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ANGPahayagan ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas

Pinapatnubayan ng Marxismo-Leninismo-Maoismo

President Rodrigo Duterte recently expressed apprehension overthe possible break-out of armed confrontation between the USand China in the South China Sea (SCS). He claims, China is

"already in possession" of the sea and that US military drills are onlyprovoking counter-action. The Philippines will suffer in the event of sucha war in the area.

Duterte is washing his hands ofresponsibility for the rising tensionsin the SCS. The fact is he has a lot toanswer for in the state of affairs inthe SCS which arose partly becauseof his two-sided betrayal of Philip-pine national sovereignty allowingboth the US and China to militarizeor heighten their military presence inthe sea.

The Filipino people are sufferingfrom Duterte's spineless foreignpolicy and his refusal to uphold thecountry’s sovereignty on various is-sues. Duterte's betrayal is tan-tamount to selling off the Filipino

Duterte is putting thecountry in the middle of thebattle of imperialist giants

EDITORIAL

people's wealth and nationalfreedom, which furtherstrengthens imperialist power anddomination.

On the one hand, Duterte iscompletely selling out to China thecountry's wealth and rights in theSCS. In the past two years, he hasset aside Philippine sovereignty inthe Spratly islands when he actedmeek while China engaged in thereclamation of close to 1,300hectares of land on which it erec-ted various facilities. Severalthousand hectares of reefs and

AFP suffers 39casualtiesTHE ARMED FORCES of thePhilippines suffered not lessthan 39 casualties—23 killedand 16 wounded— from suc-cessful military actionslaunched by the New People’sArmy (NPA) in Bukidnon,Iloilo, Northern Samar andCamarines Sur this October.

Bukidnon. Successivearmed actions were mountedby the NPA-Bukidnon fromNovember 10 to 16, killing 13soldiers and wounding at least10 others.

On November 16, a unit ofthe NPA-Bukidnon ambushed65th IB troopers operating inthe boundary of the provinceand Pinilayan, Tagoloan 2,Lanao del Sur. Two enemyunits were slain in the incid-ent. The troopers were de-ployed as reinforcement tothe military elements alreadyoperating in the area.

"Imperialist giants...," continued on page 2

Engl ish Edition

Vol XLIX No. 22

November 21, 2018

www.phi l ippinerevolution. info

"39 casualties...," continued on page 4

November 21 , 2018 ANG BAYAN2

Issue XLIX No. 22 | November 21, 2018

ContentsANG

Editorial: Duterte is putting thecountry in the middle of the battle ofimperialist giants 1AFP suffers 39 casualties 1China accelerates econ colonization 3Xi Jinping protests 4NPA-Zamboanga foils AFP attacks 5Imelda, sentenced but remains free 5Building the Party in Regata 6International Students' Day 7Justice evades HLI victims 8NDFP consultant, arrested 8Terror and disinformation in Negros 9Fascist attacks in Cebu 9AFP vs Lumad school in Talaingod 10Maguindanao Massacre 10France protest 10The bias of corporate media 11Anti-worker capitalist media 11

fishing ground were ruined by theseconstruction.

Duterte set aside the 2016 Ar-bitral Tribunal decision which de-cided that the Spratly islands, theScarborough Shoals and otherareas of the SCS as part of thePhilippine exclusive economic zoneand extended continental shelf andrecognizes Philippine rights underthe UN Convention on the Law ofthe Seas. Duterte is inciting base-less fear that "the Philippines can-not afford to go to war with China"as if war is the only way to assertthe country's rights.

With Duterte's refusal to upholdsuch decision, China was given freerein to build its military bases in theSpratly islands to strengthen itsmilitary presence in the area againstthe US. Among others, China builtan airfield with a 10,000-foot run-way, ports and other facilities.Chinese coast guards continue tointerdict Filipino fisherfolk as if theyown the Philippine seas. HeightenedChinese military presence in the SCSaim to curb US military presence and

secure vast resources under the sea.In the face of all these, the ob-

sequious Duterte has acted like ameek lamb who knows no profanity.With complete servility, he recentlydeclared to China: "So you’re there,you’re in possession, you occupied it.Then tell us what route shall we takeand what kind of behavior."Duterte's servility is absolutely ob-scene. He has no sense of nationalintegrity.

Duterte's shameless servilityand submission to China has no oth-er aim but to plead for more loans tofund his ambitious Build, Build, Buildprogram. The visit by China Presid-ent Xi Jinping this November willserve as occasion to sign an agree-ment for "joint exploration" of thePhilippine seas, violating even the1987 constitution which reservessuch right to the State.

Similarly questionable is theChina-funded 2005 Joint MarineSeismic Undertaking (JMSU) whichsought to determine the wealth inmore than 142,886-square-kilometerof seas (almost half of the total Phil-ippine land mass). The study was

completed in 2007 but China has ex-clusively held on the results. Chinaestimates that the SCS holds as muchas $60 trillion worth of oil, naturalgas and other minerals. In the nameof "exploration," China hopes to de-termine whether it is commerciallyviable to mine these resources.

Just like how China dangled a$904 million loan package in 2004for Arroyo in exchange for theJMSU, China is now dangling severalbillion dollars of loans for Duterteincluding funds for rail projects,roads and others to have the "jointexploration" agreement whichChina wants to be presumed on itssovereignty claims. In exchange forthese few billion dollars of loans,Duterte wants to give China notonly trillions of dollars worth of re-sources, but the country's sover-eignty as well. With Duterte's ap-petite for high-interest China loans,the Philippines is bound to be adebt-slave.

On the other hand, Duterte isalso shameless for his subservienceto the US imperialists. He has cas-tigated the SCS naval exercises ofthe US for risking an armed con-frontation with China, but has al-lowed the US’ full military use of thecountry's ports for US warships.The Philippines serves as a base ofthe US for mounting so-called"freedom of navigation operations"to supposedly secure trade routesbut in fact ensure only US presenceand power in the SCS.

At any time, the US militarycan use Philippine airports andother facilities to stockpile warmateriél and for rest and recre-ation of American troops.

Under Duterte, the number ofjoint exercises and war gamesmounted by the US military is in-creasing.

Duterte's proclamation that hewould not allow stockpiling ofweapons in Palawan is meaning-less. In fact, the US has long beenusing the Ulungan naval base whichit expanded in 2014 to be used asAng Bayan is publ ished fortnightly by the Central Committee

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"Imperialist giants...," continued on page 3

"Imperialist giants...," from page 1

ANG BAYAN November 21 , 2018 3

port and storage under EDCA. It hasconstructed a series of radars alongthe Palawan stretch to spy on thePhilippine seas. In the name of pre-positioning "humanitarian and dis-aster response," the US set up facil-ities in Pampanga to be used by itsmilitary. It is building military facil-ities in no less than five AFP campsacross the country.

The US continues to fortify itsdomination in the Philippines bystrengthening its control of the AFP.According to the US, it has 200-300military advisers to the AFP who arepermanently stationed in the Philip-pines. They provide trainings anddirect some AFP operations. The UScontinues to provide military aid tothe AFP, including drones, heli-copters, guns, bullets and otherweapons used in armed suppressionunder Oplan Kapayapaan.

The US continues to pour fundsto Marawi to strengthen its presencein Mindanao. On its prodding,Duterte declared the CPP and NPAas "terrorists" to give the US pretextfor establishing its Operation PacificEagle-Philippines (OPE-P) as a US"anti-terrorist operation" which is

China accelerates economiccolonization of the Philippines*

China aims to overwhelm the Philippine economy with its excess capital,make it dependent on Chinese loans and grants, impose neoliberal eco-

nomic policies, plunder and exploit the country's labor and natural resources,control the key aspects of the economy, and lock the Philippines in a perennialstate of exporting cheap and low value-added raw and semi-processed goodsand importing capital goods and consumer commodities.

Having been at the center of theimperialist global value chain, Chinahas long become the top destinationof Philippine exports of raw materi-als and semi-manufactures and hasbecome the primary source of thecountry's imports.

Over the past two years, Chinahas moved more quickly to furtherstrengthen its economic presence inthe country. Its official development

assistance has shot up to $63.5 mil-lion last year from $1.5 million in2016. Foreign direct investments(FDI) from China grew at a fasterrate reaching $1.043 billion in thefirst two years under Duterte, closeto 85% of its total FDI over six yearsunder the previous Aquino regime($1.231 billion) and more than that($825 million) under Arroyo's nine-year reign.

China seeks to accelerate itseconomic domination of the Philip-pines by investing in large infra-structure projects in order to mo-bilize its idle capital and provide amarket for its surplus steel and ce-ment. It has enticed Duterte withpromises to spend $15 billion indams, roads, bridges, sea ports andrailway projects and provide loansof up to $9 billion in the next fewyears.

These promises of fund infusion,however, remain largely unfulfilled.But bureaucrat capitalists aredrooling over the potential kick-backs to be pocketed in the form of

now used as platform for US inter-vention in the country. By extend-ing martial law in Mindanao, US ini-tiative is also strengthened throughthe AFP's imposition of absolutepower.

The US has long used the Phil-ippines as an instrument for its he-gemony. It has used the country asbase for its wars in Korea, Vietnam,Iran, Afghanistan and other coun-tries. Because of this, it is also al-ways a target of US rivals and en-emies since the 1930s.

Under Duterte, the US continuesto use the Philippines for its militarystrategy. It is now using the countryas a base to contain the rise ofChina's military power, project powerand maintain permanent militarypresence in the South China Sea tosecure control of the trade routes.

The country remains withoutnational sovereignty and economicfreedom under Duterte. It remainsto be a semicolony of US imperial-ism which continues to be the dom-inant political and military power inthe country. Duterte's declarationof an "independent foreign policy"is hollow.

In the face of the worsening

crisis of the global capitalist systemand rising China challenge to USpower, the Philippines is a tool andtarget of both imperialist powers.Because of Duterte's servility to theUS and China, sooner or later, thecountry will be caught between thebattle of two imperialist giants.

This can only be avoided if thewhole Filipino people will firmly as-sert national sovereignty and vigor-ously advance the policy of peaceand non-alignment. The people mustassert the country's sovereignty inthe SCS and demand its demilitariz-ation, calling for both the dismant-ling of Chinese military bases andthe withdrawal of all US warships inthe Philippine territorial seas.

In line with this, the peoplemust assert economic sovereignty,through genuine land reform andnational industrialization. Uphold-ing national sovereignty can be ef-fectively carried out only if thecountry has economic freedom andcan stand on its own two feet; onthe other hand, economic freedomcan only be achieved if there is na-tional freedom to determine thecountry's destiny in accordancewith the people's interests.

"Imperialist giants...," from page 2


Earlier, on November 12, thefascist troopers were hit twice inarmed actions launched by the Redfighters in the said barrio. Threewere slain and four wounded. OnNovember 11, they conducted acounter-offensive against elementsof the same unit who attempted toraid their camp, killing three sol-diers and wounding four others. ARed fighter was martyred duringthe encounter.

Meanwhile, a unit of the NPA-Bukidnon harassed operatingtroopers of the 8th IB in BarangayBulonay, Impasug-ong on Novem-ber 10 at 4 p.m. The troopers havebeen operating in the area for morethan a week already, causing dis-tress among residents and disrup-tion of their livelihood.

Panay. The NPA-SouthernPanay (Napoleon Tumagtang Com-mand) attacked a patrol base of the61st IB and 33rd Division Recon-aissance Company in Barangay Ig-

Groups meet Xi Jinping

with protests

GROUPS LED BY the PilipinongNagkakaisa para sa Soberanya(P1NAS), Bagong AlyansangMakabayan and Anakbayan met XiJinping’s arrival in the Philippineslast November 20 with protests.

P1NAS trooped to the Chineseconsulate in Makati to demandChina’s withdrawal from the WestPhilippine Sea where it has conduc-ted reclamation and constructedvarious military infrastructures. Thegroup said that no amount of loancan make its illegal occupation ac-ceptable to the Filipino people.

Joining the rally were membersof Dumagat communities fromSouthern Tagalog which face threatsof flooding with the impending con-struction of the China-funded Kali-wa Dam in Sierra Madre and Zam-bales fisherfolk who continue to beadversely affected by the Chinesecoast guard’s occupation and con-trol of the Scarborough Shoal.

*From the CPP statement "Resist China efforts to impose imperialistpower on the Philippines," November 20, 2018.

so-called "finder's fees." The bigbourgeois compradors andDuterte dummy capitalistseagerly await the partnershipwith Chinese corporations tomake large profits in state-guar-anteed projects.

Perpetuation of Philippineeconomic backwardness

By applying the same methodof economic colonialism on thePhilippines, China will merelyperpetuate the backward, agrari-an and non-industrial characterof the Philippine economy whichhas long been dominated by theUS and Japan monopoly-capital-ists. Philippine addiction to Chinaloans will make it a debt slave ofChina, in addition to being de-pendent on loans and grants fromIMF-WB, the ADB, the Japan Ex-Im Bank and other creditors.

Up to the present, the Philip-

pines remains a semicolony andmilitary stronghold of the US im-perialists, with which China isnow locked in an intensifyingtrade war and challenging USeconomic, political and militarydomination.

Although fast catching up,China still trails behind the USand Japan in terms of invest-ments and loans to the Philip-pines. In the field of portfolioinvestments or infusion into thePhilippine stock market and oth-er financial instruments, the USremains the top source of capitalwith 43% share compared toChina's share of 6%.

Economic policies, such asthe imposition of the TRAIN law,continue to be influencedprimarily by the IMF, US-con-trolled credit rating agenciesand such groups as the Partner-ship for Growth.

"39 casualties...," from page 2 cabugao, Igbaras, Iloilo lastNovember 12.

Initial reports indicate thatfour soldiers were killed. To saveface, the troopers peddled a liethat a car and not their base washit in the offensive. They also ar-rested a farmer and accused him asan NPA sympathizer. After a day,the troopers were compelled to re-lease the victim after failing topresent any evidence against him

Since 2015, troopers of thetactical patrol base serve as mer-cenaries of Century Peak, a com-pany operating a mini-hydro plantin the area. Residents of Igc-abugao, Passi and other neighbor-ing barrios are opposing the plan ofthe company to conduct mining op-erations.

In a related news, the NPA-Southern Panay offered a Red sa-lute to Casimiro (Ka Boy) na whowas martyred during the offensivein Igcabugao. He is a resident ofBarangay Buloc, Tubungan, Iloilo.

Northern Samar. Five soldierswere slain while many others werewounded in the harassment opera-tion launched by the NPA-NorthernSamar (Rodante Urtal Command)against operating troopers of the43rd IB in Barangay Cag-amesarog, Lope de Vega onNovember 6.

In retaliation, more than 100fascist soldiers scoured the areaand sowed disinformation to be-little the victory of the NPA.

Camarines Sur. The NPA-Bicol(Romulo Jallores Regional OperationsCommand) applauded the successfulambush by Red fighters under theNorben Gruta Command in Sitio Pa-tag, Barangay Mambulo Nuevo, Lib-manan last November 17 at 4:30 p.m.

Six police officers who aremembers of the Task Force Bic-olandia were wounded during theattack. The said task force was es-tablished to “decimate” the armedrevolutionary movement in the re-gion.


dictatorial regime’s victims promptlymounted successive protest actionsto condemn the disinterestedness ofthe Duterte regime to convict Mar-cos. Carrying placards with the call“Imelda, Iselda!” (“ImprisonImelda!”), members and supportersof the Campaign Against the Returnof the Marcoses and Martial Lawstaged a protest last November 12 infront of the Sandiganbayan.

On November 14, similar protestactions were mounted by martial lawvictims from North Luzon and by stu-dent activists in UP Dilman, Uni-versity of Sto. Tomas, Far EasternUniversity and De La Salle University.

Earlier, on November 9, the UPDiliman community lighted a bonfirein celebration of the issuance of theruling.

Corresponsal from West Mindanao

NPA-Zamboanga foils AFP attacks

Amid relentless attacks of the fascist troops and local spies of the US-Duterte regime, the New People’s Army (NPA) and its mass base in the

Zamboanga Peninsula remain steadfast and are steadily fighting back. Amongthe victories won by the NPA in the last six months (May-September 2018) areas follows:

Last May, the 42nd IB attemp-ted to conduct extensive military op-erations in Zamboanga del Nortepurportedly to decimate the NPA inthe area. But even before they couldhit any NPA unit, comrades werealready able to score an attritive op-eration against them on May 18. AnNPA unit blasted a truck of the en-emy unit killing seven and woundingthree troopers on board. The truckwas also completely destroyed. Theincident took place just a kilometeraway from Kalawit town where thebattalion headquarters is located.

On May 30, in an NPA check-point in Sitio Tanggupon, BarangayMauswagon in Godod town, the Redfighters captured two police officersand seized three M16 rifles, one9mm pistol, thirteen magazines andlive ammunition from them.

The captives were treated with

respect and were immediately re-leased. After the incident, one of thepolice officers commented that hewas wrong to think all along that Redfighters of the NPA are crooks.

On July 27, elements of the 42ndIB and CAFGU failed in their attemptto raid an NPA unit resting in theforest areas of Sitio Kulasian,Barangay Kulalian, Kalawit. The Redfighters foresaw the plan of the en-emy and were able to mount an ef-fective defense plan. After a 30-minute running gunbattle, the sol-diers withdrew carrying theircasualties which included sevenkilled and one wounded troopers.

The NPA scored another victoryagainst operating troopers of the67th IB in an encounter last August23 in Barangay Delokot in Gododtown.

Fascist troopers from the 97th

IB, recently de-ployed in the area,had been scouring theforested boundaries ofGodod and Kabasalan townsintending to start their operationswith a bang. By the early morning ofAugust 23, they attempted to raid anNPA camp in the area. The Redfighters, however, had been alertedand were able to fire at and blast themaneuvering enemy troopers.

When the attackers took over theabandoned camp, they were still de-liriously mad and spent thousands ofammunition rounds firing aimlessly atopen air, silent trees and empty hill-sides. While Red fighters were able towithdraw with no casualties, five en-emy troopers were confirmed killedwhile three others were injured in-cluding a CAFGU combatant.

An army officer lamely admittedby saying, “The NPAs were just luckythat time. They occupied superiorground, fired their guns first whilewe were still trying to gain a morefavorable position.”

Imelda, sentenced guilty but remains free

THE SANDIGANBAYAN FOUND Imelda Marcos, wife of the late dictatorFerdinand Marcos, guilty of seven counts of graft and corruption in a ruling is-sued last November 9. Despite this, she was not arrested and was even allowedto post a bail bond of P150,000.

The decision by the Sandigan-bayan is a ruling over the ten casesfiled against the Marcoses onDecember 1991. The cases involvethe Marcos couple’s hidden wealthdeposited in their private bank ac-counts in Switzerland and Imelda’sabuse of power.

Marcos was sentenced to sixyears and a month up to eleven yearsin prison for each case she was foundguilty of or a total of 42 and sevenmonths up to 77 years. The ruling alsoprohibits her from running for any po-sition in the reactionary government.

The Party welcomed the rulingagainst Marcos but said that it

already came “too late.” This ad-dresses the demand of the Filipinopeople to penalize the Marcoses overtheir crimes against the nation. Thecase was, however, queued for 30years in the reactionary court, al-lowing Imelda Marcos to evade im-prisonment. Now, at the age of 89,she is left with only a few years toserve her sentence, if she is indeed tobe imprisoned.

In previous years, all reactionaryregimes failed to address the demandof the Filipino for swift justice andeven allowed the Marcoses to re-habilitate themselves.

Various organizations and the


Building the Party in RegataThis article is a contribution by Party members from the youth sectorto Ang Bayan's (AB) series featuring outstanding experiences onParty branch building in various fields of revolutionary work. AB'seditors encourage all Party committees to contribute to this series bysubmitting their featured stories.

Regata is a university in the national capital with a large student populationand broad influence. It is also among the universities where the Commun-

ist Party of the Philippines (CPP) is deeply rooted and where it has actively ledthe campaign and worked to forge a broad unity against the tyranny of dictat-or-wannabe Rodrigo Duterte.

On top of skyrocketing tuitionand other school fees which increaseannually, students are also burdenedwith the university’s oppressive anti-democratic policies. Organizing inthis university is a rigorous task be-cause of stringent policies on the re-cognition and operation of organiza-tions. A Party group has long beenoperating in the university but has,however, experienced problems withexpansion and consolidation.

Change, indeed, came in the uni-versity when Duterte became pres-ident and started his campaign ofsuppression which has killed thou-sands and plagued the lives of mil-lions of Filipinos. A broad unityamong students was graduallyforged within the university whichresulted in successive campaignsagainst Duterte’s “wars”--his “waron drugs”, the “war on terror” whichhe used as a pretext to impose mar-tial law in Mindanao and his “all-outwar” against progressive forces.

This unity has served as aspringboard for the Party’s expan-sion and consolidation work inRegata. Starting with the broad anti-fascist sentiment within the uni-versity, the Party strove to rousestudents to tread the path of the na-tional democratic struggle by edu-cating them on broader issues andproblems that confront the Filipinomasses.

Striking deep rootsDespite the relative smallness of

its initial machinery, Regata stroveto expand in strategic colleges and

was gradually able to spearheadmass struggles within the entire uni-versity. A major factor contributingto this achievement is the determin-ation of the students themselves tostand up for their democratic rightsand to get involved with national is-sues that affect them and thepeople. Advanced elements eventu-ally emerged from their ranks andserved as seedlings for the Party’sfurther growth and consolidationwithin the university.

Party organizers in Regataseized every issue and mass struggleto educate, organize and rouse thestudent masses to action. Every op-portunity is used for recruitment andpromotion of the revolutionary ana-lysis of the Philippine society and thenational democratic alternative. Re-cruitment is carried out at theclassroom level.

Ka Mina was among those whowere recruited during the course of anational campaign. She was politic-ally roused after attending a filmshowing depicting the fascist attacksof the state on various democraticsectors. Afterwards, she was invitedto further discussions wherein sheactively studied various local andnational issues.

She was then given specific or-ganizational and political tasks.Eventually, she was recruited intothe Party and became one of thecadres responsible for building theParty in Regata.

The interplay of expansion andprompt consolidation was key to thefast development of local cadres. To

reach the broadest number of stu-dents, Party members delved intotheir ranks. The interplay of thestudents’ initiative and firm politicalguidance enabled them to lead thesector’s struggles.

Party members carry on withorganizing work even during theirvacation. Semestral breaks allowthem to integrate, organize andteach in urban poor communities.The experience helps shape and firmup the perspective of students fordeployment to other sectors.

The prompt delegation of par-ticular and concrete organizationaltasks to new members is an effectivekey to recruiting new cadres who willeventually lead the university-widemass base that is being established.

Party branches were formed invarious colleges within a short spanof time. Simultaneously, the numberof full-time cadres grew. They tookon the responsibility of leading theuniversity-wide operations of theParty.

Education campaignAlong with ensuring political

leadership and organizationalexpansion, the revolutionary

forces in Regata are alsoresponsible of raising thepolitical consciousness ofthe studentry throughconstant education. Edu-cation on local and nationalissues are broadly conduc-ted in the form of discus-sion groups and studycircles. Formal courses on


dictatorial regime’s victims promptlymounted successive protest actionsto condemn the disinterestedness ofthe Duterte regime to convict Mar-cos. Carrying placards with the call“Imelda, Iselda!” (“ImprisonImelda!”), members and supportersof the Campaign Against the Returnof the Marcoses and Martial Lawstaged a protest last November 12 infront of the Sandiganbayan.

On November 14, similar protestactions were mounted by martial lawvictims from North Luzon and by stu-dent activists in UP Dilman, Uni-versity of Sto. Tomas, Far EasternUniversity and De La Salle University.

Earlier, on November 9, the UPDiliman community lighted a bonfirein celebration of the issuance of theruling.

Marxism-Leninism-Maoism arepromptly conducted to ensurethe students’ ideological devel-opment. The comrades ensurethat all Party members are ableto study the Basic Party Course(BPC) and regularly study otherParty documents. They are alsostriving to ensure that BPCgraduates are able to immedi-ately take up the IntermediateParty Course.

The vigorous educationcampaign in Regata is consideredas the comrades’ most effectivetool for consolidation and raisingthe commitment of Party cadres.After such in-depth studies ontheory and practice, most of themembers are often convinced toserve full-time.

To Ka Mina, such studiesfirmed up her decision to visit aguerrilla front and eventuallyjoin the New People’s Army. It isclear to her and other young re-volutionaries that the youth hasan important role in advancingthe revolutionary movement inurban areas and the armedstruggle in the countryside.

The congruous interplay ofproper political leadership andthe cadres’ eagerness to raise thepolitical consciousness of thelocal Party’s general membershipand of the studentry has enabledthe Party in Regata to overcomethe problems which hindered itsdevelopment in the past. Itdropped various unnecessary re-quisites for recruitment of newmembers and strategically or-ganized local chapters ofKabataang Makabayan in everycollege where the greatest num-ber of students are concentrated.

Lessons from organizing theParty in Regata are celebratedby the whole sector as it anti-cipates the 50th year an-niversary of the Party. The sec-tor recognizes the challenge tothe youth to go the countrysideand contribute to advancing thearmed revolution.

International Students’ Day commemoration

VARIOUS YOUTH GROUPS attended the National Students’ Rights Summit 2018 inthe office of the Commission on Human Rights in Quezon City on November 17 inconjunction with the commemoration of the 79th International Students’ Day (ISD).The said activity was spearheaded by Rise for Education, Kabataan Partylist atYouth Act Now Against Tyranny (YANAT) and was participated by nearly 200 stu-dent leaders from 55 universities and schools.

Meanwhile, progressive student youth groups mounted successive protest ac-tions across the country. Simultaneous protests were conducted last November 16in Baguio by members of YANAT-Baguio-Benguet; in the Polytechnic University ofthe Philippines by students and workers who slammed the proposed budget cut inthe university; in the Bulacan State University by students who opposed variousmaneuvers being implemented by the school administration to deny students theirright to free education; and in Cebu by members of Anakbayan who demanded toscrap the neoliberal K-12 program.

Students of the University of the Philippines (UP) Manila also protested onNovember 15 to condemn the presence of police and military elements in the campuswho conducted a forum where they maliciously tagged progressive students and or-ganizations as members of the armed revolutionary movement. Students of UP LosBaños also condemned the university’s stringent enrollment system.

Students, employees, teachers, drivers and vendors also protested in UP Dilimanon November 9 to demand the junking of the Master Development Plan and otherprivatization and commercialization schemes being implemented by the university ad-ministration.

In a related news, students, teachers and employees condemned the SupremeCourt ruling issued this November declaring the K-12 program “constitutional.” Theruling simultaneously revoked the temporary restraining order on CHED Memor-andum Order 20, a legal action against the removal of Filipino and Literature as keysubjects in college. Students of the College and Letters in UP Diliman mounted aprotest on November 13 to condemn the said ruling.

Women strike back at SM’s “endo” scheme

GABRIELA AND KILUSAN ng Manggagawang Kababaihan mounted a picket-rallyin front of SM Manila to condemn the widespread implementation of “endo” (end-of-contract) in the company.

They called for an inquiry on the consignment scheme implemented by the SMRetail Inc. to circumvent its legal obligations to workers. Under this scheme, SMhires contractual workers, but passes the burden of paying salary and benefit tothird-party agencies called consigners. A similar protest was simultaneously con-ducted in front of SM Cebu by GABRIELA-Cebu.

Last November 13, Workers of SMT-Philippines from Laguna trooped to theheadquarters of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Intramuros,Manila. They conducted a noise barrage to condemn DOLE’s inaction in the face ofthe illegal lockout and food blockade in the company.

Members of the Nexperia Inc. Workers Union NAFLU-KMU conducted a similarprotest in Laguna last November 17 to demand the scrapping of the scheme re-quiring them to explain absentism even during holidays. This was used by themanagement to dismiss union officers from the company in 2014.

Meanwhile, the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY) conducted aprotest along Agham Road on November 18 to oppose the continuing price hikesand call for the scrapping junk the regime’s TRAIN law. The group said that work-ers’ wages have remained extremely low in the face of incessant increases in theprices of basic commodities. It also condemned the demolition threat against urb-an poor communities to pave the way for the construction of business and corpor-ate establishments.


Justice evades Hacienda Luisita Massacre victims

State forces illegally arrest NDFP consultant and two others

ELEMENTS OF THE police and military illegally arrested National DemocraticFront of the Philippines (NDFP) consultant Vicente Ladlad along with Albertoand Virginia Villamor last November 8 at midnight in Doña Tomasa, San Barto-lome, Novaliches, Quezon City.

Mass in commemoration of Le-onard Co. A mass in remembranceof environmentalists Leonard Co,Sofronio Cortez and Julius Borromeowas held last November 15 at DitaTree, EDC Arboretom, Institute ofBiology, UP Diliman. The three weremurdered by 19th IB elements inKananga, Leyte eight years ago. Theprogram was spearheaded by Ad-vocates of Science and Technologyfor the People (AGHAM). Candleswere lit by supporters to demandjustice for the victims.

Third martial law extension.In conjunction with the commem-oration of the Children’s Day lastNovember 20 at the Sunken Gardenin UP Diliman, the Save Our SchoolsNetwork and Lumad youth con-demned the threats of the Philip-pine National Police and ArmedForces of the Philippines to pursuewith the third extension of martiallaw in Mindanao.

Students from the University ofSanto Tomas and UP Diliman parti-cipated in the protest to oppose thethreat which they said will furtherintensify violence in Lumad schoolsand across the whole island.

PEASANTS COMMEMORATED THE 14th year of the Hacienda Luisita Mas-sacre last Novemeber 16 and condemned the continuing suppression and at-tacks against their ranks.

The sacadas (sugarfield workers)along with members of progressive or-ganizations held a mass at the CentralAzucarera de Tarlac Gate 1 beforemarching towards the Northern LuzonCommand to denounce the presenceof a military detachment in thehacienda. They culminated the com-memoration with a program at theTarlac City Downtown Public Market.

In solidarity with the sacadas,progressive groups also launched acultural night in Plaza Miranda,Angeles City on November 15.

In Metro Manila, the KilusangMagbubukid ng Pilipinas spear-headed a protest action at the Men-diola Arch on November 16 to de-mand justice for the victims of theHacienda Luisita Massacre and therecent massacre in Sagay City.

On the same day, members ofthe Peasant and Church People’sMovement of Cavite stood in solid-arity with the farmers of LupangRamos and Kapdula in Dasmariñas,Cavite to defend their bungkalan(collective land cultivation). Thefarmers and their supporters held a

mass and built a human chain infront of the gate of Lupang Kapdula,Barangay Sampaloc II.

The farmers who have long beenconducting bungkalan activities inthe said areas are now subjected toconstant harassment and threats bylandlord Rudy Herrera’s goons.

Yolanda survivors storm Tac-loban. The People Surge alliancespearheaded the protest action ofnearly 5,000 Yolanda survivors whooccupied the whole downtown areaof Tacloban City last November 8.They condemned the government'scriminal neglect over the victims.

The alliance demanded that theAquino and Duterte regime be heldaccountable for their failure topromptly provide aid and address thedemands of the disaster victims. Re-lief and cash assistance are yet to bedistributed to the victims while thereremains no support for the agricul-tural sector. They also condemnedthe substandard housing units thatwere given them and the intensifyingmilitarization of their communities.

The police planted with AK-47rifles, grenades and subversive doc-uments to make it appear that theywere combatants despite their ageand sickly condition. Ladlad, 69, hasa lung (emphysema) and heart com-plication, Alberto Villamor has dia-betes and Virginia Villamor has apelvic fracture. The three werecharged with illegal possession offirearms and explosives.

The victims were initially de-tained in Camp Karingal in QuezonCity. Ladlad’s was then moved tovarious detention cells which ag-

gravated his complications.The NDFP vehemently con-

demned Ladlad’s arrest, a member ofthe Reciprocal Working Committee onPolitical and Constitutional Reforms.He is the third NDFP consultant tohave been illegally arrested under theDuterte regime, which blatantly viol-ates the GRP-NDFP Joint Agreementon Safety and Immunity Guarantees.Jose Maria Sison, chief political con-sultant of the NDFP said that, “it isobvious that Duterte is leaving nospace for the possible resumption ofpeace negotiations in order to scape-

goat the CPP, NPA and NDFP as “ter-rorist organizations” and give him thepretext to establish a fascist dictat-orship through martial law his bogusfederalism.

Meanwhile, Fidel Agcaoili, LuisJalandoni and Coni Ledesma canceledon November 19 their plan to visit thecountry for the supposed informalnegotiations on the possible resump-tion of peace talks. This cancellationcame after Duterte’s threat that hewill have them arrested upon theirarrival. Later on, it was discovered bylawyers of the NDFP that the ManilaTrial Court has already issued an ar-rest warrant for Jalandoni andLedesma in connection with the pro-scription case filed by the regimewhich declares them as “terrorists."


Fascist suppression and attacks intensify in CebuTHE FASCISTS ATTACKS of the US-Duterte regime against progressiveforces in Cebu are unrelenting. Cases involving a violent dispersal of a campand the arrest of workers who constructed it, sexual harassment of a femaleparalegal, demolition of hundreds of houses, and Red-tagging of youth activ-ists have been reported in just a span of four days.

Dispersal in Coca-Cola. Policeofficers and goons violently demol-ished the camp of Alsa KontraktwalCebu and Coalition of All Coca-ColaWorkers (CACCWO) in front of theCoca-Cola FEMSA plant in MandaueCity on November 16 at around 7p.m.

After the dispersal, three work-ers were illegally arrested and de-tained in Subangdaku Police Sta-tion. The arrested were identified asOscar Villarino, vice chairperson ofAlsa Kontraktwal-Coca-ColaChapter, Gerome Villarino and Vin-cent Juarez. They installed thecamp to demand the reinstatementof 40 dismissed workers and opposewidespread contractualization inthe company.

The next day, a police officersexually harassed a femaleparalegal who was providing legal

assistance to the arrested workers.The police officer coerced her toleave but she resisted. Con-sequently, the officer harassed hersaying, “You shut up! Otherwise, I’llmake you my mistress!”

Demolition in Mandaue. OnNovember 14 in the morning, stateagents demolished the houses ofmore than 550 families near theabandoned Cebu InternationalConvention Center in Mandaue Cityto pave the way for the constructionof a hotel-casino in the area. Policeofficers were deployed in the com-munity to prevent the residents’resistance. They also accused theresidents as members of the NPA.

The residents whose houseswere demolished have been tem-porarily settling in the area aftertheir houses in Barangay Guizo andMantuyong were razed by fire on

AFP sows terror and disinformation in Negros

After the massacre in Sagay, the 303rd IBde of the Armed Forces of thePhilippines (AFP) now aims to sow terror by focusing its military opera-

tions in the communities of Escalante City where farmers are actively mobil-izing and struggling for their right to land.

On November 16 at around 4a.m., more than 100 soldiers andparamilitary elements occupied Si-tio Puting Bato and Pangahuyan inBarangay Washington, and Cogonand Lawes in Barangay Alimango,Escalante City, Negros Occidental.Several households, particularlythat of Elena Yap, a member ofPAMALAKAYA and Gabriela-Negros, were surrounded by thetroopers.

Checkpoints were mounted inPuting Bato and Tubigon, deprivingresidents of their freedom of move-ment. Church people and membersof cause-oriented groups who were

supposed to deliver humanitarianaid were blocked in the said checkpoints and were barred from enter-ing the community. Members of themedia were also prohibited fromentering and reporting about theongoing military occupation.

The troopers sowed disinform-ation to justify their encampment inthe villages. First, they absurdlyclaimed “sightings” of Abu Sayyafrebels in Puting Bato. They alsoclaimed that an encounter betweenthe NPA and AFP took place in thesame barangay, a fictitious incidentwhich was promptly belied by theNPA-North Negros. The most pro-

voking story, made-up and peddledby the troopers, was that the sus-pects of the Sagay massacre arehiding in the village. The residentsfirmly confuted this lie. They test-ified that massacre survivors’ rel-atives are the ones who actuallyfled to the community for refuge.

In connection with this, har-assment against the supporters ofthe massacre victims continues. OnNovember 9, Clarizza Dagatan,secretary general of KARAPATAN-Negros, received death threats viatext message saying that she willbe the next to be killed. RoqueRillo of the National Federation ofSugar Workers, Noli Rosales ofKilusang Mayo Uno and ChristianTuayon of Bagong AlyansangMakabayan-Negros likewise re-ceived threat messages.

March 2016. Not every family wasallowed to return to their respect-ive barangays. On April 17, thelocal government conducted araffle to identify those who couldreturn. Up to the present, there isno clear relocation plan for theresidents.

“CPP’s minions.” LastNovember 17, alleged military ele-ments distributed flyers alongGorordo Avenue maliciously taggingprogressive youth leaders as “CPP’sminions” and “deceivers of theyouth. Printed on the flyers arephotographs and names of sixleaders of the local chapters ofAnakbayan, Kabataan Partylist andYouth Act Now Against Tyranny;and of three student leaders fromthe University of the Philippines-Cebu and University of San Carlos.

Anakbayan Cebu condemnedthe harassment against the youthleaders. The state is conducting a“Red-tagging” campaign to justifyits armed suppression of activists,human rights defenders and othercivilians.


Soldiers encamp in civilian structures in CamSur

MILITARY OPERATIONS ARE relentlessly conducted by elements of the 902nd IBde,9th IB, at 92nd Civil Military Company in barangays Villasocoro, Tanag, Calabnigan,Malinao and Odoc in Libmanan town, Camarines Sur. The troopers are spreadingpsywar to threaten the residents of the said barangays.

The troopers are currently occupying the schools, barangay halls and churches inthe communities. Residents are subjected to surveillance, harassment and interroga-tion, while some, particularly those who are accused as members of the NPA, are co-erced to surrender to purportedly “clear” their names. The residents believe that thesoldiers were behind the bombing of a chapel in Barangay Tanag last October 21.

Attempted killing of a NAMASUFA striker

TWO UNIDENTIFIED GUNMEN shot Jerry Alicante in front of his house in Purok 10,Osmeña, Compostela last November 11 at 8:20 p.m. The victim survived the slay tryand sustained two bullet wounds on his right arm. Alicante, a plantation worker ofSumitomo Fruit Corp., is an active member of Nagkahiusang Mamumuo sa SuyapaFarms (NAMASUFA) which mounted a strike on October 21. Along with other work-ers, he is actively campaigning for the regularization of contractuals and the recog-nition of the right of their union to collective bargaining.

NAMASUFA condemned the intensifying attacks against their ranks in theirprotest last November 16 outside the Davao Convention Center where the NationalBanana Congress was concurrently being held.

AFP pursues closure of Lumad school in Talaingod

THE 56TH IB and the ALAMARA paramilitary group continue to harass the com-munity of the campus of Salugpongan Ta’ Tanu Igkanugon Community LearningCenter, Inc. (STTICLCI) in Sitio Nasilaban, Barangay Palma Gil, Talaingod. Carryinghammers, four elements of Alamara forcibly entered the school compound andthreatened to destroy the campus last November 11. This compelled 35 students andthree volunteer teachers to immediately evacuate to Sitio Dulyan. Simultaneously,56th IB troopers coerced the tribal chieftains of Talaingod to sign a petition for theclosure of the campus. On November 13, they assembled and forced the residents toparticipate in a “protest” against Salugpungan.

In a related news, a member of MISFI Academy Parents-Teachers-CommunityAssociation was killed by suspected 19th IB and CAFGU elements in Kitaotao, Bukid-non last November 17 in the evening. The victim was identified as Esteban EmpongSr., 49, resident of Barangay `, Arakan, North Cotabato. The victim was shot deadwhile sleeping in his relatives’ house in Barangay Sagundanon. Earlier, Empong re-ceived threats from19th IB troopers who coerced him to surrender and accused himof being a member of the people’s army.

Maguindanao

Massacre

commemoration

FAMILIES AND MEMBERSof the media commemor-ated the ninth year an-niversary of theMaguindanao Massacre atSitio Masalay, Ampatuan,Maguindanao last Novem-ber 18.

The families held amass in the site of themassacre in remembranceof the victims. The parti-cipants called for the con-viction of the Ampatuanbrothers, the prime sus-pects in the 2009 carnagewherein 58 people werekilled, 32 of whom are me-dia workers.

In a related news, theNational Union of Journal-ists of the Philippines stoodagainst PNP’s blatant har-assment of media workers.On November 9, theylaunched a campaign whichthey dubbed as “Signagainst the Sign” to opposethe PNP’s scheme compel-ling media workers to be-come witnesses in anti-drug operations.

They said that signingthis scheme is tantamountto expressing support forthe PNP’s war on drugs.Journalists must only standfor the truth, they added.

283,000 march against rising fuel price in France

NEARLY 283,000 FRENCH citizens participated in morethan 2,000 coordinated protest-actions in France lastNovember 17 against the anti-people reforms imple-mented by their president, Emmanuel Macron.

The protesters voiced their anger over the continu-ous fuel price increases brought by Macron’s impositionof additional fuel taxes. Their call for Macron’s resigna-tion resonated across the country’s major roads.

Police officers blocked the protesters’ marches andviolently drove them back using tear gas. More than 220protesters were injured while 100 others arrested.

The action was dubbed as the “yellow vests move-ment,” because the protesters wore yellow vests that allFrench drivers must keep in their vehicles in case ofbreakdowns.

The citizens blockaded the major roads of variouscities, including Paris, the national capital of France, assign of their protest.

The protesters said that the blockade symbolizesthe isolation of the Marcon regime from the people andits disconnect to their day-to-day economic diffi-culties.


The bias of corporate media

Last October, the Committee to Protect Journalists, an international organ-ization, listed the Philippines as the third most violent country to journal-

ists. The country has held this position since 2010. Majority of the victims weremembers of regional or provincial media outfits who were killed due to theirexposés of corruption and other anomalies of those in power.

On one hand, this demonstratesthe courage and standpoint of thelocal and independent media in car-rying out their task of giving thepublic the correct information. Onthe other hand, it does not reflectthe character of the dominant mediain the Philippines which is controlledby big bourgeois compradors andtheir cohorts in politics.

In reality, the largest media insti-tutions in the country are controlledby a few families and biggest govern-ment officials for a long tine. Majorityof these institutions were created andoperated for big compradors to main-tain control over their other busi-nesses and for competition, raking inmore profits and promotion of theirown economic and political interests.This character and system is calledthe corporate media.

In the Philippines, the Lopez andGozon families, as well as ManuelPangilinan dominate the media. TheLopezes own ABS-CBN which has ra-dio, television and film subsidiaries.

They also own electrical, real estateand telecommunications companies.The Lopezes also have shares inmanufacturing, remittance and othermedia-related companies. Mean-while, the Gozons and Jimenezes whocontrol GMA7 (both radio and tele-vision) have shares in financial insti-tutions and real estate corporations.Ramon Ang of San Miguel Corpora-tion bought a stake in the industry in2017 when he bought the PhilippineDaily Inquirer, one of the country'smajor newspapers. Although hisstake are relatively small comparedto TV5/Interaksyon (television andonline news), Pangilinan exercisessubstantial influence on other mediaand telecommunications groups. Hebought shares in two of the mostwidely read newspapers in the coun-try—the PDI and Philippine Star bypartnering and using the funds ofAnthoni Salim, an Indonesian busi-nessman. The Pangilinan-Salim groupalso jointly control telecommunica-tions groups (Smart, Sun and PLDT)

Anti-worker capitalist media

CORPORATE MEDIA’S CAPITALIST interests are in full display in their treatment of their employees and coverage ofrecent struggle of Filipino workers. A striking example is the media's coverage of the consecutive protests by PLDTworkers after its management fired 8,000 contractuals last June. The massive lay-off took place despite a SupremeCourt order to regularize the said workers. This was the biggest lay-off this year.

and public utility companies such asMeralco and Maynilad. The group alsooperates the Manila North Tollwayand Cavitex, some of Luzon's primaryhighways.

Ownership of a media company is amajor factor on the quality and cred-ibility of its coverage. Ownership playsa deep and extensive role on the kindof content, type of stories, issues andnews a company (television, radio andprint) will highlight. News companiesand their owners are careful not toimpugn or compromise their own in-terests and that of their partners andadvertisers. (See related article below.)

To avoid this, media companiesoften center their coverage on com-mon crimes which they sensationalizeto catch the public's attention. Underthis system, journalists have theirhands tied as they are required tofollow the policy of protecting the in-terests of the companies’ bourgeois-comprador owners and their politicalallies.

Contractualization and job insec-urity is rampant among media work-ers. Most of them can be arbitrarilydismissed or their contracts discon-tinued when they insist on their viewsand stand for their rights.

Despite gaining mileage in social media, the workersand their supporters' protests did not make the news inPangilinan-Salim-controlled TV5. Coverage was also thinin ABS-CBN and GMA7, companies where contractualiza-tion is also rampant.

Though some newspapers and online sites reportedabout the lay-off and the #SavePLDTContractuals cam-paign, discussions on systematic contractualization by bigcompanies, including in the media, to shortchange the work-ers and deny them their rights, were either missing or insig-nificant. The media failed to put the PLDT workers' plight inthe context of extensive labor contractualization and job in-security. There was also no coverage on big companies'various maneuvers to skirt their legal obligations.

Other workers' struggles such as in Jollibee, Nutri-

Asia and Middleby also got little or no coverage.In the case of the violent demolition of NutriAsia

workers and supporters on July 31, ABS-CBN even used avideo captured by an independent group to slander theworkers. The network only started broadcasting the truthafter alternative groups showed more videos proving thatpolice attacked the striking workers and their supporterswithout provocation. The corporate media repeatedlysnubbed the workers’ and their supporters' accounts onthe dispersal and their protest.

Still in the case of Nutriasia, TV networks and news-papers even peddled a fake news about a "rallyist" whowas supposedly caught carrying a gun during the picket.In time, the said rallyist confessed that he was acting onorders of the police.

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