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CHAPTER 15

Partido Marxista-Leninista ng Pilipinas (Marxist-Leninist Party of the Philippines) and its Partisano (Partisans) Group (PMLP-Partisano)

Overview

The Partisano group of the Partido Marxista-Leninista ng Pilipinas (PMLP) is a

reincarnation of the Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB), the urban guerilla hit squad

that split from the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army

(CPP-NPA) in the 1990s.

Basic characteristics

Typology

The PMLP is a small urban guerilla group that claims to work for a ‘socialist

society of Filipino workers’.

Current status

The PMLP is apparently very small and with few incidents registered in the

media from 2004 to 2006. Most probably defunct since 2007.

Origins

The PMLP claims to be the ‘true’ incarnation of the Alex Boncayao Brigade

(ABB), the former urban guerilla hit squad of the Communist Party of the

Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), formed in 1985. The ABB killed

over 200 people in the late 1980s and early 1990s, mostly in Metro Manila

(George, 2004). It initially answered to the CPP’s Manila-Rizal Regional Party

Committee headed by Filemon ‘Ka Popoy’ Lagman, but in 1991 it broke away

Part Two Armed Group Profiles 307

from the CPP-NPA, which advocated a return to rural-based warfare (Parreño, 1997a, pp. 1, 5). In 1997, Nilo de la Cruz brought elements of the ABB into the fold of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas-Revolutionary Proletarian Army (RPM-P/RPA) (Parreño, 1997a; 1997b; Bayoran, 1998; Lacuarta, 2000). One ABB bloc refused to join de la Cruz and reportedly regrouped, form-ing the PMLP-National Capital Region (NCR, or Metro Manila). An RPMP report claims that many, if not all, in this bloc have since returned to it (RPMP, 2004).

Aims and ideology

The PMLP identifies itself as a socialist party of the working class.

Leadership

In 2004, ‘Mikhail Leongson’ claimed to be the group’s spokesperson. In 2005, ‘Garbriel Cordova’ signed a statement as spokesperson of the Partisano- Armadong Operatiba ng Partido Marxista-Leninista ng Pilipinas (Partisan-Armed Operative of the Marxist-Leninist Party of the Philippines) for the National Capital Region (Calalo, 2005).

SupportThe PMLP’s support comes from the urban poor and working class in Metro Manila.

Military activities Areas of operation, control, and activity

Metro Manila.

Strategy and tactics

Assassination of perceived ‘enemies of the people’. The group claimed responsibil-ity for killing a police superintendent in October 2004 on the grounds that he repressed the urban poor, suppressed protests, and killed leaders of mass organizations (Salaverria, 2004; Partisano, 2004).1 It also claimed responsibility for gunning down a Malabon City market administrator (Calalo, 2005). In

308 Primed and Purposeful

both cases, the Partisano operated in groups of four and five, all armed with guns, their faces uncovered. They conducted their attacks in the morning in front of many bystanders and distributed leaflets explaining their motives for the assassinations. In 2005, the group threatened to assassinate Arroyo and her Vice-President Noli de Castro for reportedly cheating in the 2004 elections, and to kill former election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano for allegedly assisting in the fraud (Inq7.net, 2005).

Collaboration and friction with other armed groups. The Partisano group of the PMLP has condemned the CPP led by Sison and Benito and Wilma Tiamzon as ‘Maoist trash’. The group claims it is the ‘true ABB’, as opposed to the ABB

aligned with the RPMP-RPA-ABB of Nilo de la Cruz and Carapali Lualhati, which is ‘fake’ (Partisano, 2004). De la Cruz dismisses the Partisano group, which he says is made up of just five armed individuals from the youth sector.

Small arms and light weaponsThe elements responsible for killing the police superintendent (see ‘Strategy and tactics’, above) were armed with an M16 rifle and .45 and 9 mm pistols.

Human security issues The group fired at a passenger bus wounding four civilians and comman-deered a civilian passenger vehicle during the operation against the police superintendent.

OutlookThe group did not make its presence felt in 2006 or 2007, beyond painting anti-Arroyo and anti-US slogans on fences in Metro Manila.

Endnotes1 There was some initial confusion as to which group claimed the killing, with an earlier media

report attributing it to the MLPP-RHB. See ABS-CBN.com (2004).

Part Two Armed Group Profiles 309

BibliographyABS-CBN.com. 2004. ‘Leftist Group Owns Up Killing of WPD Cop.’19 October.

Bayoran, Gilbert. 1998. ‘RPA-ABB Marks Tie-up.’ Today (Manila). 13 March.

Calalo, Arlie. 2005. ‘Urban Hit Squad Claims Malabon Ambush.’ Manila Standard. 4 February.

<http://www.manilastandardonline.com/mnlastd?page=police04_feb08_2005>

George, Andrew. 2004. ‘In the Spotlight: Alex Boncaya Brigade (ABB).’ Center for Defense Infor-

mation, Washington, DC. 6 February.

<http://www.cdi.org/program/document.cfm?DocumentID=2052&from_page=./index.cfm>

Inq7.net. 2005. ‘Urban Hit Squad nagbanta laban kay Arroyo.’ 17 July.

<http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=15353>

Lacuarta, Gerald G. 2000. ‘ABB Denies Part in Peace Talks.’ Philippine Daily Inquirer (Manila).

27 May, pp. 19–20.

Parreño, Earl. 1997a. ‘ABB Rift Led to Abadilla Slay.’ Manila Times. 19 March, pp. 1, 5.

_____. 1997b. ‘What Will Happen to Popoy Now?’ Manila Times. 20 March, pp. 1, 5.

Partisano. 2004. ‘Ikinatutuwa Ng Mamamayan Ang Pagkapaslang Kay Martinez’ (People rejoice

over the killing of Martinez). 18 October.

<http://manila.indymedia.org/index.php?action=newswire&parentview=1712>

RPMP. 2004. Gawain sa Armadong Pakikibaka, Ulat Para Sa Ikalawang Kongreso Ng RPMP-P (Tasks in

the Armed Struggle, Report for the Second Congress of the RPM-P). January.

Salaverria, Leila. 2004. ‘Manila Police Colonel Shot Dead in Ambush.’ Philippine Daily Inquirer

(Manila). 19 October, p. A1.