December 27, 2006

Challenges and movements ahead in year 2007

Its nice to hear a clearer vision of how things are to be done in the people’s movement. One, it is of great advantage that the people’s struggle is led by the proletariat and its party and their  sharpening grasp of the political dynamics in the country. Two, the people has its own people’s army to defend themselves against the onslaught of brutal attacks by the reactionary state of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. I am also happy because ideologically counter revolutionary organizations posing as progressive, attacking the national democratic line have been dissipated and well exposed. Months past, I had a debate in this blog over the idea of revolutionary taxation and even the conception of socio-economic work. They attacked peasants exercising t self governance only to reaffirm their resolve to support Gloria Macapagal Arroyo being the representative of the ruling classes in the Philippines.

The year 2006 is of great importance for me. One, the people’s movement effectively broadened its united front and well  understood the class nature and stand point of the church. I was happy that some leaders in the people’s movement where frustrated of the CBCP’s position in the last mobilization, a typical way how the institutional church can dampen the people’s initiative. Activist alike probably learned that there is so much to be done in doing institutional work within the framework of integrative organizing, so much to be done  in terms of institutional positioning. One happy moment I have here in the US was finding my own way amid  the labyrinth of opportunities and challenges. I had the occasion of helping activist in the Northern Bay Area touch base with church people by facilitating a coming together  event. We had a liturgical worship service celebrating human rights day. It was an occasion  for all to call to stop the political killings in the Philippines. I was happy to see many clergy people participate in that event as it was a opportunity to rekindle lost connections ,  encouragement of hope amid discerning their calling and action in times likes these.

As the year 2007 is fast approaching, many things are line up for work here. Among these is finding ways to strengthen and consolidate the broad network we have created in the Northern Bay Area. Many problems are standing on our way, but we are grateful we have them. Because  the more problems we have the better opportunities are to be discovered, gaining ground and footsteps hearing a clear echoing of  thunders ahead. It means more opportunities to firmly grasp and understand things around us. 
Posted by Kalovski at 18:05:46 | Permanent Link | Comments (5) |

December 24, 2006

Christmas and Gmail account

I am still here in the lab. I have to redo the church website till morning. I have a strong internet signal here in the laboratory compared at home only 54 mbps. At anyrate, I had changed my shoes at Macy’s this afternoon. I bought shoes, black in color since on Dec. 31 I’ll be doing a sermon at Rockville Presbyterian church. I have to prepare my sermon but at anyrate the topic will be a challenge to closing the year. I hope to challenge the concept of making resolutions as not making one as it is merely a routine anyway I hope to point the difference of having a mechanical resolution and a dialectical one. Ha? Is there such a thing? Yes of course! People seems to be frogs in there own well making resolutions as if the world is simply the opening of the well when in fact the world is so large at making resolutions has to be in sync with the whole. Well enough on resolutions.

2006 Christmas for me is so busy. I have even no time to eat and rest. During the day I am a driver for my wife who likes to do shopping with my kids. While I like shopping, the problem is I have no money at all. So what interest me is
seeing people shop including my wife. I am just happy in surfing the internet, and tweaking with my computer of course sipping some hot coffee in this cold Christmas season.

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I have realized now how important my gmail account is. I got some problems again with updating my church site. Our church admin always send me softcopy of our publication for me to paste it in our templates for our website. This time the copy she sent me was in the midst of the piles and piles of email in my yahoo account. I have requested her to gmail me instead of yahooing me. Gmail is so helpful with its desktop feature which alarms you through pop-ups of incoming emails. Seems to me the more I am dependent with the internet, the more I am so disorganized. I hope emails be forwarded to palmtops and mobile phone. Anyway I’ll check.



Posted by Kalovski at 06:54:24 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

December 22, 2006

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her clique behind the bombings in the Philippines

Gloria the fake President is running against time. Norberto Gonzales is quick to claim the bombing are done by the NPA’s. If we recall it was Norberto and the cohorts of Generals with the go signal of Gloria that has been orchestrating these bombing way back last year. I recall, Mike Arroyo’s office was claimed to be bombed only to claim legitimize the jailing of party list representative of Bayan Muna and all the rest. But Gloria is not so stupid though, she managed to implement military rule by calling it other names. In the jest of things going on, likely Gloria manages to sneak her justifications for a further firm grip. Bombing and killing senators are likely to happen. Norberto Gonzales the ring bearer of covert operation, the Rasputin like operator is operating his way for their clique to stay on top of the political game. But the end game to prolong their rule halted by massive international condemnation, starting from their ceaseless killings of activist, to hosting summits to rally big foreign interests to further exploit the country’s natural resources are all exposed and opposed. For me, Gloria's prolonged rule had galvanized the resolute determination of the Filipinos to unite. The CBCP’s vacillation supporting people's movement will be straightened on the basis of people's broadened efforts. On this basis we affirm our resolute determination to work to politically isolate her by exposing her evil machinations.
Posted by Kalovski at 13:18:14 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

December 18, 2006

Cowon is better than Ipod

I just bought my Ipod, an 80 GB version, color white. Two days now I am trying how to operate this. Seems Ipod is no better than Cowon. Ipod has no conversion tool. It made me do my own research how to convert vob extension to Mpeg4. Well, I did have my total recorder software plus my limewire. I have my audacity software for audio editing and also record nonstop music from Pandora.com. Probably in weeks I have a thousand songs to upload on this gadget. I am still looking at the possibility of using this to do recording for podcasting. Lots of things to do.

Last week I was developing a website only to see my Dreamweaver MX, Flash and Fireworks are a little bit obsolete with the 8 version on the market though the price shocked me seeing them on the internet. A bundled Macromedia program with dreamweaver plus flash and fireworks, abobe programs cost me 999.00 dollars while in the Philippine cost only 80 pesos or a dollar with the pirated copies at Verra Mall or Makati Square.


Posted by Kalovski at 07:04:11 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Gloria’s maneuver to stay in power by tweaking the constitution to her advantage was defeated.

Gloria’s maneuver to stay in power by tweaking the constitution to her advantage was defeated. This idea has many edges. It was meant to neutralize the impeachment of Gloria aside of serving as diversion. Obviously the US man in the Philippines, Fidel Ramos had a hand on this from its inception. It was a political maneuver for Gloria to stay in power. It was meant to consolidate the local landlord politician’s support for Gloria. But even how institutional maneuvering is done this will crush confronted with the power of the people. How can it not be when their seeming legitimacy comes from the people and when people starts to doubt and condemn them those arrogant policians in the case of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo tries to depict herself and sound herself so prayerful and Christian. But make no mistake her’s are all posturings, illusions laid to the public to see and trick them again. People will evil intent will always find ways to pose themselves like chameleon. Yesterday anticipating a huge gathering of people against her, GMA had only to appeal for a prayer for those victims of typhoon, a twist indeed noting that why people are killed in calamities is because of the ineptitude of government department to respond to disaster and even give appropriate warning signals. Saddening is that there is no money to provide those victims as funds go directly to pay the IMF-WB debt repayment. Who is to blame for policies such as this? Is it the people? No! It is Gloria who until now continues to be so subservient to foreign dictates—to US imperialism. Now, her consolidated front of biglandlord politicians are not actually consolidated at all. As far as they are concerned all they care is to stick close to Gloria with the hope of accessing more funds for their own districts to politically continue their hegemony. Anticipating a constricted people political support in the May 2007 elections, many are starting to dissociate. It is not surprising that GMA would drumbeat the granting of 1 trillion plus budget for 2007 of congress, total budget for the government in the hope to entice corrupt politicians to stay with her. However the broadening and widening people’s condemnation against her brutal policy of assassination resulting in the increase of numbers of extra-judicial killings have caused her serious problems. One, here in the US church people are serious in launching bilateral as well as multilateral talks with their congress representatives, either for those reps to call their US government to stop supporting GMA militarily as much aid had been given to prop up neo-colonial countries. GMA is becoming a liability. Even how much she parrots Bush war on Terror but when her presence participates instabilility to US interest which is obviously is happening, US begins toying the idea of dumping her most probably look for other options, of course look for a leader that does continue US hegemony and serves their business interest in the country. Thus it is good to observe that behaviors and movements of politicians, those who are against Gloria but is trying to operate in a low profile when US interest is at risk. Of course there are many of them. Since elections is fast approaching we will see a lot of them hopping through and fro. But with the broadening people’s movement against GMA it will be likely they will take a position to support the people as this is crucial in their winning in the elections. As elections draw near contradictions will be open and intense, a fight among big landlords for power and a fight of big landlords against the people. Where the people’s movement is strong extreme scenario will exist. Either these big landlords will cooperate with the people or be so despotic and attack the people through their hold in the coercive state machinery—the reactionary armed forces and the Philippine National Police. Thus early as now those so despotic and anti-people government officials in Macapagal Arroyo’s government is spreading the communist hysteria. Norberto Gonzales, Gloria’s “unsecurity” adviser keeps on harping to label partylist with strong mass base support as “communist fronts” to deter people in electing them. But such frustration and continues propaganda by Mr. Norberto is reflective of US covert policy. As such there is no doubt that Norberto is the CIA man inside the cabinet except from General Ermita who is playing a key role in maintaining an iron fist against the opposition. However such situation further widens opportunities for the progressive movement to widen its leadership. Election time will give open door to do integrative organizing to complement the overall strategic call to overhaul the semi-colonial and semi-feudal characteristic of our society. The deep crisis in the Philippines impregnates lots of possibilities amid a volatile and fluid situation. You still have a discontented military segment within the reactionary establishment. You have the US government operating in all front. Of course you have the widening, broadening people’s movement consistently doing organizing on the basis of consolidation.
Posted by Kalovski at 01:39:56 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

December 15, 2006

A Stronger Revolutionary Movement

Prof. Jose Ma. Sison
National Democratic Front of the Philippines
Chief Political Consultant
December 13, 2006

(Article in the December 13, 2006 issue of i Report, the online publication of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism)


Introduction


The ruling system in the Philippines is semicolonial and semifeudal. It is dominated by foreign monopoly capitalist countries headed by the US and Japan. It is ruled by the comprador big bourgeoisie and the landlord class and managed by their political representatives. The foreign and local exploiters collaborate against the national and democratic rights and interests of the Filipino people.

The ruling system has its inherent weaknesses due to the backward, agrarian, pre-industrial and semifeudal character of its social economy and is subject to the policy impositions of the US and other imperialist powers. These powers keep the Philippines as a reliable source of cheap raw materials and labor, a lucrative market for surplus goods, a field of investments for surplus capital and a source of superprofits. The illusion of development conjured by low value-added semi-manufacturing for re-export and the boom in private construction has been shattered since the 1997 financial crisis.

The ruling system is in a chronic and ever worsening economic and social crisis. It is prevented from accumulating the capital for national industrial development because the surplus product of the country is appropriated by the imperialist super-profiteers, the local exploiting classes and the corrupt government officials. The toiling masses of workers and peasants and the middle social strata are subjected to an ever rising level of exploitation. The entire nation is made to suffer ever bigger budgetary and trade deficits and ever mounting levels of debt and tax burden.

The socio-economic crisis has been aggravated and deepened by the US-imposed policy of "neoliberal globalization". The gravity of the socio-economic crisis has resulted in an unprecedentedly serious political crisis, involving far sharper contradictions among political factions of the exploiting classes within the civil bureaucracy and within the military and police apparatuses of the state.

The ruling faction of Gloria M. Arroyo is detested not only by rival factions within the reactionary classes but by the broad masses of the people because of its illegitimacy based on electoral fraud, rampant corruption and gross human rights violations. It has taken advantage of the US-dictated war of terror in order to take the initiative of using military force and against the entire range of opposition forces and broad masses of the people. Thus, the growing conditions of violence and instability in the country.

I. Prospects of Reform up to 2010


The sharpening socio-economic and political crisis generates popular demands for reforms as well as for revolution. The basic reforms most in demand are meant to uphold, defend and promote national sovereignty and independence, economic sovereignty and the national patrimony, genuine land reform and industrial development, a patriotic, scientific and democratic system of culture and education and independent foreign policy. These are demanded by the patriotic and progressive reformers within the ruling system as well as by the revolutionary forces.

But the Arroyo regime is deaf to the demands. It continues to raise funds for all its counterproductive and corrupt purposes by seeking foreign loans at commercial rates, by increasing the local public debt and making heavier the tax burden of the people. Such financial irresponsibility has clear limits. The Philippine economy has actually been depressed since 1997. A bigger wave of economic disaster is currently on the way from the direction of the US economy. The unsustainability of high consumption based on borrowed funds, the bursting of the housing bubble and the limits of high military spending as economic stimulus are moving towards an unprecedented US recession and drastic drop in US consumer demand for goods from China, the whole of Asia and the rest of the world.

The Arroyo regime has always construed as the needed reforms what are the dictates of US imperialism under the rubric of "neoliberal globalization." It has also misrepresented as "political reforms" the changes it wants to make on the 1987 constitution. At the maximum, it wants to imitate Marcos by pretending to shift from the presidential to a parliamentary form of government in order to concentrate powers on Arroyo as a transitory president and to get the support of the US by according national treatment to all kinds of foreign monopoly investments and by allowing the return of US military bases. At the minimum, the regime has hyped the campaign for "charter change" in a futile attempt to distract the attention of the opposition and the people from seeking to oust Arroyo. Up to now, Speaker Jose de Venecia is pushing a "constituent assembly" without the approval of the Senate as a distinct body. Such unconstitutional assembly will either be foiled by the Supreme Court or if somehow pushed through it will generate political turmoil.

Because of the extremely reactionary and violent policies and actions of the Arroyo regime, the honest reformers who are patriotic and progressive find themselves completely frustrated in seeking reforms within the reactionary system. Thus, they increasingly appreciate and welcome the revolutionary movement as a pressure on the ruling system. Even the reformists, who denounce the revolutionary movement and wish to use reforms for counterrevolution, find themselves totally discredited. They are best exemplified and embarrassed by the clerico-fascist Norberto Gonzales, the national security adviser, who long misrepresented himself as a social-democratic reformer.

Revolutionaries are necessarily reformers even as they are definitely not reformists. They seek reforms in being open to peace negotiations with the reactionary government. They also wish the better elements in the reactionary government to prevail over the bad ones on the matter of reforms. The Hague Joint Declaration of 1992 clearly states the basic economic, social and political reforms that the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) seek in order to address the roots of the armed conflict in negotiations with the reactionary government (GRP).

The NDFP has already demonstrated that it is capable of arriving at a comprehensive agreement on respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. And it has demanded that the economic, social and political reforms be negotiated and agreed upon. But the Arroyo regime has treacherously sabotaged the peace negotiations by collaborating with the US in putting the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the New People's Army (NPA) and the NDFP chief political consultant in the so-called terrorist list and in launching Oplan Bantay Laya in order to carry the extrajudicial killings, abductions, torture, massacres and so many gross human rights violations.

II. Prospects of Revolution and Outcome of Armed Struggle


The Arroyo regime has repeatedly declared that it has no interest in peace negotiations with the NDFP and that it is determined to destroy before 2010 the revolutionary mass movement led by the CPP. In view of the intransigent position of the regime, the revolutionary forces and people cannot pursue the peace negotiations and have no choice but to defend themselves and defeat the all-out war policy of the regime.

It is out of a narrow-minded kind of self-interest that the Arroyo regime wants the civil war to continue and rage in the country. Arroyo herself has publicly admitted several times that the all-out war policy is intended to rally and unite the military and police forces under her baton and in order to gain economic and military support from the US in line with its policy of "war on terror". She has deliberately pushed higher the level of US intervention from year to year.

There are yet no clear indications that she wants to resume the formal talks in the peace negotiations. She seems to be unaffected by the fact that the Bush war of terror (wars of aggression and global promotion of fascism) has been repudiated by the American electorate. It is very likely that the regime will continue to escalate the military and police campaigns against the people in suspected guerrilla fronts and the cowardly extrajudicial killings and abductions of unarmed progressive party list leaders, workers, peasants, women, youth, journalists, lawyers, religious and human rights activists.

Because of its fear of impeachment and conviction by Congress, the Arroyo regime is hell bent on either pushing the unconstitutional "constituent assembly" in order to cancel the 2007 elections of congressmen and senators or cheating in these elections in order to control Congress. Either way there will be political turbulence. Arroyo is determined to use violence against the opposition and the people in order to keep herself in power.

In response to the all-out war policy and Oplan Bantay Laya of the regime, the CPP, NPA, NDFP and the broad masses of the people have resolutely and militantly fought back. They have issued publications (see www.philippinerevolution.net) informing us that they have been able to frustrate the military and police campaigns of the regime and to launch various forms of tactical offensives within the strategy of defense. They are successfully waging an intensive and extensive guerrilla warfare based on an ever widening and deepening mass base. They have seized more arms from their enemy, often without firing a single shot. They are therefore increasing the number of their fighting units and are forming more guerrilla fronts, organs of political power and mass organizations.

They are becoming stronger from year to year. They can contribute significantly to the ouster of the Arroyo regime before 2010 or they can at least help ensure that the Arroyo regime is finished in 2010. They expect to deliver the hardest blows on the worst rascals of the regime as these become more brutal and vicious but are fast weakening or about to exit from political power. They look forward to resume the formal talks in the peace negotiations with a new regime, especially because this will be a product of the struggle against the Arroyo regime by a broad united front of patriotic forces and by the broad masses of the people.

III. Direction of the Filipino People in 2010

The Filipino people will demand more strongly than ever before that reforms be made to advance national independence, democracy, social justice, all-round development and peace. By then, the socio-economic and political crisis of the ruling system shall have become worse, despite the loss of power by the Arroyo ruling clique. The reforms can be arrived at and implemented through peace negotiations between the revolutionary movement and a government that is more enlightened and more reasonable than the present one. Otherwise oppression and exploitation will persist at intolerable levels. Thus, the revolutionary forces and people will continue to wage armed revolution for national liberation and democracy against US imperialism and its local lackeys. ###
Posted by Kalovski at 13:36:57 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

December 13, 2006

Gloria is limping with the widening political isolation

PNP Director General Oscar Calderon said that he will determine who will speak in the rally this coming Sunday in Luneta. The PNP even had gave warning their PNP personnels not to join the said gathering. He also said the PNP will be the one to determine the unfurling of banners in the said rally. With the intonation of the General, seems the Philippines is under martial law. It has been commented that their exist a  military junta. Yesterday, GMA alluded the Congress of approving her 1 plus trillion pesos budget. The crocodiles in Congress were happy enough this will be for grabs now. Now Gloria is limping with the widening political isolation that is affecting her administration with her anti-people policies. She wants to stay in power for long by changing the constitution. I hope the people will kick her out. The country is in shambles now. Only some morons will believe in the lies of Ignacio Bunye.

Posted by Kalovski at 18:00:35 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

December 09, 2006

Con- Ass. This really describes what it is as in Con your Ass. - K.I.

Con- Ass. This really describes what it is as in Con your Ass. GMA had diverted an open political condemnation by floating the idea of backing out. Mind you it is not her character to back out. On start from the start she took to seat in that chair in Malacanang she had glued her butt with epoxy. Same as her modus operandi, she had distributed people’s money to mayors courting them to support her. Instead of giving those money to the victims of calamity in Bicol she opted to give it to the crocodile politicians. She had used people’s resources to buy her way. I hope the Catholic Church will once and for all do their action of this evilness. They are slowly eaten. The church ambivalence in the previous months actually can contribute to Arroyo’s continued stay in power. Now my friend in San Francisco had forwarded me his letter. His lawyer friend Brian Campbell who works with the lawyers guild was not permitted entry in the Philippines and was sent back. So disgusted Gloria’s image here in the US is fast dissipating and exposed. On Sunday church people will be gathering at Daly City to condemn the ongoing political killings in the Philippines. The mayor who is a Filipino will also be their. Seems interesting indeed that the Gloria has provided the Diaspora of Filipinos to further unite. Her fascist policies back home actually affected Filipinos here in the US. She seems to forget that Filipinos are well connected back home. Every payday they make sure they send their remittances back home. They are well updated of what is going home in their country with free Skype, Yahoo Messenger and many more free communication software in the internet to use, not mentioning the importance of blogs. So as Macapagal Arroyo prepares to host the ASEAN summit in Cebu City, and had concocted of stories such as terrorist attacks, she will further do damage now. Many countries had sent out their travel advisories not to come to Philippines. It is Gloria that had destroyed what the Department of Tourism had been campaigning, enticing more tourist to come to the Philippines. How its laughable that she tells the public that the people’s movement are the destabilizers . In fact it is she that is continually destabilizing the country. Ignacio Bunye and the rest of her gangster are their to lie and cover the tracks, tracks that are quite derailing. It will not be long for the US to find another puppet now. Push more Gloria , there is now little space left whereby the balance of forces will radically shift to the people’s side. When that radical political shift occurs, then sorry there is more room in Tanay jail.
Posted by Kalovski at 06:25:16 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

December 03, 2006

Setting the record straight on the political killings


Foreword: This is a good statement of the NPA in Ilocos and Cordillera region about the psywar efforts of the fascist generals and Macapagal Arroyo herself against the people of the Philippines. - Kalovski


Setting the record straight on the political killings

Martin Montana
Spokesperson, Chadli Molintas Command
New People's Army - Ilocos Cordillera Region
November 30, 2006

"If you repeat a lie often enough, people will soon believe it." This is what the Arroyo regime's military propagandists hope to achieve in spreading the lie that the activists assassinated or abducted by the military are victims of a purge by the revolutionary movement.

There is no purge going on in the Party and the people's army. There is no truth at all to the Nolcom's paper "The Truth Behind the So-Called Political Killings" released to the media last November 13.

The paper's wild presumptions were sprinkled with half-truths so as to sound credible. It is a desperate and malicious attempt to malign the revolutionary movement. It shifts the blame to the NPA for the military's heartless murder of Jose "Pepe" Manegdeg and Albert Terredaño. Earlier, 21st IB CO Lt. Col. Francis Eugenio Lardizabal also tried in vain to blame the NPA for the ambush on the Claver family.

Who's who?

It is the military, not the NPA, that the victims, witnesses, and relatives are pointing to as responsible for the killings and abductions. Not one of them would even entertain the idea that the NPA was responsible for the murder of their relatives. Despite the testimony of witnesses who have positively identified some of the killers and described the circumstances heavily implicating the military, no arrests or credible investigations have yet been made by the military or police. Of course, they would not prosecute their own assets.

It is the Arroyo regime, not the CPP-NPA, that highly respected international human rights groups, foreign legislators, lawyers, judges, government officials, church groups, religious leaders, journalists, civil libertarians, and fact-finding missions are holding responsible for the serial murder of activists based on the overwhelming evidence and testimonies.

It is the military, not the NPA, that has the motive to kill the leaders and members of legal progressive organizations. Most of the victims were activists opposing the Arroyo regime's corrupt and brutal rule. It is absolutely absurd and idiotic to claim that the NPA would kill those are who are fighting for social changes that the revolutionary movement is also fight for.

It is the military, not the NPA, that has operatives and personnel in the cities and towns centers that can carry out assassinations and abductions of innocent civilians on a massive scale, in public places, in the vicinity of police stations or military detachments, and in broad daylight, with no fear of detection, interception, or prosecution.

It is the military, not the NPA, that has enormous funds and logistics to conduct surveillance and assassinations—including special pistols with silencers, tinted vans and motorcycles that can get away with having no plate numbers, expensive bugging devices and high-tech cellphone interceptors that can identify phone numbers, monitor voice calls, send anonymous death threats through text messages, and track the location of activists using GPS. The MIG and ISAFP were forced to admit the existence and use of such equipment by the military during the "Hello Garci" exposé. One unit costs $200,000 or P10 million and is "available only to government or military agencies," according the US manufacturer's website.

And yet, the military's forked tongues continue to spit out ridiculous lies with a poker face in a last-ditch effort to demonize the revolutionary movement. This is part of Gloria Arroyo's boastful and ambitious "endgame strategy" of crushing the "lingering insurgency problem" in two years. Why?

Money, money, money

The military's "psywar experts" are obsessive-compulsive but highly trained liars. This merely reflects the lying, cheating, and virulent character of their fake president, the mother of hypocrites who is desperately clinging to power. Gloria Arroyo is copying from George W. Bush's strategy of exaggerating the threat of terrorism to justify its war on Iraq, inventing lies such as the existence of weapons of mass destruction (never found), or Saddam's connections with the al Qaeda (never proven). The whole world knew that Bush's real motive was Iraqi oil, but Bush lied with chutzpah.

In the Philippines, Arroyo and her coterie of generals know, but will never admit, that they can not and could not win the war against the revolutionary movement as long as the corrupt system flourishes and unwittingly provides the NPA with a regular batch of fresh recruits. Fidel Ramos himself has openly criticized Gloria's endgame strategy and predicted its failure. So, why do Gloria and her lackey marshmallow generals insist on such bold claims?

America's military aid to the Philippines amounted to a whopping $114 million in 2003 and $164 million in 2005 (P8.2 billion), aside from $148M in surplus logistics and $2.7 million for "military education."

Gloria and her generals know that they can enjoy a steady stream of multi-million dollar support from America if and only if they suck up to the US imperialist's "war against terrorism." They know very well that without a war, they cannot justify a bloated military budget and cannot achieve "military modernization." And so, what better way to "generate funds" from America than to declare total war against the revolutionary movement in the name of "anti-terrorism"? The generals have gleefully joined in the fake president's impossible target because that is the only path for them to gain medals and promotions, career advancements, kickbacks, scandalous retirement benefits, and juicy positions in civilian government after retirement.

In short, the crafty and greedy generals hope to shoot three birds in one shot: kill oppositionists, advance their careers, and get rich in the process.

Top Secret

The government's official but unwritten policy is to "kill the Leftists and blame it on the Left." By doing so, the government has provided its death squads with a ready-made alibi and granted them virtual immunity from being caught and prosecuted. They are licensed to kill all they want, with no fear of punishment.

The Arroyo regime's bloody campaign plan against the Legal Left has been hatched in a top secret meeting of the Cabinet Oversight Committee for Internal Security (COCIS) that includes Gloria Arroyo, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, former Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz Jr., AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez. The plan is couched in the seemingly harmless phrase "neutralizing the insurgency's political infrastructure" which actually means "a sustained and widespread elimination of leaders of CPP-NPA front organizations so as to sow a climate of fear that will discourage membership in such groups, paralyze their anti-government activities, and deprive the CPP-NPA of political and financial support."

The COCIS cabal has secretly transmitted this policy to all AFP battalions through trusted commanders such as Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, in close coordination with the ISAFP, MIG and other intelligence agencies. The entire project is funded directly from GHQ and will not undergo auditing, a fact that caught the rabid interest of the corrupt generals. This top secret plan has been confirmed by certain officers in the military who are revolted by the Arroyo regime's barbarity and have leaked the information to the revolutionary movement.

Modus operandi

To operationalize the plan, the battalion commander, battalion S2, and head of the intelligence unit are tasked with the formation of a death squad from the battalion's personnel, CAFGU, and even rebel returnees so that the killing can be blamed to a purge in case they get caught. The rebel returnees would later be "silenced" and blamed again to a purge. The assassins are provided with the necessary firearms, ammunition, motorcycles, tinted vans, safehouses, and other logistics. The battalion commander, S2, and head of the intelligence unit then come up with a list of targets for assassination. Each battalion is assigned a pre-arranged "window" of time in which to carry out an assassination, with some "priority regions" having a bigger quota than others, so as to achieve an "optimum, sustained, and nationwide terror effect."
Further proof of the military's bloodthirsty campaign can be found in the AFP's powerpoint presentation "Knowing the Enemy" that categorizes progressive party list and other organizations such as Bayan, Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, and many others as "communist fronts" and are, therefore, "enemies of the state" that can and should be considered as military targets. Even the CBCP, UCCP, Philippine Independent Church, and Free Legal Assistance Group are included in the list. The same line can also be found in the book Trinity of War which is Bible of AFP and PNP generals in their counter-insurgency campaigns.

Declassified US documents also reveal that US "military advisers" and the CIA have directed the formation of deaths squads in 43 countries including the Philippines, Vietnam, Latin America, and many other countries.

The butcher Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan has also arrogantly and inadvertently admitted to the media in a slip of the tongue that the victims of political assassinations were "collateral damage" in the counterinsurgency war. The GHQ directive is: "Make no distinction between armed rebels and unarmed   civilian supporters." This is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and rules of war. Arroyo's praise for Palparan in her State of the Nation Address is a tacit approval of the killings.

This reflects the depths to which Arroyo and the military's fascist mentality has truly sunk. For them, it is justified to kill communists. It is right to kill all their supporters and sympathizers, even if they are unarmed civilians. Such people have no rights and may be treated like animals for slaughter. "Might is right!" "The end justifies the means!"

This is utterly barbaric and cowardly. Unable to defeat the NPA in honorable combat, Arroyo's butchers have turned to maiming and killing defenseless and unarmed civilians—be they lowly peasants, eminent bishops, struggling journalists, or innocent children—in the name of "anti-terrorism."

Masters of deceit

The Arroyo regime's lust for power does not end with the rabid persecution of the Left, but includes all other political oppositionists. None other than Gloria Arroyo's husband directs the regime's dirty tricks department. He played a leading role in brokering her wife's fake victory by doctoring the 2004 election results, to the extent of bribing, kidnaping, or threatening unsympathetic COMELEC officials and their relatives, or reassigning "unfriendly" military officers.

Also part of the regime's dirty tricks is Mike Arroyo's more than 40 libel suits against journalists, kidnaping and death threats against the families of Senate witnesses and political oppositionists, burning electoral documents to destroy evidence of cheating, fake bomb threats, fake assassination plots against Arroyo, fabricating and planting evidence against rivals, fake witnesses, trumped up charges against the Batasan 5 plus torture for the Erap 5, vindictive actions and demolition jobs against political rivals such as the attempted suspension of Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, "calibrated preemptive response" against demonstrators, etc.

Meanwhile, Gloria Arroyo can pretend to know nothing about these. She has no qualms as her henchmen do the dirty work for her, using the government's entire arsenal for a whole range of sordid tactics to destroy their enemies.

Another favorite tactic of the military's psywar department is the use of fake mass graves such as the ones in Bukidnon, which the governor and other officials of Bukidnon strongly disputed and denounced as false. Furthermore, the movement's errors of twenty years ago have long been repudiated and corrected through the rectification movement, and the errors' masterminds have been expelled from the Party.

Arroyo may think that the issue of political killings will just die and fade away like the Hello Garci scandal, but she is dead wrong.

George Bush's lies have started to backfire on him and his utra-rightist gang. International condemnation has now swept even the American people into repudiating Bush. So, too, will the lies of Gloria Arroyo and her generals backfire, and with a terrible vengeance. The Philippine military's psywar experts may have learned their lessons well from their American tutors. But they failed miserably in their lessons from the Filipino people's revolutionary history.

Once again, the revolutionary movement does not resort to killing activists just to discredit and embarrass the government or gain political mileage. The Arroyo regime is already doing an excellent job of embarrassing and damning itself with its scandalous, corrupt, deceitful, and terrorist rule. The CPP-NPA and the revolutionary movement are not terrorists. They are a legitimate belligerent force   fighting for national liberation from foreign domination, local feudalism, and bureaucrat capitalism.

If Gloria and her generals only knew, the solution to the "insurgency problem" is simple—implement genuine agrarian reform and nationalist industrialization, uphold national sovereignty and the people's democratic rights, and repudiate the three basic problems in Philippine society. #
Posted by Kalovski at 09:39:09 | Permanent Link | Comments (3) |