MANILA, Philippines – NAHIHIRAPAN ang Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) na makahanap ng “existential relevance” matapos mabigo na maihatid ang pangako sa mga followers o mga tagasunod nito.
“The honest answer is clear. Fifty-seven years on, what remains of the CPP’s social experiment is not a mass movement, but a sunken organization that vainly clings to an outdated ideology, sustained by deception, coercion, and the continued sacrifice of lives that no longer believe in its cause,” ang sinabi ni NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. sa isang kalatas, habang ipinagdiriwang ng CPP-NPA ang ika- 57 taong anibersaryo nito.
Sinabi ni Torres na ang anibersaryo ng CPP ay hindi isang okasyon para sa pagdiriwang kundi isang sandali ng seryosong pagmumuni-muni para sa mga miyembro nito.
“After more than half a century of armed struggle, even as it currently claims to rectify and recover, the CPP is plagued with a question of existential relevance. Has this ‘revolution’ truly delivered to the people it claims to serve?” ang tanong ni Torres.
“The CPP would have the country believe that this is because of fear or coercion. It is desperate to hide the fact that these communities are already seeing tangible improvements in the people’s lives. They see roads being built, livelihoods restored, and basic services that finally reach areas long neglected,” aniya pa rin.
“Peace and development, not armed violence, have proven to be the real instruments of change,” ang tinuran nito.
“Militarily and politically, the NPA is now fragmented and depleted. Its remaining units are isolated, undersupplied, and increasingly reduced to acts of extortion, intimidation, and punitive violence against civilians,” dagdag na pahayag ni Torres.
Winika pa ni Torres na ang “loud rhetoric of resurgence through rectification and recovery” na sinasabi ng mga rebelde ay hindi maitatagong katotohanan na ang NPA ay natigil nang maging isang organisadong armadong grupo subalit naging isang ‘band of isolated bandits’ sa isang survival mode.
“Unable to rebuild support in the countryside through the NPA, the CPP has turned its political focus toward one remaining lifeline: Its urban-based operations. Universities, urban poor communities and other vulnerable groups have become prime targets for ideological grooming,” ang tinuran ni Torres.
Sa ilalim ng method na ito, sinabi ni Torres na ang mga kabataan ay binomba ng ‘romantic narratives of struggle’, kahit ang mga CPP organizers ay nagtago mula sa would-be recruits grim reality ng pagkagutom, pagkatakot, disillusion at pagkamatay sa mga bundok.
“Even in tragic deaths, the family’s mourning is weaponized and monetized, while recruitment quietly continues. This is not genuine activism. This is pure exploitation,” ang sinabi ni Torres.
Idagdag rito, sinabi pa ni Torres na ang CPP ay umaasa lamang sa legal democratic organizations nito, “the wolves in sheeps’ clothing, to maintain relevance, weaponize narratives, and squeeze out financing opportunities to sustain its operations.”
“The Filipino people have seen and embraced the government’s evolving but steady approach to ending local communist armed conflict that is no longer driven by force alone. Through a whole-of-nation framework and flagship initiatives like the Barangay Development Program, we continue to focus on governance reforms, social services, infrastructure, reintegration, and amnesty for those who genuinely choose peace,” ang pahayag ni Torres.
Sinabi pa niya na ipinagpapatuloy ng National Action for Unity, Peace and Development ang mga inisyayiba ngayon at higit pa.
Ang pagsisikap na ito ayon kay Torres ay magpapatuloy na mag-evolve at ito’y makapaghahatid ng tunay na resulta na ilang dekada nang hindi nagawa ng nasabing armadong grupo.
“After 57 years of bloodshed, displacement and broken promises, how many more lives must be spent to keep the CPP’s failed ideology alive? How many more young Filipinos must be persuaded to die for a revolution that no longer has a future?” anito.
Samantala, hinikayat naman ni Torres ang natitirang NPA fighters na sumuko habang nananatiling nakabukas ang pintuan ng kapayapaan.
Aniya, “this is a very viable option as a lot of former NPA rebels already chose the path that allowed them to reunite with their families and communities.”
Habang ang reintegration ay hindi perpekto, sinabi ni Torres na ito ay makatao at matagumpay kaysa igugol ang buhay sa hindi nagbabagong kalagayan at pagkatakot.
“The task force extends the same call to the remaining cadres and organizers of the CPP’s white area and urban operations. The path of violence must be abandoned and we must, together, pursue non-violent and democratic means to address our nation’s problems,” ang tinuran ni Torres.
Aniya, ang ideolohiya ng armed violence ay naging “impractical, socially costly, and exacted a toll that the Filipino people can no longer afford.”
“Join the growing number of peace advocates who continue to work for change constructively, lawfully, and with respect for life,” an sinabi ng NTF-ELCAC official, kasabay ng paghikayat sa mga natitirang mga rebeldeng komunista. Kris Jose
