What Happened to You. . . Brothers-in-Arms ? ? ?
Agnes Lopez Reaño

People who think they are always right, people who think they are better and greater than others would do well to listen to Jesus’ message about humility (Lk 1, 7-14).  It states that “whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be raised”.  Take the road of humility, and sure enough, you can’t go wrong.  Remember PRIDE comes before the FALL. All too often, we look back at our lives with regret because we did not learn the basic lesson of humility in life.  If only we were humble, we would not have stumbled.

Based on the first paragraph, you may think I was just wasting my time, my effort and even my knack for writing.  Telling and preaching Jesus message to the Communist terrorist CPP-NPA-NDF, who in the first place, don’t believe in GOD.  That according to Jose Maria Sison, the trilogy (as in “Star Wars”) is the “Marxist-Leninist vanguard party of the working class. Taking this statement into context, as I quote based on Karl Marx dogma “religion is the opium of the people”. From here I can evidently show you fellow Filipinos, that these people mocked GOD, whom we firmly believe and hold on to. 

But just the same, though it may seem funny and hilarious that I’m trying to reach out to the sensibilities of my former comrades in the mountains, touching the “soft spot” in their human heart. . . trying to preach them the “word of God” . . . some members of the front organizations may think that I’ve gone nuts.  But crazy as I may seem, the above mentioned scenario is just what is exactly is happening to our brothers in the mountain’s they are stumbling right now. . . falling into pieces. . . running everywhere like rats.  Proof of this, some NPA units based on the revelations of NPA surrenderees, especially those formerly operating in the province of Tarlac, that there once large and strong army are now joining the NPAunits in the province of Zambales, and that the once full-size unit are now only 15 disgruntled and over-fatigue individual red armies.  Same as what is happening now with their comrades operating in “white areas” or cities, particularly in Metro Manila.  This shows that they don’t know what to do, honestly, what with all the factors that greatly and distinctly affect every member’s ideology and conviction and belief in the movement.  IDEOLOGY?  ?  ? . . . that’s baloney, this ideology so and so is all for lip-service, proof of these are the injustices, atrocities, and exploitation they are committing on innocent civilians, who fall prey with their deceptions and manipulations.  For sure, they didn’t join the movement because of ideology.  These people established and organized organizations for personal agenda and reasons.  Agenda that is definitely way, way back with their supposed ideology.

Sample. . . let’s enumerate. . . some of the very distinct and conspicuous agenda.  The use of the “war booty” by the higher echelon of the CPP-NPA-NDF, like Jose Maria Sison, Luis Jalandoni, Fidel Agcaoili and their cohorts.  A flamboyant Ferrari car, a Prada attaché case, Louise Vitton pants and coats, Chanel perfume, billeting in the most expensive and ostentatious hotel like the Waldorf Astoria, eating out with the best and expensive restaurants. . . dancing with Ara Mina. . . . yes. . . brothers in the mountains, these are what your pretentious and arrogant leaders are doing with all you’ve been sweating and dying for. 

Using you also in the process of gaining “media mileage”. . . oh. . . how your leaders love to sway back and forth, prance forward and backward for the cameras. . . they really love the clicking of the cameras. . . posing for them. . . really loves brother. . . the media coverage accorded to them by some members of the “Fourth Estate”. . . who by some reasons allow themselves to be used by these catatonic leaders.  Add up to these facts, is that they love to “EXPLOIT MINORS”. . . using and exploiting them as couriers, support elements and even as regular red fighters, who are definitely the “sacrificial lambs” in this no-nonsense fight.

Communist Terrorist or NPA Terrorist, whatever the label is, it boils down to plain and simple TERRORIST. . . blood-thirsty people.  That’s what the leaders are of this movement.  Yes, members and higher echelon of the CPP-NPA-NDF hates to be tag as such, but what they are doing clearly and undoubtedly show the people that they are callous, brutal, insensitive and coldhearted killers.  Looking at our country’s situation more closely, analyzing what’s happening, the atrocities that the hedonistic leaders of the movement perpetrate and continually perpetrating. . . TERRORIST . . . is the most apt and appropriate tag for them.

This tag irritates the higher echelon of the movement, they even used this issue before to blocked the then “peace negotiation”.  Even used this to blackmail the members of the government panel. . . and tried to scare the wits of the members of the government. . . for them to talk it out with the Amnesty International to scrap them from the list of International Terrorists, who were the ones who included them in the said list, in the first place.

This irritation adds up to the multi-faceted reasons that kept on piling up. . . which the COMMUNIST TERRORIST are now facing. On a closer look, these reasons affect not only their “will to fight” but most especially their “will to survive”. . . yesssssss. . . Virginia Alcindor. . . these insurgents or terrorist finds it hard to fight it out with the ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES. . . in the mountains. . . on the battlefield. . . in the war zone. . . even in urban areas where they now concentrate. . . they were shocked to discover that it is a tumultuous and difficult fight. . . fighting a very unique battleground. . . THE TRUST AND CONFIDENCE OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE. 

This scenario is very much evident and apparent in the different areas here in Metro Manila, their front organizations once bastion and stronghold.  Leaders of the front organizations refused to believed what they are now witnessing and experiencing within their respective organizations. . . their foothold in the depressed areas dwindled before their very own eyes, clearly their organizations are on the verge of “dying a natural death”.  Areas that they considered as their “territories” before, at present are apparently no longer in their “clutch”.  One can witness today that their so-called “territories” could not even generate warm bodies for their rallies and mass protests, last proven was during the SONA where they were targeting 20,000 to 30,000 warm bodies, but was able to  a produce only a thousand or more, not very much willing demonstrators but “paid rallyist”.

Even the youth sector and middle forces no longer cared to join the front organizations in haranguing the government.  The same old faces of leaders of front organizations were the ones seen on the street and TV crying their hearts out with their lunatic tirades, leaders who are definitely receiving monetary benefits and are compelled to stage a rally because if not they will lose their “monthly stipend”.  The youth and student sector can no longer be encourage to join their rallies, what with the present deployment of military troops in the National Capital Region. 

Particularly the deployment of the CIVIL MILITARY OPERATIONS BATTALION was unexpected, the communist movement were caught flatfooted.  Never in their imagination that the government will deploy military troops in urban areas and engage them in their very own turf with a very distinct and atypical strategy. . . different from the ones that the communist movement were accustomed to.  the soldiers are not engaging the Communist Terrorists in combat but was transformed into a "facilitator" addressing the cornucopia of social issues that the front organizations used and exploited to malign and demonized the very same government that they are using.

What with all what are happenings in Metro Manila at present, these terrorist are at their low point. . . considering some of these factors:  hunger experienced by red fighters in the mountains, constant fear of military offensives in red areas, fear of death, homesickness, a very repressive and oppressive organization and leadership, their morale is definitely and greatly affected by food blockade, a basic needs which their leaders could not even supply; hardships experienced by members of front organizations in urban centers; the continuous bickering and conflict within the leadership of the movement, lack of fund sourcing and restrictions on the movements of white area operators because they are now being unmasked by the very same civilians that were deceived before.  These factors are all affecting their “will to survive”, which will categorically give the communist movement the final deathblow. . . the decimation of their mass base “WHICH WOULD EVENTUALLY LEAD THEM TO DIE A NATURAL DEATH.”

With all of these happenings. . . it is only right and justified brothers. . . that you all wake up to the realities of this inconsequential fight. . . don’t allow yourselves to be drag and used by these lunatic and nutty leaders of the Communist Terrorist Movement.  Employ your faculty of reasoning. . . study and analyze closely the situation. . . read between the lines. .  better yet LISTEN TO WHAT YOU ARE NOT HEARING. Chances are you’ll wake up with a great jolt, with a bump on your head, but definitely and humbly learning the most important lesson in your life.