NPA spokesman snipes at army ‘development’

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

(Ka Tipon Gil Ayab, spokesman of the LejoCawilan Command of the New People’s Army in Kalinga sent the statement below on military “abuses.” We urge concerned military officers to send a rejoinder to the Northern Philippine Times to air their side on the matter.)

In a recent interview by the DZRK-Radio ng Bayan Tabuk, the 501st Brigade, through its newly-installed commanding officers Col. Agcaoili and Col. Donald Hongitan, were trying to feed poisonous lies against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front and the militant people’s struggle in a futile attempt to blind the people to the truth, that the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the reactionary government is on a losing course in the presently ongoing people’s war.

Contrary to their statement that they are into 80 percent community development programs in the context of Oplan Bayanihan, the masses in Kalinga are still at the receiving end of their brutalities as their mercenary nature still continues to rear its ugly head.

We, in the Lejo Cawilan Command can only shake our heads in disbelief at the childish way Col. Hongitan berated the masses of Barangay Dupag, Lubuagan for their rightful resistance and denunciation against the human rights violations (HRVs) committed by the fascist troops of the 21st IB.

Col. Hongitan should be reminded of the glorious history of the people of Kalinga, including those of Barangay Dupag, for their hard resistance against the presence of and stationing of army troops in their barangays because of the masses long years of sickening experience of the brutalities and other unspeakable forms of cruelty under the AFP’s bloody hands, especially during the darkest days of the Marcos dictatorship’s Chico Dam projects.      

Likewise the brutal onslaught by the AFP has always been continuing during  the Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL) of then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and under the present ongoing OplanBayanihan of the Aquino Regime, for which Col. Hongitan has actually bloodstained his own hands.    

Take for instance the recent numerous HRVs that their troops have committed in less than a month from June 1-21 this year in Barangay Dao-angan, Balbalan while being there in the pretext of peace and development.

Their violations include forcing residents of Sitio Bin-ac to accommodate the soldiers at their houses. Recently, drunken soldiers of the 21st IB who were staying at the house of Segundo Palangdao, indiscriminately fired their weapons making Palangdao’s wife to faint.

Their indiscriminate firing resulted to destruction of property of a certain Dominga along Sitio Supak, where a road is currently being constructed, damaging her house.

There was no real encounter with the NPA at this time because in truth, the masses working on the said road were the ones that were fired upon, and telling that it was an encounter with the NPA (which, by the way, Col. Agcaoili and Col. Hongitan have no knowledge at the time of interview, which shows the lack of control that they have over their troops).

These troops also stole some things of the small-scale miners and concocted the story that these said things were “cleaned” from the NPAs that they have encountered.

Col. Hongitan had even cited Barangay Tawang of same municipality as his proof that the government is giving development to the people. He even boasted of his achievements during his stay at Tawang, but was, in fact, known throughout the province as one of the most fascist officers of the notoriously brutal 48th IB during the years of the OplanLambatBitag (OLB). 

In reality, in barangays where their PA-CAFGU detachments are posted, like Tawang, there has been no substantial development during years of their presence, only the spread and exacerbation of anti-social acts and HRVs, among them, which continue even up to this day, are to include corruption of minors through viewings of bold movies inside the military detachments.

They have committed violence against women and conducted adulterous affairs with single and married women in the barrios, destroying families and relationships.

They have been the promoter of various forms of gambling and vices, which in effect eroded indigenous cultures and values and engaged in cattle rustling and stealing other animals.

They have been into illegal logging, extorted from businessmen and indiscriminately fired their rifles, especially during their drinking sprees which sowed fear and terror among the masses

           

What “development” do Col. Agcaoili and Col. Hongitan mean? The truth that these officers want to hide is the fact that they and their reactionary fascist troops are not really there in the barangays of Kalinga to promote their so-called brand of “peace and development”, but to serve as “Investment Defense Force” for the safe entry of foreign capitalist large-scale mines, hydropower dams and geothermal energy projects that virtually land grab our ancestral lands, deny and destroy the people’s livelihood and resources.

           

Time and again, whenever and wherever in the Philippines these imperialist “development” projects are, the AFP (including the 21st IB, the 77th IB, the 501st IBde, and the 5th ID) are there to protect them.  For whom these so-called “development” projects Col. Agcaoili and Col. Hongitan are talking about?

Such is the case of Tawang, Balbalan as of the present. Col. Hongitan boasts of his achievements in Tawang to justify the continuing presence of the military as guardians of the Cordillera Exploration Corporation, Incorporated (CEXCI) currently starting their drilling operations in the formerly SSM (small scale mining) area of Laocon, situated in Tawang.

Their convoluted concept of “development” truly means further profits for these capitalist companies and the reactionary US-Aquino 2 Regime. But for the people, development aggression is no development at all. And the people’s opposition is what the AFP is out to silence through their recycled tactics of terrorism and outright deception by means of their triad approaches, consisting of combat, intelligence and civil-military operations.

The people of Tawang and other barangays of Pinukpuk and Balbalan truly cannot forget a Donald Hongitan, who was then a lieutenant during the OLB from 1992 to 1996, for he made his mark as one of the most fascist military officers responsible for the brutal brigade-level combat operations in order to break the backbone of the so-called “PRG” (provisional revolutionary) areas and to enforce CAFGU recruitment  and building through threats, harassments and coercion especially targeting known tribal leaders  at that time.

The scars of terror that he and his co-officers have brought to the masses here in Kalinga shall never be forgotten.

As for Col. Agcaoili, the people of Kalinga are truly hospitable, but they also have a long history of armed resistance when their interests, security and their collective honor are at stake.

This has been the case during the time of the Chico Dam Struggle even before the New People’s Army entered Kalinga in 1976.