The Regional Political Department-New People’s Army (NPA) in Southern Mindanao congratulates the brave red commanders and fighters from the composite striking force of the 3rd Pulang Bagani Company and the Wilfredo Zapanta Command-Front 18 Operations Command of the NPA for the successful raid on the patrol base of the 28th Infantry Battalion-10th Infantry Division Monday, May 24 along the Davao-Mati national highway in Sitio Chapter, Barangay Maputi, Banaybanay, Davao Oriental.
The daring NPA noontime raid netted 11 high-powered firearms comprising of two FN Minimi Light Machine Guns, two M203 grenade launcher rifles, three Garand rifles, three M14 rifles and an M16 Armalite rifle. Three fascist troops were slain and four were wounded. Two enemy combatants surrendered uninjured during the fierce gunbattle and were freed shortly while four scampered away leaving behind their firearms and their dead. One red fighter, Ka Tonyo, was martyred in this operation.
To deflect attention from its mounting battlefield losses, no less than the Division commander Gen. Carlos Holganza, overriding the officially-designated 10th ID-AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) spokesperson, has taken it as his added professional responsibility to announce the supposed deterioration of the NPA, the disintegration and dwindling of the ranks of the people’s army by correlating a far-fetched link between the parliamentary setbacks of progressive groups in the last Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) elections as proof of the NPA’s defeat.
Gen. Holganza’s spurious military logic of likening the increasing regularity of victorious military actions by the people’s army as mere temper tantrums of an “inconsequential” armed group wanting to get noticed is ridiculous. The AFP spin doctors attack blindly and hurl all derogatory remarks at the NPA yet the truth shows through all the lies.
The 28th IB-AFP patrol base in Sitio Chapter has clearly shown that the AFP’s so-called “pro-people progress and development” are but ploys to conceal its motivation. The 28th IB-10th ID-AFP is serving as the private security armed group protecting the corporate interests of large-scale capitalists and businesses such as the Maverick construction company which secured the graft-ridden multi-billion road project contract from the reactionary GRP. The security detail provided by the AFP to big business is all at the expense of the Filipino people. Genuine people’s welfare and development by means of thoroughgoing land reform and nationalist industrialization are farthest from the mandate of the reactionary AFP.
The victorious NPA military action once again demonstrates the combat capability of the people’s army which relies on precise combat intelligence and deep and extensive network from the mass base. Success of the people’s army in the military field is an outcome of the victories of the entire revolutionary movement in the political and ideological arena. Military matters are subordinate and complementary to the over-all political objective of abolishing the rotten social system and establishing genuine organs of political power of the people in the countryside until it is possible to seize political power nationwide.
The downtrodden masses rejoice every time the fascist AFP gets punished by their revolutionary army. Tactical offensives help build up the NPA ideologically, politically, organizationally and militarily. They provide the material basis for building the people’s political organs that truly empowers the people.
The recent NPA tactical offensive once again punctuates the utter failure of the vicious counter-revolutionary Oplan Bantay Laya and the epic defeat of the 10th ID-AFP which implements its fascist mandate of suppressing popular resistance to the hated regime and containing the revolutionary forces.
The undeniable fact that the fascists are embattled and need all the resources they can muster to give a semblance of breaking even in their counter-revolutionary war is revealed in the latest one full battalion reinforcement from the 7th to the 10th ID-AFP. The redeployment of the 71st Infantry Battalion — which is another Palparan Battalion from the 7th Infantry Division in Central Luzon — to Compostela Valley Province reveals the truth about how desperate and miserable the 10th ID-AFP is faring in their doomed mission in Southern Mindanao. The additional battalion is another proof of their failure.
The NPA raid in Banaybanay is a fitting welcome to the newly-installed battalion more notorious for its atrocious human rights record than any other accomplishments. The NPA action should give this Palparan battalion a preview of what they should expect to face here in Southern Mindanao from the revolutionary movement as they try to duplicate the terrorism they are so experts of in Central Luzon under Palparan’s command.
On the other hand, the NPA also takes issue with Capt. Emmanuel Garcia’s incompetence, the 10th ID-AFP public affairs officer responsible for blurting out moronic statements to the media. He is getting paid for bungling and not getting the job done. This predicament of the fascist enemy works well for the revolutionary forces. It affords comic relief to the Red fighters and allows us the pleasure of seeing the enemy camp further expose their mercenary character. This should be fine by us, however, out of concern for a well-intentioned but misguided fine young officer such as Capt. Garcia who lets himself appear like a fool each time he makes pathetic excuses for his favorite unit. We encourage Capt. Garcia to study and search further and if he has a measure of personal integrity left in his moral fiber maybe he’ll be enlightened in the process. Defending the hated fascist military establishment and the rotten system is indeed a losing proposition and is never a stepping stone for a successful military career.
For reference:
(Sgd.) Ka Simon Santiago
Political Director
Regional Political Department
Merardo Arce Command
New People’s Army-Southern Mindanao
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