his contribution to the Filipinos’ endless fight for freedom and his achievements in promoting social justice, as champion of the masa, are countless, if not unequaled.
Due to his effective clamor for social change, Taruc and several other reformists were elected to the newly formed Filipino Congress after the Japanese invasion but they were not allowed to take their seats due to unsupported allegations that coercion had been used to influence voters. He then went back to the mountains as a rebel until the late President Ramon Magsaysay convinced him to lead his Huk forces to a new life, with promises of social reforms. Taruc surrendered to the late martyr Senator Ninoy Aquino and a fellow Kapampangan, who was then a practicing journalist.
Even in his later life, Taruc continued to become the voice of the people by leading hundreds of thousands of war veterans in their claim for just pension from the present government.
In year 2001, Taruc was honored as Most Outstanding Kapampangan for Social Justice. He also wrote several publications including a book about the life and works of Pedro Abad-Santos, the founder and father of the Socialist Party of the Philippines, whom he considered as his mentor.
Taruc’s interment will be held Sunday at the Loyola Park in Marikina City after a 10 a.m. mass.
(May 6, 2005 issue)
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