The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has just made official its policy of adding another dimension to its counter-revolutionary war under the mantle of the Arroyo regime’s Enhanced National Internal Security Plan notoriously known as Oplan Bantay Laya II or OBL II. Shortly after Gen. Victor Ibrado hinted about “adding new parameters” to its “counter-insurgency” program — citing the difficulties encountered in achieving its mid-2010 goals — the AFP’s black propaganda machinery took off with its rehashed vilification campaign against leaders of the revolutionary movement.
The new dimension Gen. Ibrado was talking about, it came to pass, was directly concocted out of the latest showbiz scandal that has since pre-occupied the national mass media. Taking cue from his higher ups, Col. Daniel Lucero of the Philippine Army’s Civil Military Operations Group presented his own “sex scandal and corruption expose,” against Leoncio “Ka Parago” Pitao, red commander of the NPA’s 1st Pulang Bagani Company in Southern Mindanao.
It is quite clear that the AFP has utilized all imaginable combat, intelligence and special operations against units and leaders of the NPA. They have killed many leaders and members of militant and progressive organizations and continue to place an even larger number in the AFP Order of Battle (OB). Thus, Col. Lucero’s cheap propaganda gimmick comes as no surprise as he merely rides on a crest of widespread public attention generated by the latest scandal to rock the Philippine entertainment scene.
For all intents and purposes, Col. Lucero’s “expos” is nothing but the lowest type of an ill-conceived character assassination scheme. AFP psychological operation runs alongside its murderous campaign of OBL-mandated extrajudicial killing that has victimized hundreds of activists, unarmed civilians and non-combatants that included Ka Parago’s daughter Rebelyn. This latest smear campaign only succeeds in showcasing heights of desperation that has shaken the AFP as a result of the monumental failure of Oplan Bantay Laya 1 and 2.
Col. Lucero of the AFP top brass would be well-advised to look into the endemic corruption that is a plague in the AFP organization. The Filipino people are convinced that a cabal of AFP generals is lording it over the AFP, siphoning public funds to their pockets, as has been credibly revealed during the Oakwood Mutiny and the recent Western Mindanao Command corruption as disclosed by Navy Lt. SG Nancy Gadian, among others.
That Gloria Arroyo and her husband Mike Arroyo jointly command the biggest corruption syndicate in the country is no longer news to the people; it only further inflames the people’s rage and steels their resolve to oust the fake and hated president in conjunction with the armed revolutionary struggle. No amount of AFP black propaganda against the people’s army and its leaders could deter its steady advance.
For reference:
(Sgd) Rigoberto F. Sanchez
Merardo Arce Command
Southern Mindanao Regional Operations Command
New People’s Army
IMPORTANT NOTICE: INBOX is an archive of press releases, statements, announcements, letters to the editors, and manifestos sent to Davao Today for publication. Please email your materials to davaotoday@gmail.com. Davao Today is not responsible for the content of these
materials. The opinion expessed in these items does not reflect those of Davao Today and its staff. Please refer to our terms of use/disclaimer.
