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This issues

highlights...Arroyo charged

with plunder PAGE 2

13 firearms seized

in Bukidnon PAGE 5

Ka Soly: Woman,

mother, revolutionary

PAGE 10

Pahayagan ng Partido Komunista ng PilipinasPinapatnubayan ng Marxismo-Leninismo-MaoismoANG

English EditionVol. XLII No. 9

May 7, 2011www.philippinerevolution.net

Editorial

The Filipino people were gladdened at the res-

ignation of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez

on May 6. With Gutierrez's resignation, a

huge obstacle has been removed from filing char-ges against Gloria Arroyo and her partners in

crime. Now, demands have become more urgent

to hold Arroyo accountable at the soonest possi-

ble time for plunder and stealing from the public

coffers as well as for more than a thousand

counts of extrajudicial killing and other crimes

against humanity.

Gutierrez's resignation came amid

widespread calls from the people to

oust her as Ombudsman. Her resig-

nation has preempted the Senate'sconstitution as an impeachment

court that will try her on the char-

ges that have been filed against her.

The people have been angered no

end with Gutierrez's use of her power

to block cases against Gloria Arroyo who

appointed her to her position. The Of-

fice of the Ombudsman is the reac-

tionary government's agency

tasked with investigating and fil-

ing charges against government

officials involved in corruption and

abuse of power. Contrary to this,

however, Gutierrez turned a blind

eye to her friend Arroyo's direct in-

volvement in various cases of cor-

ruption such as the NBN-ZTE deal,

the Fertlizer Fund scam and many

others.

Gutierrez's resignation as Ombudsman fires up

the Filipino people's desire to see the legal proc-ess unfold immediately against Gloria Arroyo, her

husband Mike, her sons and other key officials of

The Aquino regime must immediatelytake Arroyo to account

the past regime involved in various anomalies.

They would also like to see the legal process un-

fold against Arroyo and her military and security

officials for their responsibility for various fascist

crrimes.

The people are thus deeply disappointed with

Benigno Aquino III for his failure to undertake

even a single step to hold Arroyo and her cohorts

responsible for plunder and fascist crimes. They

seethe in anger seeing Arroyo flaunting her pow-

er despite the grave criminal cases she should be

facing.

Aquino courted the people's support dur-

ing his electoral campaign last year by con-

tinuously lambasting Arroyo and the majorcases of corruption under the previous re-

gime. Now he is courting their ire in

his failure to begin the process of

haling Arroyo to court even after

months in power. This only buttress-

es the belief that Aquino and Arroyo

had struck a deal during the elections.

With so many investigations conducted

in the previous years, enough in-

formation has been dis-

closed to nail Arroyo forvarious criminal casers.

Thus, many deem Aquino's

formation of a Truth Com-

mission in his first days

in Malacaang ostensibly

to investigate Arroyo's cas-

es as a huge waste of government resour-

ces. Malacaang eventually failed to justify the

rationale behind the Truth Commission's forma-

tion in the face of questions raised against it be-fore the Supreme Court.

Aquino dilly-dallied in the face of calls to

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Arroyo charged with plunder

Former Pres, Gloria Arroyo is set to face several casesof plunder and violations of human rights.Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez's unexpected resig-

nation has set the stage for this scenario. Gutierrez's res-ignation took effect May 6, or three days befire the Sen-ate was set to try her on impeachment charges.

When she announced her resignatrion, Gutierrez stillstubbornly denied being Arrioyo's protector. This is de-spite being known to be close to the former president'sfamily. She sat on cases involving her boss and the lat-ter's most zealous minions. On the other hand, she bru-tally went after the Arroyo regime's political enemies.

With her resignation, there is one less obstacle in ac-celerating the criminal proceedings against Arroyo. Inthis regard, Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casio said that

they would pursue the plunder case they had earlier filedagainst Arroyo for her involvement in the $329-millionNBN-ZTE project. Secretary of Justice Leila de Lima haspromised to revive the case and form a panel for this un-der her department.

Bayan Muna filed the case against Arroyo on July 1,2010, a day after she stepped down from power. The DOJendorsed the case to the Truth Commission formed byAquino. The case was relegated to the backburner whenthe Supreme Court declared the Truth Commission un-constitutional.

Former Solicitor General Frank Chavez had earlierfiled plunder charges against Arroyo for her illegal use offunds from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration(OWWA). Also charged were former OWWA administratorVirgilio Angelo, former Health Secretary Francisco DuqueII and former Executive Secretary and Foreign AffairsSecretary Alberto Romulo.

Chavez said Arroyo illegally transferred OWWA fundsto the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Phil-Health). She used `554 million in OWWA funds to pur-

chase PhilHealth cards from March 2003 to February

Ang Bayan is published fortnightly by the Central Committee

of the Communist Party of the Philippines

Ang Bayan is published in Pilipino,

Bisaya, Iloko, Hiligaynon, Waray and

English editions.

It is available for downloading at

the Philippine Revolution Web Central

located at:

www.philippinerevolution.net

Ang Bayan welcomes contributionsin the form of articles and news.

Readers are likewise enjoined to send

in their comments and suggestions for

the betterment of our publication. You

can reach us by email at:

[email protected]

Vol. XLII No. 9 May 7, 2011

ContentsEditorial: Arroyo must be taken toaccount 1Arroyo charged with plunder 2

CHR slammed for clearing AFP 3Dispersal at Laperal Compound 3

Calamity, hunger in Panay 413 firearms seized in Bukidnon 5

6 soldiers killed in Rizal 5

POWs in Cotabato 6Killing, militarization in Leyte 6

Scout Ranger in Negros killed 7NDFP 38th anniversary 8

Cordillera Day 9Ka Soly, revolutionary martyr 10

News 12

ANG

2 ANG BAYAN May 7, 2011

oust Gutierrez. He began to take heed

of, and ride, on the public's clamor on-

ly in April when moves to remove Guti-

errez began taking off within and out-

side Congress. He suddenly took on the

issue in an attempt to recover lost

ground after the latest surveys re-

vealed a nosedive in his popularity rat-ings.

Gutierrez's resignation now

strengthens the pressure on the Aqui-

no regime to file cases against Arroyo

and her ilk and put them on trial. The

Aquino regime can no longer justify

any delay in taking the necessary steps

in this regard, The Filipino people must

step up their demands to hold Arroyo

accountable in order to preempt any

deals that may be struck and to pushthe process of attaining justice.

Without the people's struggle

against corruption, the various camps

within the ruling classes will merely

take turns in abusing political power in

order to commit plunder and amass

wealth. History has proven that if the

people do not take action, justice can

never br attained from those who hold

the reins of power in the reactionarystate.

In the final analysis, lasting justice

can only be attained with ending the

ruling reactionary system that engen-

ders corruption and fascism and allows

them to fester. True justice can only be

attained with the overthrow of the bu-

reaucrat capitalists through revolu-

tionary struggle and the establishment

of a new ruling system of people's de-

mocracy.~2004 for distribution during herreelection campaign. Romulo al-so illegally used `5 million fromOWWA to support US Pres. Ge-orge W. Bush's terrorist war inIraq and $293,500 to defray ex-penses of the Philippine missionin Kuwait and buy cars for Phil-ippine embassies in Lebanon,Jordan, Oman, Bahrain, Egyptand Iran.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson is alsoreportedly preparing a corrup-tion case against Arroyo. So isDanilo Lihay-lihay, a private cit-izen from Iloilo, said Secretaryde Lima. Lihay-lihay's chargesstem from Arroyo's anomalous

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3ANG BAYAN May 7, 2011

sale of the Iloilo Airport's equipment in 2007.Despite positive indications that Arroyo will

finally be nailed for plunder and her othercrimes against the people, there are other ob-stacles that must now be hurdled by anticorrup-tion crusaders.

The Office of the Ombudsman is already ma-

neuvering to clear Arroyo, with Assistant Om-

budsman Evelyn Baliton claiming that Arroyo'stransfer of OWWA funds was legal and free of ir-regularities. Added to this is Benigno AquinoIII's reluctance to prosecute the former president.On May 1, he admitted that filing plunder chargesagainst Arroyo is not among his regime's priori-ties and said he was more focused on finding a

new Ombudsman. ~

CHR slammedfor clearing military

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) was lam-basted for clearing the military in the abductionand torture of Filipino-American activist Melissa

Roxas and her two companions.CHR Chairperson Loreta Ann "Etta" Rosales

cleared elements of the Philippine Army 7th InfantryDivision and even maliciously insinuated that theNew People's Army (NPA) was behind Roxas' abduc-tion and torture.

In a statement, the Communist Party of the Phil-ippines decried the CHR decision as favorable to for-mer Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, who used to head the7th ID in its brutal campaign of terrorism and humanrights violations. Among Palparan and the 7th ID'sother crimes are the abduction of University of thePhilippines students Karen Empeo and Sherlyn Cad-apan, the torture of brothers Reynaldo and RaymondManalo, the abduction of activist Jonas Burgos andworker-leader Rogelio Concepcion.

Fidel Agcaoili, shair of the Human Rights Monitor-ing Committee of the National Democratic Front ofthe Philippines (NDFP) assailed Rosales' accusationsagainst the NPA. Agcaoili said Rosales' statementsmay derail the ongoing peace talks between the Gov-

ernment of the Philippines and the NDFP. On the oth-er hand, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN)expressed its disappointment with the CHR reports.BAYAN said despite Roxas' cooperation with the CHR'sinvestigation, the government rights body still let themilitary off the hook.

Roxas was abducted along with her companionsEduardo Jandoc and Juanito Carabeo on May 19, 2009in La Paz, Tarlac. They were subjected to physical andpsychological torture for six days and brought to var-ious military camps in Central Luzon.

Meanwhile, the mothers of Karen Empeo andSherlyn Cadapan filed several cases against Palparanbefore the Department of Justice. Palparan was ac-cused ofd violating the Anti-Rape Law under the Re-vised Penal Code and the rights of detainees and ar-rested persons under international antitorture cove-nants. They were assisted by their lawyer Atty. EdreOlalia of the National Union of People's Lawyers. ~

Violent demolitionat Laperal Compound

The Confederation of Unity for the Rec-ognition and Advancement of Govern-

ment Employees (COURAGE) condemnedthe violent demolition at Laperal Com-

pound in Guadalupe Viejo, Makati City onApril 29.

More than 1,000 police forces, ele-ments from the Special Weapons and Tac-tics unit, goons, personnel from the Mate-ropolitan Manila Development Authority(MMDA) and the Makati Public Safety(MAPSA) forced their way into the commu-nity to evict the residents. They used bull-dozers to destroy the houses and trainedwater cannons and lobbed teargas gre-nades against residents who were forced todefend their homes.

COURAGE-Laperal chapter chair WilliamBalderas said a child lost consciousnessafter inhaling teargas fumes and two mensustained bullet wounds. Several youthswere arrested and beaten up by the police.

Balderas strongly belied Makati MayorJejomar Erwin "Jun-jun" Binay Jr.'s claimsthat the community was a "danger zone"

because of rampant drug use and crime. Hesaid Binay was just deflectiing the people'sattention from the real reason behind thedemolition: to evict the residents. Balde-ras assailed their transfer to farflung relo-cation sites where they have no assuranceof livelihood. He added that they believedthe fire that engulfed the community onApril 19 was arson and part of the schemeto boot them out of the area.

On, the other hand, COURAGE national

chair Ferdinand Gaite blamed the govern-ment for the proliferation of homeless peo-ple. He said many people flock to the cit-ies but do not have jobs waiting for themor decent housing and social services. Headded that since the government was ex-ploiting the people, the latter must uniteand struggle to defend their right to live.~

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4

situation to conduct counterin-surgency operations.

Until now, scarcely 40% ofthe infrastructure damaged bytyphoon Frank has been re-paired. Not a single centavofrom the total`8 billion meant

for the rehabilitation of the re-gion's calamity victims hasreached the intended beneficia-ries.

Mass movement to address

disasters

In the face of all this, demo-cratic organizations as well asprogressive NGOs were still able

to respond quickly through res-cue and relief efforts in themost severely affected commu-nities, especially in Kalibo, Ak-lan and Capiz. Their early re-sponse to the needs of impover-ished and calamity-strickenpeople is the product of contin-uing education and training ondisaster preparedness, disaster

management and communitydrills in barangays affected bydisasters.

By forming alliances withother sectors, mass organiza-tions and progressive NGOs werealso able to sustain their disas-ter-management activities andcampaigns. They conductedtrainings on emergency re-sponse management, early

warning systems, counter-disas-ter planning, disaster informa-tion and advocacy, hazard map-ping and sustainable agricul-ture. They also dispersed vege-

table and fruit tree seeds.Along with local offi-cials, they drew at-tention to the peo-

ple's conditionsthrough fact-find-ing missions, con-gressional inquir-ies and strugglingagainst destructive

mining operations inGuimaras and Capiz, aswell as the coal-firedpower plant in La Paz,

Government inutility

Despite such serious devas-tation, the government didnothing but give out aid in tric-kles to the victims of calamities.Social services were of no help

when a dengue epidemic struckthe island in mid-2010. Up to5,147 people fell ill and 27 diedin the province of Iloilo alone.Mass organizations had to con-front and demand help from theIloilo City local government be-fore the latter issued `1 millionin calamity funds .

The government declared astate of calamity in the face ofsevere flooding in Septemberand December 2010, but didnothing except distributecanned goods and instant noo-dles. It even required farmers topay `600 for each sack of cert-tified seeds from the Depart-ment of Agriculture and the Na-tional Food Authority which itallegedly sold at a discount.

This was supposedly done to en-able farmers to use the seeds fortheir second cropping. At thispoint, the prices of LPG and al-most all goods and services shotup. Even the price of NFA ricerose from `25 to `27 per kilo.The price of white sugar came to`60 per kilo in December and`70 to `72 in town centers thisFebruary.

The government also demon-strated its inutility during theonslaught of El Nio. Almosthalf of irrigated ricelands hadgone dry. Nonetheless, cloud-seeding was done too in-frequently. Services that werenormally provided by the De-

partment of Social Welfare andDevelopment (DSWD) and thePhilippine National Red Crosswere coursed through the 4Psprogramwhich had its ownbudgetary allocation. The gov-

ernment claimed that the 4Psbeneficiaries enjoyed priority,even if they numbered only5,000 in the provinces of Iloiloand Capiz. Bu they received nofood or medical assistance de-spite demands from farmers es-pecially in Iloilo during the leanmonths.

Worse, organizations and in-stitutions that were doing theirbest to fill up the vacuum leftby the reactionary government'sinutility were constantly beingtargeted for repression. Inno-cent civilians were being killedand democratic organizationsand progressive non-govern-ment organizations (NGO) har-assed.

Even amid the most serious

calamities, like typhoon Frank,the AFP extended only token as-sistance and use of a few of itshelicopters. The AFP and the USused the disasters as opportuni-ties to send in inter-ventionist Ameri-can troops. Theyhad their pic-tures takenhanding out

relief goodsbut were un-able to ex-tend anysignificantassistance.The US mili-tary even exploited the

Calamity, povertyand hunger in Panay

I

n 2010, a series of calamities hit Panay. In the last quarter of2009 and the first half of 2010, the island suffered a severe

drought due to El Nio, followed by typhoons and floods in thesucceeding months. This wrought havoc on the island's agricultur-al economy, worsening hunger among the peasantry and other im-poverished sectors.

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5

VICTORIOUS TACICAL OFFENSIVES


Iloilo.With the onslaught of El Nio, mass

organizations launched campaignsagainst hunger and raised the issue ofrotten social services. They demandedthat government deliver on its responsi-bilities to assist farmers and develop ag-

riculture. This is because the only assist-ance they had received came in the formof a little rice which was distributed bypoliticians during the electoral campaign.

Revolutionary response to calamities

In areas covered by Red political pow-er, the peasant masses continued tolaunch campaigns on organized efforts to

develop production and set up coopera-tives in addition to other efforts for thewelfare of the people in the barrios.

The campaigns included the defenseof land which is the source of the peas-ants' livelihood. The peasants struggledagainst the 3rd ID's seizure of the Tuman-duk minorities' ancestral lands as well asschemes to evict farmers to give way totourism projects and destructive miningoperations.

Rules on environmental protection areimplemented as well as on the preserva-tion of the remaining forests and theplanting of durable crops like coconutsand coffee. Ricefields are developed andthe use of poison in rivers, streams andother sources of water is banned. The rev-olutionary forces explain to the peoplethat these campaigns are related to thedefense of the national patrimony andnatural resources against imperialist andlandlord-comprador interests and for na-tional industrialization.

During disasters, the Party and theNew People's Army in the island are fo-cused on helping the people by providingguidance to their actions and coordinat-ing the distribution of relief goods with-in their limited resources. The NPA Re-gional Command also declared a tempo-rary ceasefire in 2008 after the devasta-

tion of typhoon Frank. Likewise, the NPANapoleon Tumagtang Command in South-ern Panay declared a temporary ceasefireafter massive landslides struck Tubungan,Iloilo in 2009. This is to give NPA andParty units and the mass organizations anopportunity to help the calamity-strickenpeople in the localities. ~

NPA seizes 13 firearmsin Bukidnon

The New People's Army confiscated 13 firearms ina successful raid on the Philippine National Police(PNP) headquarters and municipal hall of Malit-

bog, Bukidnon on the morning of May 3. Seized wereeight M16s, three 9 mm pistols, a cal .38 revolver, acal .22 pistol and rounds of ammunition.o

The NPA also seized two radio transceivers, twocomputers and other military equipment.

Ignacio "Eking" Balacuit Command (Front 4-B)spokesperson Ka Emiliano Libertad said the Red fight-

ers were able to take control of the police station in30 minutes despite the proximity of the headquartersof the 58th IB and the Misamis Oriental ProvincialPNP. The attack was conducted so swiftly that thethree policemen who were then at the station wereunable to fire back and instead surrendered theirweapons.

The Red guerrillas brought the three captured po-licemen as they retreated but released them some 300meters awaty from the police station.

The NPA has once more demonstrated and proven

that it is capable of launching successful tactical of-fensives in the face of bigger and stronger enemy for-ces and intense military operations. This raid is goingto raise and strengthen further the determination ofthe Red fighters to thwart the US-Aquino regime'sOplan Bayanihan and advance the people's war to ahigher level, added Libertad. ~

6 soldiers wounded

in Rizal ambush

Six soldiers, including their commanding officerwere seriously wounded in an ambush by Redfighters in Barangay Mamuyao, Tanay, Rizal on

May 5.In a statement, the Narciso Antazo Aramil Com-

mand of the New People's Army in Rizal reported us-ing a command-detonated explosive on a section of

operating trioops from the 16th IB Bravo Coy. The16th IB is known as the "butcher battalion" for itsmany human rights violations, especially against Du-magat and Remontado minorities.

After a 15-minute exchange of fire, six soldiers laywounded, including a Lieutenant Partoza who wasleading the operating troops, There were no casualtieson the NPA side. ~

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fensives from 2010 to 2011,seizing 35 firearms, killing 105and wounding 35 of the 8th ID'sforces. Salas said that fromthese experiences in guerrillawarfare, the NPA in the regionis now in the process of devel-

oping annihilative attacks inorder to seize more weaponsand arm more recruits. AddedSalas, the NPA in Eastern Visay-as in determined to contributeto the effort to advance thepeople's war from the strategicdefensive to the strategic stale-

mate.In Southern Taga-

log, the Raquel Au-

mentado chapter of Ar-tista at Manunulat ng

Sambayanan (ARMAS)hailed the contributions

of revolutionary artiststo the revolution.Aumentado was a

cultural activistwho was killed ina firefight in Mu-

lanay, Quezon in2006.Said AR-

MAS-TK, many

NDFP celebrates 38thfounding anniversary

Various revolutionary forces allied with the National Demo-cratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) celebrated the latters38th founding anniversary on April 24.

From their jail cells at thePNP Custodial Center in CampCrame, Quezon City, five NDFPconsultants hailed the revolu-tionary alliance and expressedtheir continued support for itand the Filipino people's deter-mined revolutionary struggle.The statement was signed byProspero Agudo, Jovencio Bal-

weg, Alan Jazmines, EdgardoSarmiento and Eduardo Serrano.

They said that since itsfounding, the NDFP has re-mained the leading patrioticand progressive people's alli-ance against foreign imperi-aism, domestic feudalismand bureaucrat capitalism.The Filipino people, espe-cially the most exploitedand oppressed are deter-mined to pursue the nation-al-democratic revolution to

conclusion and establish a free,democratic, propeople, just andprogressive socio-economic andpolitical order in the country.

From Eastern Visayas (EV),NDFP spokesperson Fr. Santiagosalas reported EV's victories, es-pecially in thefield of armedstruggle. The

New People'sArmy (NPA) wasable to launch54 tactical of-

menting the US-Aquino regime'sbrutal counterrevolutionary war.Nonetheless, the soldiers' fami-lies were assured that the NPAwas respecting their rights in

accordance with the protocolsof war and provisions of theComprehensive Agreement onRespect for Human Rights andInternational Humanitarian Law.

NPA captures 2 soldiersin North Cotabato

Two elements of the Philippine Army 57th IB were arrested byRed fighters on April 14 while undertaking an intelligencemission in Sitio Dalinding, Barangay Datu Inda, President Ro-

xasm, North Cotabato. The two soldiers were identified as Cpl. Del-fin Largo Saracom and Pfc. Jayson Burgos Valenzuela.

Red fighters under the Her-minio Alfonso Command (HAC-NPA) seized two cal .45 pistolksfrom them, said Ka Isabel Santi-ago, spokesperson of the HAC-NPA (Front 53 of the SouthernMindanao Region).

Saracom and Valenzuela werearrested for being members of aSpecial Operations Team (SOT)implementing the US-Aquino re-gime's Oplan Bayanihan inNorth Cotabato. Using the mon-icker "peace and development

team" as cover, the two soldierswere engaged in an intelligenceoperation, particularly the veri-fication of the presence of Redfighters in Barangay Datu Inda.

The two prisoners are cur-rently undergoing investigationfor possible involvement ingrave human rights vi-olations and othercrimes against ther e v o l u t i o n a r ymovement in thecourse of imple-

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revolutionary artists have offered their lives inthe people's service. They inspire other culturalworkers to tread the path of struggle.

ARMAS-TK particularly assailed the colonialand feudal culture that rules the fields of educa-tion, the mass media, the arts, religion and oth-ers. ARMAS-TK's determination to further ad-

vance the national-democratic cultural revolu-tion grows stronger in the face of this siuation.Said ARMAS-TK, for as long as radio and televi-sion programs, the teachings of the conservativechurches, the system of education and other cul-tural avenues continue to peddle ignorance,backward thinking, reliance on fate and luck andthe worship of things foreign, the revolutionarymovement will go allout in arousing the broadmasses to make them aware of their innate pow-er and capability to blaze their own path towards

genuine social change.A statement by the Christians for National

Liberation (CNL-TK) cited the life and deathstruggle where hundreds of revolutionary martyrshave sacrificed their lives. But with their deaths,said the CNL-TK, they are resurrected in the hun-dreds and thousands of people struggling to at-

tain victory for the people's democratic revolu-tion and establish a society that will banish ex-ploitation.

As a revolutionary organization among churchpeople and the religious, the CNL firmly believesthat only through a democratic revolution canthe people achieve their long-desired change.

Meantime, members of the Makabayang Kilu-san ng Bagong Kababaihan launched a lightningrally in Manila and called on women to join thepeople's war. ~

CPDF hails27th Cordillera Day

Cordillerans bravely asserted their right to celebrate the 27thCordillera Day despite sinister efforts by the locak reactionarygovernment and the 41st IB to stop them. The celebration

which was held in Lacub, Abra carried the theme "Live Out our Glo-rious History of Struggle! Fight for Land, Life and Honor!"

In a statement, Simon "KaFiliw" Naogsan, spokesperson ofthe Cordillera Peoples Democrat-ic Front (CPDF) hailed the sig-nificance of Lacub as the site ofthe celebration. Lacub is cur-rently threatened by the large-scale operations of three mining

companiesTotal Mineral Ex-ploration, the Philex-ownedGolden Lake Mineral Resourcesand Titan Mining and EnergyCorporation. The celebrationwas held amid intense strugglesby the people of Abra to defendtheir ancestral lands, liveli-

hoods and naturalresources.

The CPDFl i k e w i s e

praised the Cor-dillerans' stead-fastness in theface of the huge

number of mil-itary troops

that havebeen pouredinto the re-gion tos u p p r e s st h e i r

s t r u g -gles.

The CPDF assured the peopleof the continued support of therevolutionary forces for the Cor-dillerans' struggle to defendtheir lands, livelihood and natu-ral resoyrces. Even amid thebrutality of Oplan Bantay Laya 1and 2, the New People's Army

(NPA) dealt blows on the enemyas its contribution to the effortto punish the military troopsthat are being used by foreignand local exploiters to suppressthe people. In OBL2's final yearup to the first quarter of 2011,the NPA was able to inflict 104casualties on the AFP. Fifty-eight of these casualties werekilled in action in 20 gunbattles

in the entire region. The NPAwas also able to seize a goodnumber of weapons and militaryequipment.

The CPDF called on the peo-ple in the region to continue re-sisting the presence of the reac-tionary military in their commu-nities and the entry of foreigncorporations out to seize and

destroy their ancestral lands. Itcalled for the forging of militantunity and struggle among allCordillerans and the Filipinopeople in order to establish agenuinely free, progressive,peaceful, just and democraticsociety. ~

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In Far South Mindanao Re-gion (FSMR), the National Dem-ocratic Front of the Philippines(NDFP) has exposed Cojuangco'sownership of 10% of the gigan-tic and destructive Xstrata-SMIthat mines gold and copper. Hehas also purchased three coalmines in the Daguma mountainslocated along the Sarangani-Sultan Kudarat-South Cotabatotri-boundary. SMC has also an-

nounced its intention of settingup coal-fired power plants inthe cities of General Santos,Sultan Kudarat and Davao.

Their greed for riches andpower makes Aquino and his un-cle Danding Cojuangco turn adeaf ear to the grievances ofpeople who have suffered thedevastation caused by large-scale mining operations. Land-

slides, air and water pollutionand the destruction of riversand seas are now rampant in ar-eas hosting large-scale mining.

Mining interests also use theAFP to brutalize and silencepeople waging resistance.Through Oplan Bayanihan,large-scale mining and planta-tions are passed off and protect-

ed as "peace and developmentprojects."The NDFP in FSMR firmly de-

clared that it would never allowforeign monopoly capitalistsand their local cohorts amongthe big comprador bourgeoisieto wantonly destroy the envi-

ronment and the people's wel-fare. It will fight until a ration-al, propeople and environmen-tally friendly economic policy isin place.

In the Cordillera, the peopletimed their expos and condem-nation of Kamag-anak Inc.'s on-slaught in the region during the27th Cordillera Day celebration.The participants assailed thenational policy of viewing the

Cordillera as a resource basethat foreign and local exploiterscould freely plunder. They citedmining contracts signed by theArroyo regime shortly before theend of its term, among themwith Cordillera Exploration Inc.(CEXI) that covers at least1,872 hectares in 12 villa-ges of three munici-palities in Mountain

Province (MP). Onthe other hand,Horizons Resour-ces Corp. will cov-er almost 60,000hectares in Ben-guet and 43

barangays in four towns of MP.In September 2010, Mt. FranzMining Corp. applied for a min-ing permit for 54,800 hectaresin 11 villages of MP and 42 ba-rangays of Kalinga.

All financial and technical

assistance agreements, explora-tion agreements and miningproduction sharing agreementstaken together would currentlycover a million hectares or morethan 51% of Cordillera's entireland area.

Even the Ilocos shorelinesare being mined for magnetite.There are 30 new hydropowergeneration plant contracts ontop of the 21 existing mini-hy-dropower plants and the Magat,San Roque, Ambuklao and Bingamega dams.

Many of these contracts areowned by Kamag-anak Inc.'sSMC or the Ayala family, anoth-er Aquino ally.

Although the contracts weresigned under the previous re-

gime, these mines and energyplants are zealously being pro-tected by the military under the

Aquino regime's OplanBayanihan. ~

Danding Cojuangco corneringFSMR and Cordilleranresources

Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco Jr. has been paid back more thanamply for his hefty contribution to his nephew Benigno Aqui-no III's campaign kitty. Aside from a Supreme Court decision

affirming his claim over significant shares of stock at the San Mi-guel Corporation (SMC), Cojuangco is now having a heydey seizinglarge tracts of land for his large-scale mining and energy projects.His is now the face of greed of the Kamag-anak Inc. in variousparts of the Philippines.

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CORRESPONDENCE REPORTS


Ka Soly: Woman, mother,revolutionary

I understand clearly what I am sworn to do, I know that hard-ship, sacrifice and even death can befall anyone and I believe

that all these efforts will not be in vain.-- Ka Soly

Statement by the Secretariat

of the Southern Tagalog Regional Committee

Communist Party of the Philippines

February 2011

C

oming from a peasant family with roots in Albay province,

Comrade Rosemarie Dumanais (better known as Ka Soly/Ensa)was born on October 31, 1959 in Camarines Sur. Ka Soly knewearly on the meaning of poverty and social crisis. As the eldest ofthree daughters, she helped her mother eke a living by haulingabaca even at a tender age. These circumstances piqued her inter-est in politics and she became active in youth organizations in herlocality. It is this interest and consciousness that opened the doorsto Ka Soly's unhesitating embrace of the revolutionary movement.

Her being a woman did notprove to be a barrier in fulfillingher revolutionary tasks. In Jan-

uary 1979, comrades from therevolutionary movement camein contact with Ka Soly and re-cruited her. In the first phase ofher political involvement, sheled the establishment and ex-pansion of youth groups in oth-er barangays of their town andbecame an instructor of variousmass courses. From time to

time, she would guide comrades

as they transferred to other sub-villages and helped gather sup-plies for the NPA. Ka Soly

showed courage and determina-tion in whatever task she ful-filled. Due to her intense desireto contribute more to the revo-lution and be of deeper serviceto the people, she joined theCommunist Party of the Philip-pines and the New People's Ar-my (NPA) in the Quezon-BicolZone in March 1980 at the age

of 21. She chose to tread the

path of armed struggle. At first,she worked among students as amember of a semilegal team.

In November 1981, Ka Solybegan working in a guerrilla

zone in South Quezon with herhusband. She was assigned toan Armed Propaganda Unit(APU) of the NPA that had threetowns of Batangas as its area ofoperations. When she becamepregnant, she worked for a yearas a member of an urban-basedmedical staff. After giving birth,she was assigned to a guerrillazone in Quezon in November

1984 and joined an APU operat-ing in three municipalities.From being an ordinary Redfighter, she became the logisticsofficer (S4) in 1985 and the vicesquad leader of a newly formedconsolidation team operating inCentral Quezon. Before the yearended, Ka Soly was assignedSecretary of a newly established

Party branch within a militarysector (Sangay sa Militari Sektoror SMS) operating in threetowns. In May 1986, she becamethe deputy secretary of a Guer-rilla Front Committee coveringLaguna and Central Quezon. Notlong after, she became a regularmember of the District Commit-tee in Central Quezon. In 1987,Ka Soly also became a regular

member of the Front Committeeand the District Executive Com-mittee and continued serving asthe Secretary of the SMS in fourtowns in Quezon. She alsoworked in Laguna in 1991, serv-ing as the Secretary of a pla-toon-size Sub-District Commit-tee. From 1993 to 1994, she be-came the Deputy Secretary ofthe District Committee. In 1996,Ka Soly was assigned Secretaryof the guerrilla front in CentralQuezon. She fulfilled all her du-ties with a renewed firmnessand faith in the Party.

Due to her exemplary per-formance, she was appointedmember of the Southern Tagalog

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2-day transport strikeshakes Panay

PROGRESSIVE drivers andother democratic groupssuccessfully waged a two-day transport strike all overPanay island. Led by theKahublagan Kontra Kartel(KKK) and PISTON, almost

100% of public transporta-tion in Iloilo, Capiz andAklan joined the strikefrom 10 a.m. of May 2 toMay 3. Drivers of publictransport between citiesand towards Antique alsostopped plying theirroutes.

The drivers protested todemand the junking of the

12% value-added tax onpetroleum products and therepeal of the Oil Deregula-tion Law. They also calledon the regime to investi-gate the oil companies'overpricing of their pro-ducts by up to `7.50 per li-ter. They said it would bemore relevant for the re-

gime to remove the VAT onoil instead of giving away"pantawid pasada" cards.This band-aid solution bythe regime is futile espe-cially in the face of relent-less hikes in the prices ofpetroleum products.

lutionary that she was live on.Her contributions to the

revolution's continuing strengthand advance are her legacy tothe next generation of revolu-

tionariesthe younger genera-tion who will follow in herfootsteps and wield the weaponthat had fallen from her grasp.

Long may you live, Ka Soly!Your memory will stay alive

and afire in the hearts andminds of the people you served.It is a flame that will never die.

Regional Committee in 1994and elected a regular memberduring the Third Regional PartyConference in 1997. She laterbecame a member of the Execu-

tive Committee during the Re-gional Party Committee plenumin 2000.

Ka Soly displayed admirablefortitude in the face of adversi-ty and firmly held fast to revo-lutionary theory. She constantlydeepened her knowledge of the-ory and its application in orderto fulfill her tasks better. Sherefused to be swayed by tenden-

cies that would affect her serv-ice to the people. Instead, shecontinued to break against suchwaves and successfully over-came various contradictions.

She knew how to accept hererrors and listen to criticism,using this in her remoulding asa revolutionary communist. KaSoly was the image of simple

living and hard struggle. Shewas loved and embraced by ev-ery mother, sister and daughtershe met.

It was in the movement thatshe met her husband, the fatherof her children and her partnerin struggleComrade Gregorio"Ka Roger" Rosal, the spokes-person of the Communist Partyof the Philippines. Together,

they built a revolutionary familyand supported each other in fur-ther honing their revolutionarystandpoint and improving theirrevolutionary practice. Ka Soly'sfamily inspired her to perseverein pursuing the revolution'sgoals. At the same time, therevolutionary couple inspiredother comrades desiring to buildtheir own families. As a mother,she raised and moulded herdaughters to know both thesweetness and bitternes of war.She chose to take on the sacri-fice of being separated fromthem in order to pursue a deep-er goal, and that was to be

mother to many other childrenbrutalized by poverty and ex-ploitation. The depth of her lovefor her fanily was equalled bythe depth of her love of coun-

tryshe was a neverending, un-surpassed wellspring of love.

It was in a gunbattle in Mau-ban, Quezon on February 7,2011 that Ka Soly died whilecourageously fighting the mer-cenary military. She is a martyrof the revolution whose life andstruggle were exemplars offaithful service to the exploitedand oppressed masses.

Ka Soly did not show anyfear in the face of death in thehands of the enemy. Her braveryand steadfastness as she ma-neuvered through steep trails toprotect their ranks was une-qualled. She did not waver amidthe smoke and exchange of gun-fire during battles. It was clearto Ka Soly that life would some-

day end, but that what reallymattered was how one spentthis life and to whom it wasdedicated. Up to the last mo-ment, Ka Soly lived in struggleand died a hero and martyr ofthe revolution.

Her death is as heavy as theSierra Madre and Banahawmountains. The revolutionarypeople, the Party and people's

army mourn her death and re-member her life full of heroism.They remember her as a modelcomrade, revolutionary, womanand mother.

Like many other sons anddaughters of the people, Ka Solynever turned her back on herduties. She spent 32 years of herlife in loyal service to the revo-lution's interests, to the peopleand the country. The bulletsthat ended her life failed tostop her blazing desire to befree of the chains of bondage.Her heart has stopped beatingbut the memories of the com-rade, woman, mother and revo-

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NEWS

May 1: Day of Rage

THOUSANDS of workers marched in various parts of the country toassail the antiworker US-Aquino regime and demand hikes in wa-ges and salaries.

Led by the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), thousands massed up atthe Liwasang Bonifacio before marching to Mendiola. They lam-basted Benigno Aquino III's decision to relegate the issue of awage increase to the Regional Wage Boards which have nevergranted sufficient or significant wage hikes. The small wage hikesthey have approved have been quickly rendered useless in the faceof spikes in the prices of goods and services.

Similar mass actions were likewise held in various urban cen-ters throughout the country.

The KMU also assailed Malacaang for announcing that it

would merely be granting "nonwage benefits" from Pag-ibig andPhilHealth just to avoid raising the issue of a wage increase.On May 2, KMU members marched in front of the DOLE office

where the Regional Wage Board was conducting a hearing on apossible wage increase for Metro Manila. The RWB refused to facethe rallying workers and instead talked only with the yellow lead-

ers of the Trade Union Congress of the Philip-pines (TUCP). The TUCP was content with ask-ing for a mere `40-75 wage increase. In otherparts of the country, yellow unions petitionedfor a measly `13-25 wage hike.

The regime did not even bother to raise theissue of a `6,000 across-the-board salary hikedemanded by government employees.The KMU said the latest significant wage in-

crease took place way back in 1990. This real val-ue of this wage hike has been greatly eroded since

it was granted 20 years ago.

Shell, Exxon show rapidlygrowing profits in 2011

PROFITS of two giant oil compa-nies rose dramatically in thefirst quarter of 2011. The Amer-ican-owned Exxon registered a$10.5 billion profit or a whop-ping 69% hike in profits whilethe Dutch-owned Royal DutchShell saw $6.5 billion or a 41%rise in income. The two compa-nies' ballooning profits were dueto hikes in the price of crudeoil.

Meanwhile, Ibon Foundationreported that the three biggestoil companies in the Philippinesraked in `141.7 billion in prof-its. Ibon pointed out that thiswas bigger than the `114.3combined income of 2.36 mil-lion of the Philippines' poorestfamilies.

The prices of petroleum pro-ducts have been rising relent-

lessly in the past few months.Shell and its subsidiaries claimthat they will lose if they do notraise the prices of their pro-ducts. In fact, they and theirmother company have beenearning gargantuan profits.

Possible return of US military bases

opposed

THE revolutionary movement and democraticforces strongly opposed the possible reesta-blishment of US military bases in the Philip-pines.

The possibility loomed with the visit tothe Subic Naval Bay Port of American sena-tors Daniel Inouye and Thad Cochran onApril 26. There had been earlier news thatthe US was looking for an alternative loca-

tion in the face of recent disasters and grow-ing calls for the removal of their base in Oki-nawa, Japan.

Subic Naval Base was a former US militarybase. The US was forced to abandon it inSeptember 1991 after the Philippine Senatevoted against the treaty that would have ex-tended the US bases' stay in the country.

Unemployment in Spain worsens

SPAIN reported in May that its unemployment ratehad breached 21% this May. Almost five millionSpaniards have been jobless since the first quarterof the year. Thus, more and more of the Spanishpeople have been forced to look for temporary em-ployment or jobs in the "underground economy."

Spain is the fifth biggest economy in the Euro-pean Union (EU). Its situation is not far off fromthat of Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Ice-landcountries that the EU has had to rescue be-

fore their economies moved on to inexorable col-lapse. But unlike these countries, Spain will beneeding a much bigger rescue package in order tosalvage its economy.

On the whole, the average unemployment rate inthe entire Eurozone is 10%. This encompasses almost16 million Europeans. This situation has caused con-tinuing protests in various parts of Europe.

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NEWS

Bin Laden, Gaddafi's son killed in US operations

US Pres. Barack Obama an-nounced on May 1 the death ofOsama bin Laden, known to be

al-Qaeda's leader, in an inter-ventionist operation by US Spe-cial Forces inside Pakistan. USintelligence agents had pin-pointed his location in a man-sion in Abbotabad, a town nearthe Pakistani capital of Islama-bad. The US immediately senthelicopters to bomb the man-sion. Aside from BinL a d e n ,five oth-ers, in-cludinga wom-an werealso killed inthe attack.

A tfirst, theUS claimed

that Bin La-d-en hadb e e n

killed in a firefight. But afterquestions had been raisedabout this, the US later admit-

ted that Bin Laden was un-armed when he was shot. Afterthe assault on the mansion,helicopters bombarded thehouse to raze it to the ground.

The operation was undertak-en without the knowledge orpermission of the Pakistani

government.Al-Qaeda, which

Bin Laden had ledhas been accused bythe US of bombingthe World Trade Cen-ter in New York in

2001. The then Bush re-gime invoked the bombing to

attack and occupy Afghan-istan and Iraq in thenext few years. The USand its allies have

stepped up securitymeasures in anticipation of re-taliatory attacks by al-Qaeda

followers.Meanwhile, US allied forces

also killed Moammar Gaddafi's

son Saif al-Arab, 29 and histhree young grandchildren in abombing raid by NATO airplaneson Saif's house on April 30 sim-ply on the suspicion that Gad-dafi was in the house.

The death of civilians hasearned criticism, even fromthose who had initially sup-ported the bombings. As a re-sult, opposition has grownagainst attacks by the US andits allies on Libya. The US' crit-ics say that the US' use of ex-cessive force against the Gad-dafi family has resulted in thedeaths of innocent civiliansand must be stopped immedi-ately. The US and NATO havebeen conducting the bombingsdespite Gaddafi's call for a

ceasefire and negotiations withlocal forces whose rebellion hasbeen instigated by the US.

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