Insurgency: Subversive Books

We hear so much about various surrenders spelling the doom of the insurgency or boosting the anti-insurgency drive that it's easy to forget that these people are enemies of the state who have killed and should be killed themselves.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1180794

The recent deaths of a commanding officer of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Eastern Visayas and his staff member in clash with government forces in Samar is a big loss to the communist terrorist group in the region, a Philippine Army (PA) official said on Monday.

Col. Lenart Lelina, commander of the 801st Infantry Brigade said the death of Rodrigo Mejica Lorezo, 60, commander of the regional operation command of the NPA Eastern Visayas regional party committee (EVRPC) and his staff Rosco Rotalano, 58, is a big accomplishment in the government’s campaign to end the armed conflict.

Lelina said the duo were killed in a 10-minute gun battle between government forces and a band of six rebels in upland Hilumot village in San Jose de Buan, Samar on August 1.

“All directives to launch tactical offensives against government came from Lorezo since he was the commander. He’s been with NPA for decades as one of the original members. This will further weaken their organization,” Lelina told the Philippine News Agency

The clash was part of a series of offensives against armed rebels from Las Navas, Northern Samar to the mountains of Samar province. The remaining NPA members have been evading intensified operations of the PA and Philippine National Police (PNP).

Why shouldn't this boost the anti-insurgency drive? The point is to destroy them. Recently more AFP soldiers received combat medals for engaging the NPA.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1180837

Three soldiers under the Army's 58th Infantry Battalion (58IB) were honored Monday for their contributions to the government's anti-communist insurgency campaign in Misamis Oriental province.

Governor Peter Unabia led the pinning of the Gold Cross Medal to Private 1st Class (PFC) Rogen J. Rollon over the success of the encounter against Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) rebels in Barangay Bal-ason, Gingoog City, in December last year.

Rollon was cited for engaging against two NPA combatants and seizing an M16 rifle, an AR18 rifle, two AK47 rifles and one 203 grenade launcher from the rebels' positions.

Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Ricky Canatoy, the 58IB commander, also pinned the Silver Cross Medal to Cpl. Junaide Alger, who was recognized as the agent handler during the case operation plan “Magilas.”

That operation led to the three apprehensions of NPA personalities in Barangay Talusan, Balingasag town, in October 2021.

A Military Merit Medal was also given to Pfc. Gabriel Sisayan, who contributed to the success of the Army's encounter in Barangay Libertad, Gingoog City, in June last year.

Sisayan was responsible for the seizure of an M15 rifle and one Carbine rifle from the NPA hideout.

Unabia, who also provided cash reward for each of the awardees, expressed the provincial government's gratitude for the soldiers for maintaining peace and order.

“The reward, amounting to PHP25,000, is nothing compared to the (life-threatening) job that they do,” he said.

Did those soldiers get the money?  I hope so.  

There is a new sheriff in town. Actually it's a new AFP Chief. He has some guidance on defeating the insurgency.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1180985

Newly-appointed Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro has ordered all military commanders to increase their operational tempo to defeat the remaining communist insurgents in the country.

Bacarro issued this order during his first command conference as military chief on Wednesday, AFP acting spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said in an interview with reporters.

While there is no set timeline to do the measure, Bacarro said there is an "urgency of completing the task".

"That is why ang kanyang (his) instruction is to increase yung(the) operational tempo so that we can defeat the armed (communist) group, so kung pwede nga sana tapusin ito kaagad agad, yun ang (if it is possible to complete this task immediately, that is the) objective, but we also understand that insurgency is multi-faceted," Aguilar said.

Aguilar said increasing the operational tempo does not mean the deployment of additional forces in rebel-infested areas but just maximizing the use of all available forces.

When asked how many New People's Army (NPA) insurgents or fighters are still remaining, Medel said that more than 2,000 are still active.

"Nasabi na naman to dati na more than 2,000 na lang sila (We have earlier mentioned that they (NPA) number to just more than 2,000)," he added.

The AFP spokesperson also expressed hope that the NPAs, during Bacarro's three-year term, could be totally defeated provided that the momentum established during past operations are maintained.

He also added that the AFP is providing information to other government agencies on the nature of the insurgency threat and recruitment so that they can take appropriate action from their end.

These are really interesting numbers.  First of all they say there is less than 2,000 active NPA. Then they say the AFP is providing information to other agencies to defeat the insurgency.  What about the 300,000 to 400,000 the NICA said have infiltrated the government? I fail to understand why they ignore this alleged threat. 

Last week we learned that Marcos wanted to defeat the insurgency within his six year term but now we are told they can be defeated within the three year term of the newly instated AFP Chief if everything goes well. And this would be not not due to deploying extra forces but "maximizing the use of all available forces!!!"

What? Has the AFP not been doing this all along? This is hubris and I hope it works out but I don't believe them and neither should you. 

More books are being banned for being subversive but this time there is a twist.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1645315/language-agency-joins-book-purge-tags-5-subversive-works

In a move denounced by artists and academics as signaling the “death of scholarship,” the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) ordered the pullout and stopped the publication of five books it deemed “subversive” for promoting “antigovernment ideologies.”

In a memorandum dated August 9, KWF commissioners Carmelita Abdurahman and Benjamin Mendillo ordered one of their units, the Sentro ng Wika at Kultura (SWK), to cease printing the Filipino-language titles they said contained “political, subversive and creative literary works with subliminal ideologies that encourage to fight the government.”

The memo was addressed to Rochelle Rosita, supply officer, and Minda Blanca Limbo, SWK coordinator.

The five books are “Teatro Politikal Dos” by Malou Jacob, “Kalatas: Mga Kuwentong Bayan at Kuwentong Buhay” by Rommel Rodriguez, “Tawid-diwa sa Pananagisag ni Bienvenido Lumbera: Ang Bayan, ang Manunulat, at ang Magasing Sagisag sa Imahinatibong Yugto ng Batas Militar 1975-1979” by Dexter Cayanes, “May Hadlang ang Umaga” by Don Pagusara, and “Labas: Mga Palabas sa Labas ng Sentro” by Reuel Aguila.

However, three of the books – Teatro Politikal Dos, Kalatas and May Hadlang ang Umaga – had already been published by the commission and featured in the “KWF Publikasyon Paglulunsad 2022” on April 29.

All SWK directors were advised to refrain from distributing the books so that “we would not be accountable to Republic Act No. 11479, particularly Section 9 on inciting to commit to terrorism,” the memo read in part.

How do they know there are "subliminal ideologies?" What exactly do they mean? Based on the titles it appears that these books are all about theater. The twist comes because earlier in the year they were approved by the KWF and three were even published. The KWF is a government agency. So now the government is approving communist propaganda? 

We have not been told exactly what is in these books which is so alarming but from another news source we get a little more information.

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/08/12/2202214/academics-culture-orgs-fight-back-vs-kwf-pulling-red-tagged-books

In a YouTube video, three hosts of the SMNI tagged books written by Reuel Aguila, Rommel Rodriguez, Don Pagusara, Malou Jacob, and Dexter Cayanes, and more than a dozen more books published by KWF as “subversive” allegedly because they cited references written by the CPP-NPA. 

The program also red-tagged prominent art critic Alice Guillermo and the late National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera. After the program was aired, the KWF issued a memorandum calling on schools and libraries to pull out the "subversive" books for being "anti-government." 

The KWF is the official government agency and regulating body of the Filipino language in the country and is an attached agency under the Office of the President. 

In a separate statement, KWF chair Arthur Casanova categorically denied the accusations and added that calling books "subversive is a dangerous accusation which may already be stepping on the boundaries of freedom of expression and academic freedom."

"These books which are alleged to be subversive passed through the review process of the KWF. All the books underwent the usual scrutiny that all publications of the KWF must pass, including receiving the imprimatur of the other two full-time commissioners. I did not railroad nor force any publication," he said. 

"The KWF should be at the forefront of the efforts to enrich our language. Contrary to the misguided allegations, the KWF is not limited to publishing dictionaries and technical linguistic materials. Rather, we are tasked to develop and enrich the Filipino language," he added,

Casanova — who did not sign the purported KWF memorandum stopping the publication of the books — said he was willing to divulge any pertinent information at the proper forum but urged authorities "to look into these allegations and see for themselves that they are baseless and malicious."

Not only does the red-tagging of these books published by the government make the NTF-ELCAC look even more petty and foolish than usual but they also put the lives of the authors in danger.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1645809/authors-unbowed-after-govt-purge-of-books

Rommel Rodriguez, writer of “Kalatas: Mga Kuwentong Bayan at Kuwentong Buhay,” one of the discontinued titles, said the KWF’s decision only emboldened him further to write stories about the Filipino people.

“Censorship is my muse,” he told the Inquirer on Friday, adding: “The more an artist or writer is prevented from writing, the more enthusiastic we become and the more we want to write.”

Rodriguez, a professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman’s Filipino and Philippine literature department, said he felt “very challenged” by the KWF’s actions but also “afraid [for] my security and safety because of the Red-tagging,” with his writings being linked to the communist insurgency.

He acknowledged that his book, a social-realist anthology of flash fiction, contained political themes. “I used the word ‘revolution’ in my work. But I did not tell my readers to take up arms and fight the government,” Rodriguez said.

In a joint statement on Friday, the five authors demanded that the KWF commissioners, as well as the hosts of pro-government media network SMNI who called their works subversive, recant their allegations.

“What is this travesty? Their claims are libelous and would put our lives in grave danger,” they said.

Of course Lorraine Badoy and her ilk will say there is no such thing as red-tagging, only truth telling. That would be one more lie coming out of her vile mouth. If these books really are indeed communist propaganda then the Philippine government needs to surrender and join the reform program like these people:

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1181098

To prepare them for community reintegration, 15 former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels are undergoing a 10-day crop production and entrepreneurship training in Talacogon, Agusan del Sur.

The training, dubbed Land Preparation for Agricultural Crops Production and Entrepreneurship Training, started on August 9 and organized by the Army’s 26th Infantry Battalion (IB), in partnership with the local government, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority in the Caraga Region.

“The training aims to empower the former rebels to be more economically resilient by enhancing and developing their skills and capability toward sustainable livelihood,” the 26IB said in a statement Thursday.

Lt. Col. Sandy Majarocom, the 26IB commander, said the support of the local Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict has sustained the needs of the former rebels as they prepare to return to their families.

“This training will help our former rebels rebuild their lives and become responsible and productive citizens,” Majarocom said.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the crooks in the government were to "rebuild their lives and become responsible and productive citizens?" 

Despite the AFP and NTF-ELCAC warning about the evils of communism the government is still actively engaged in partnering with the Communist Chinese government. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1646275/ph-resumes-talks-with-china-on-chinese-funded-transport-projects

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Chinese ambassador to the country met in a formal meeting, said the agency on Sunday, officially restarting the negotiations on Chinese-funded transportation projects.

According to DOTr in a statement, Transport Secretary Jaime Bautista and Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian discussed the resumption of negotiations on several projects during their first meeting at the Chinese Embassy in Makati last Thursday, August 11.

“The two officials discussed the resumption of talks for the major China-funded railway projects such as the PNR South Long Haul Project (North-South Commuter Railway), Subic-Clark Railway, and Mindanao Railway (Tagum-Davao-Digos),” said the DOTr.

Apart from these projects, the two also discussed maritime cooperation projects, specifically the hotline communication and legal affairs cooperation arrangements between the Philippine Coast Guard and the China Coast Guard.

They also discussed a possible collaboration on Maritime Traffic Safety, Ferry Safety, and the creation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Maritime Search and Rescue, as well as the capacity building for maritime governance, safety supervision, and vessel safety inspection.

The DOTr said that the Chinese government’s funding support for these projects will serve to strengthen bilateral relations and enhance the partnership between the Philippines and China.

Does anyone in the government not see the irony in waging a war against a Maoist insurgency and partnering with Maoists to build infrastructure? Not even the opposition with call this out though.