ANG Rouse the People in Their Millions for the Armed Revolution

Pahayagan ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas ANG Pinapatnubayan ng Marxismo-Leninismo-Maoismo

English Edition Vol. XLIII No. 6 March 21, 2012 www.philippinerevolution.net

Editorial Rouse the people in their millions for the armed revolution

he Filipino people eagerly await the 43rd anniversary of the for Aqui-no's big bourgeois com- New People's Army (NPA) on March 29. Amid the darkness of prador friends. He wields the Twidespread hunger and poverty, exploitation and oppression, full force of the police, the mili- the NPA and the armed revolution are beacons of hope leading to a tary and paramilitary groups to future where freedom, progress and justice abide. suppress the people's democratic movement. The US-Aquino regime's pressively higher taxes are be- The Filipino people are at the much-vaunted “road of right- ing imposed. deepest end of their suffering in eousness” is nothing but an The US-Aquino regime turns the face of the poverty wrought empty slogan leading to an ever a blind eye to the abject condi- by the policies being foisted by wider chasm between the ruling tions of the Filipino people. On the US-Aquino regime. They classes and the oppressed, to the other hand, it is completely have risen up through mass intensified exploitation and subservient to US imperialism struggles and protest actions to graver suffering and poverty for and is beside itself advancing air their collective opposition to the people. the interests of big foreign com- the laws and policies enforced Under Aquino, the policies of panies. It gives the oil giants by the Aquino government. liberalization, deregulation, pri- free rein to raise prices, and big Their seething anger is akin to a vatization and denationaliza- mining companies and planta- volcano ready to erupt and spew tion have condemned the Philip- tions the liberty to seize land forth a powerful force that will pine semicolonial and and plunder the country's re- put an end to the exploitative semifeudal system to a sources. and oppressive system. crisis unprecedented in Aquino continues to turn a Conditions are exceedingly severity in more than deaf ear to cries for a living favorable for advancing the half a century. Land- wage. He entices big foreign armed revolution in the Philip- grabbing is rampant. capitalists to invest in the coun- Unemployment is try and take advantage of its rife. Wages are cheap and docile labor force. In this issue... pegged at extremely The Aquino regime has low levels. Oil and made a campaign of Nationwide food prices and the driving out the urban protests 3 cost of basic services poor from their homes are on a continually upward to give way to in- Intervention spiral. Social service budgets frastructure proj- in the name are suffering cutbacks. And op- ects of disaster 4

Violence against children 6 pines in a major way. It is tories attained in advanc- the duty of the members ing the people's war, espe- and cadres of the Party cially in carrying forward and all revolutionary for- agrarian revolution and ces to seize all opportu- building the new demo- nitues to rouse the people's cratic government in the anger against the ruling countryside. Let us steel regime and the system it ad- our resolve to surpass all ministers. Big advances in the the previous victories of armed revolution rely on the the past four decades of widespread arousal and mobi- revolutionary struggle. lization of the people in demo- From the broad mass cratic mass struggles. movement, we must gath- We must kindle the fires of er broad support for the NPA agrarian struggles in the vast and people's war. We must un- countryside. We must arouse Let us rouse the patriotism dertake the mass recruitment of and mobilize the peasant mass- and democratic consciousness new Red fighters, especially es and farm workers and ad- of the people. Let us advance a among the ranks of the youth. vance agrarian revolution to a broad movement to study histo- Let us expand the people's mili- higher and broader level. ry and promote the scientific tia and self-defense units for We must spark the flames of and revolutionary method of the training en masse of new mass struggles in the urban ar- thinking. Let us expand several Red fighters. eas, arousing and mobilizing the times over and continuously The New People's Army is workers, urban poor, students, consolidate the revolutionary determined to continuously in- rank and file employees and oth- mass organizations. Let the Par- tensify the armed struggle na- er democratic sectors to join ty deepen its roots among the tionwide. In accordance with powerful mass struggles against masses. the Party's call, the NPA will the antipeople and pro-imperial- Let us reach out to the peo- continuously launch more and ist policies of the ruling regime. ple in their millions and rouse bigger tactical offensives We must carry forward anti-im- them to advance the armed rev- against the armed forces of the perialist, antifeudal and antifas- olution and people's war to a reactionary state. The NPA will cist struggles. higher stage. Let us hail the vic- continuouisly train its fighters and officers to raise the capa- bilies of the people's army in battle. ANG Contents The NPA continues to strengthen its capability to Vol. XLIII No. 6 March 21, 2012 Editorial: Rouse millions for launch both annihilative and armed revolution 1 punitive operations against the Ang Bayan is published in enemy. It targets the seizure of Pilipino, Bisaya, Iloko, Hiligay- Nationwide protests vs. oil price hikes 3 non, Waray and English editions. an ever bigger number of Oil firms’ overpricing 4 It is available for downloading firearms from the hands of the at the Philippine Revolution Web Armed intervention in the name enemy to put them in the hands Central located at: of “disaster preparedness” 4 of Red fighters. The NPA must www.philippinerevolution.net seize thousands more weapons Ang Bayan welcomes contribu- NPA: Stop logging in Isabela 5 to arm the thousands among the tions in the form of articles and End violence against children 6 news. Readers are likewise people's ranks desiring to be- enjoined to send in their com- Military buses in Eastern Visayas 7 come Red fighters. ments and suggestions for the The Filipino people are de- No happiness in Coke 8 betterment of our publication. termined to advance the peo- You can reach us by email at: Giant strike in India 8 ple's war. Despite the darkness [email protected] News 9 of their plight under the ruling system, their revolutionary Ang Bayan is published fortnightly by the Central Committee movement faces a bright fu- of the Communist Party of the Philippines ture. ~

2 ANG BAYAN March 21, 2012 Nationwide protests against Cruz and Victoria towns in La- guna. Some 100 drivers likewise oil price hikes launched a caravan from Bac- laran, Parañaque to Imus, Cavite to express solidarity with rogressive organizations regime refused outright to heed the nationwide protest. launched successful pro- the protesters' demands, (see In Bicol, the Concerned Dri- tests on March 15 to op- related article) P vers and Operators for Reform pose continued oil price hikes In Metro Manila, progressive (CONDOR-PISTON) led a trans- and demand that the Aquino groups gathered early in the day port strike on March 11 that regime address this issue. The in various areas. At 9 a.m., PIS- paralyzed 91% of transporta- Bagong Alyansang Makabayan TON and its allied organizations tion in Albay and Sorsogon and (BAYAN), Koalisyon ng Progresi- launched a transport caravan 80% in Masbate. Rallyists in Na- bong mga Manggagawa at Ma- from Elliptical Road in Quezon ga City did “planking” in the mamayan (KPMM), Kilusang City up to the offices of Petron, major streets. Mayo Uno (KMU), Pagkakaisa ng Shell and Chevron in Makati Some 30 jeepneys and taxis Samahan ng mga Tsuper at City. Noise barrages were also held a caravan from Mandurriao Operators Nationwide (PISTON) held in 30 protest centers, District to Bonifacio Drive in and other groups led various among them Cubao, Philcoa, Iloilo City while BAYAN led an- forms of protest in different Batasan Hills, Roosevelt and other rally at Banga Crossing in parts of the country. North Avenue in Quezon City; Kalibo, Aklan. In Bacolod City, The protest actions were España, Delpan, Sta. Mesa and hundreds of members of the launched in the face of incessant Mendiola in Manila; and Monu- United Negros Drivers and Op- hikes in the prices of petroleum mento in Caloocan. erators Center (UNDOC) and products which have risen by Youth protesters launched a BAYAN-Negros marched from more than P5 per liter since the parody called “Noynoying,” the Sacred Heart Shrine to the start of the year. A liter of diesel where they gave blank stares and Fountain of Justice at Bacolod's now sells for up to P50 while an did nothing, to symbolize Noynoy old city hall. 11-kilogram cylinder of liquefied Aquino's inutility in the face of In Cebu City, members of petroleum gas (LPG) now retails unbridled increases in the prices BAYAN-Central Visayas and at close to P1,000. of petroleum products. other groups launched a protest The protesters demanded a Protest actions and cara- action at the office of the De- rollback of up to P9 per liter in vans were also held in other ar- partment of Energy-Region 7. the prices of all petroleum prod- eas across the country. Mass Slamming the soaring prices of ucts. They likewise demanded actions were launched in the commodities due to uncontrolled the removal of the 12% Value cities of Baguio and Dagupan. oil price hikes, they said that the Added Tax (VAT) which ac- In Laguna and Cavite, a trans- removal of the VAT on oil will counts for P6 in the price per port caravan led by STARTER- give temporary relief to drivers liter of diesel and P7 in gasoline. PISTON was joined by a hun- and the rest of the people. They also called for the abroga- dred vehicles that went to sev- In Cagayan de Oro, some 20 tion of the Oil Deregulation Law eral areas in the two provinces. drivers' associations joined a which has given the oil compa- Students at the University of two-hour transport caravan. nies free rein to determine pe- the Philippines-Los Baños also In Davao City, members of troleum prices. The Aquino set up protest centers in Sta. TRANSMISSION-PISTON and other groups trooped to the Petron and Chevron oil depots and pelted these with paint bombs. They also threw paint bombs at an image of Benigno Aquino III, assailing him for his government's inability to thwart the oil price hikes. Protest actions were likewise held in the cities of Surigao, Bu- Example of “noynoying” tuan and Gen. Santos. ~

ANG BAYAN March 21, 2012 3 Oil firms rake in P147 M daily from overpricing

il companies amass an extra P147 million daily from the remove the tax on petroleum Ooverpicing of diesel alone, according to a study by Ibon products despite the people's Foundation. This finding is based on obervations that diesel widespread clamor. A huge prices in the Philippines rise 20-22% faster compared to the fu- burden will be lifted from the el's price levels in the international market. It is estimated that people's shoulders with the diesel is overpriced by as much as P8.61 per liter and gasoline removal of the P7 tax per by P16.33 per liter. Studies show that the actual overprice may liter on gasoline, P6 per liter be much higher, since the oil companies refuse to open their on diesel and P100 books of accounts to the public. per 11-kilogram cylinder of LPG. ~ Oil companies are able to Petron to conduct local ex- overprice their products due ploration and oil production to the continued existence of and influence local prices of the Oil Deregulation Law. petroleum products. The bill Progressive liegislators have likewise calls on the gov- been pushing for the passage ernment to purchase whole- of the Downstream Oil Indus- sale the country's oil needs. try Regulation Act which calls for the formation of a Petro- P26 M daily oil taxes leum Regulatory Council that The Aquino regime hauls will control oil prices and in up to P26 million daily from oversee a price stabilization the taxes imposed on oil. This fund. It also calls for the gov- is the reason why the govern- ernment to repurchase ment stubbornly refuses to

West Valley fault line, which US armed intervention runs along Bulacan; Rodriguez, Rizal; Quezon City; Marikina; in the name of “disaster Pasig; Taguig; Muntinlupa; San Pedro and Sta. Rosa, Laguna; preparedness” and Carmona, Cavite. The US in- vokes “disaster preparedness” he Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) strongly con- to enable it to conduct intelli- demned plans by US and Philippine military forces to conduct gence operations in the National Tmilitary exercises in the heart of Luzon in April. The CPP as- Capital Region and nearby sailed, in particular, the use of “disaster preparedness” as a cover to provinces. In launching “hu- justify the exercises and the entry of interventionist American troops manitarian activities” at the in the Philippines. heart of the metropolis and its The exercises come on the heels of Operation Pacific environs, the US and the pup- Angel 12-1 launched in Bicol on March 5-10. The opera- pet regime aim to tion which was led by the 13th US Air Force was like- counter wise held on the pretext of “disaster preparedness.” the Alongside medical and dental missions, US military and AFP forces conducted surevillance and espi- onage operations, using drones to map the region's terrain. The upcoming exercises will be no different from Operation Pacific Angel 12-1. The official line is that it is being done to prepare for a possibly major disaster should an earthquake result from movememts in the

4 ANG BAYAN March 21, 2012 people's strong opposition to US In 1992, for instance, the killed by the US interventionist intervention and US presence in US invoked the widespread troops. the country. famine in Somalia as a pretext In 2004, the US rode on the The US has long been invok- to send in 20,000 American tragedy wrought by a huge ing various issues such as troops to intervene in the civil tsunami to enable its armed calamities, human rights viola- war then raging in the country. forces to penetrate Aceh, In- tions and protection of minori- Under the cloak of the United donesia, which then strongly as- ties to obscure its intervention Nations Operations for Soma- sailed the US “anti-terrorist in countries where there are lia, the US claimed that its war” for arbitrarily targeting strong anti-US forces. No less troops were in the country to Muslims. than the US Army Field Manual distribute food and other basic The US also used “disaster on Counterinsurgency issued in needs to the people who had relief” as a pretext to force Bur- 2006 states that humanitarian been suffering from almost a ma's anti-US government in assistance or civil-military op- year-long drought. In fact, 2008 to open the country's air erations by US forces always American troops were engaged space and sea coasts in the most have military or political moti- in almost daily clashes with calamity-stricken areas to US vations. At all times, “disaster armed groups with strong anti- fighter planes and warships. relief” operations target armed US sentiments. They bombed After a strong earthquake in factions, movements or gov- civilian communities and com- Haiti in 2010, the US prioritized ernments. In the case of hard mitted other human rights vio- sending in 20,000 troops to the targets, the US resorts to using lations. In their ten-month country on top of the 12,500 its allies in the United Nations stay using “disaster relief op- troops already in Haiti, instead to justify its armed interven- erations” as cover, up to of sending funds and material tion. 10,000 Somali civilians were assistance. ~

NPA calls for stop to logging Isabela Provincial Police Intel- ligence Unit. The two intelli- in Isabela gence agents are known to reg- ularly extort money from the he New People's Army (NPA) attacked on February 29 a sawmill sawmill. Seized from them were involved in destructive logging operations in the forests of a cal .45 pistol and a 9 mm TIsabela. Beretta, their cellphones and documents of intelligence val- In a statement, the Benito Vice Mayor Letty Sebastian of ue. Tesorio Command (NPA-Isa- Jones. Since January 2010, Ong has bela) said Red fighters attacked The owners have been en- been dispatching various per- the Alliance Sawmill Company in couraging, hoodwinking and sons on his payroll to negotiate Barangay Usol, Jones at bribing the locals to en- with the revolutionary move- around 5 p.m. After gage in logging. ment. Ong is a Chinese business- confiscating two shot- Their logging activi- man who has long had a lumber guns from the sawmill ties stopped only business in Sta. Rosa, Nueva guards, the NPA when their sawmill Ecija and has connections with burned two power was subjected to the biggest politicians and con- generators, a loader, punitive action. tractors in Isabela. He enjoys an Elf truck, two six While the the protection of the Jones-PNP by six trucks and the raid on the and the 5th ID. diesel station. sawmill was on- Ong and his cohorts have The sawmill is going, Red been offering huge amounts to owned by Sammy fighters arrest- the revolutionary movement to Ong of Monte Alto ed at a checkpoint allow them to engage in log- Timber Resources Cor- SPO1 Noriel Sabbaluca ging. The revolutionary move- poration (MATRC), May- Ualat and PO2 Rodel Guerero ment has spurned all their of- or Edgar Go of San Mariano and Bedana, both elements of the fers. ~

ANG BAYAN March 21, 2012 5 Brains behind Fr. Tentorio slay killed in ambush

notorious military asset identified as one Before Fr. Tentorio's murder, Wineger ma- Aof the brains behind the murder of Fr. liciously branded the priest as an NPA support- Fausto “Pops” Tentorio was killed in an ambush er in a “peace rally” at the North Cotabato by the New People's Army (NPA) at the public Provincial Capitol organized by the 6th ID. He market in Kidapawan, North Cotabato on slammed Fr. Tentorio and his parish in Arakan March 7. as a big obstacle to the operations of the AFP's Patrick Wineger was an active combatant Oplan Bayanihan in North Cotabato and sur- and asset of the AFP. and was armed with a cal rounding areas. .45 pistol when ambushed. He armed the In a statement, NPA-Southern Mindanao Lumad to sow violence in North Cotabato. He political director Ka Simon Santiago said the organized the bandit Bagani, Alamara and Wineger family had been enriching itself and Mansandong groups into anti-NPA fanatics. accumulating land since 1970. They own a rub- These fanatics extort from small businessmen ber plantation along the border of Makilala, and residents and harass and kill innocent North Cotabato and Kidapawan City. As Wi- civilians. neger colluded with the fascist military, he was Wineger was identified as one of the mas- able to penetrate the Lumad tribes and com- terminds behind Fr. Tentorio's killing. The per- munities. He terrorized and cajoled them into petrators were his men in the Bagani bandit fighting non-Lumad settlers and used this con- group. After the killing, the leaders of the flict to seize and occupy ancestral lands for the Bagani group in Barangay Dalag, Arakan imme- interests of big capitalist mining and other diately reported to Wineger. businesses. ~

Stop state violence dence and testimony from villagers point to the 61st IB's re- against children sponsibility for the bloody incident. KARAPATAN-Panay as- he Aquino government must put a stop to continuing state vio- sailed the military for feigning lence against children wrought by the Armed Forces of the innocence, saying the AFP has TPhilippines' (AFP) Oplan Bayanihan. The demand was aired by been covering up its own acts of advocates of the rights of children victimized by the state's counter- violence by blaming everything revolutionary campaign. This year alone, five children have already on the NPA. been killed in military operations in the countryside. The latest victim Before this bloody incident, was 7-year old Rudelyn Aguirre, from Tapaz, Capiz, said the Chil- four children have been report- dren's Rehabilitation Center (CRC). ed killed in separate military operations in Laguna and Ca- Rudelyn was killed on March both calves, causing her instan- marines Norte, according to 11 when a grenade exploded as taneous death. Roda was seri- CRC head Jacqueline Ruiz. Chld she was playing in their yard in ously wounded in the chest and victims of military operations Barangay Tacayan. Her sister, rushed to a hospital in Calinog, suffer from severe emotional 4-year old Roda, was seriously Iloilo. trauma, become socially with- injured. The grenade is suspect- To cover up their involve- drawn and the normal run of ed to have come from elements ment in the crime, 3rd Infantry their lives disrupted. of the 61st IB whose detach- Division chief Maj. Gen. Jose Since Benigno Aquino III ment is located in the upland Mabanta immediately issued a came to power, the CRC has portion of the barangay. statement accusing the New recorded seven killings, 17 frus- The victims' grandfather Ju- People's Army (NPA) of respon- trated killings, two cases of lian Aguirre said he was inside sibility for the explosion. He also rape, ten attacks on schools and their house when he heard a accused the Aguirre family of eight cases where minors were loud explosion. The sound had being NPA members amd maliciously accused of being come from the upland area. claimed that their house was a “child soldiers.” Rudelyn sustained wounds in land mine factory. On February 25, two chil- her left eye, neck, abdomen and Nonetheless, all the evi- dren were killed with their fa-

6 ANG BAYAN March 21, 2012 ther in Labo, Caramines Norte Military violence when soldiers indiscriminately opened fire at the house of the in Eastern Visayas Mancera family where a lone NPA member was resting. arge-scale militarization under Oplan Bayanihan in the guise On February 16, a 15-year of “peace and development” operations have wrought grave old boy and his adult companion Lhunan rights violations and economic dislocation to the peo- were shot to death in Magdale- ple of Eastern Visayas. The Philippine Army 8th Infantry Division na, Laguna after they were ac- began its military operations on February 27. cused of being rebels. On March 4, at around midnight, soldiers of the 87th IB ab- Meanwhile, 36-year old Jim- ducted village councilman Artemio Labong and his son Ruel, 21, in my Liguyon was gunned down in Barangtay Pagsanjan, Paranas, Samar. Artemio was first interro- his house in Barangay Dao, San gated and tortured in his house in front of his 12-year old daugh- Fernando, Bukidnon by mem- ter before he was taken away by the troopers. Despite the 8th ID's bers of a paramilitary group run claims that the soldiers were there on a mission of “peace and de- by the 8th IB. Liguyon was the velopment,” the troopers were in full combat gear. vice president of the Kaugali- Helicopters have been circling the villages daily allegedly be- ngong Sisteme sa Igpasasindog cause an NPA camp had just been raided nearby. This, and the fear to Lumadnong Ogpaan (KASI- of being the next victim of abduction have been terrorizing the local LO), a Lumad organization residents. based in Bukidnon. KASILO de- The situation has caused peasants to stop going to their fields. fends ancestral lands and the The resulting economic dislocation has forced them to ask the environment against large- Paranas local government to provide them with daily food rations. scale mining and other commer- Meanwhile, in Barangay E. Duran, Bobon, Northern Samar, cial operations. Liguyon was al- 20th IB troopers arrested and interrogated a resident at around 8 so the barangay captain of Dao. p.m. of the same evening because of suspicion that he was an NPA Witnesses said Liguyon was supporter. But the soldiers were forced to release him after his shot by Aldy Salusad, son of Ben fellow villagers trooped to the military camp where he was being Salusad who chairs the San Fer- held. nando Matigsalug Tribal Datus The soldiers have been posted outside the village. Nonethe- (SANMATRIDA), a paramilitary less, they have been interrogating and intimidating residents leav- group. ing the barrio and have forbidden them from tending to their Since 2009, SANMATRIDA farms. has been campaigning in favor Five truckloads of soldiers from the 19th IB have also been oc- of the entry of big mining com- cupying the barangay hall, chapel and day care center of Libertad panies in the area. After shoot- village in Ormoc City. As a result, classes at the day care center ing Liguyon at close range, had to be suspended from March 9-12. The soldiers have also been Salusad warned that he would going from house to house and interrogating the residents in the also kill anyone who would guise of conducting a census. The terrified residents have likewise stand in the way of the agree- stopped their farming activities. ~ ments entered into by SANMA- TRIDA. Salusad is also a member of the New Indigenous Peo- ple's Army for Reform (NIPAR), another paramilitary group under the 8th IB. Liguyon had long been against SANMATRIDA's at- tempts to sell their ancestral lands to foreign companies. As far back as 2011, he had already been threatened by SAN- MATRIDA that he would be killed if he continued to oppose mining in the area. ~

ANG BAYAN March 21, 2012 7 No happiness Giant strike in India ens of millions of Indian workers launched a 24-hour strike on in Coke February 28 to demand that government respect their labor Trights and to oppose hikes in the prices of commodities. It was he workers' union at the 14th general strike launched by the Indian people since the liber- Coca-Cola Philippines T alization of the local economy in 1991. Other estimates put the num- strongly assailed attacks ber of participants in the strike at up to a hundred million, surpass- by the company on their ing the giant anti-privatization strike of 2010. union rights. The company has refused to negotiate The entire transportation employees of Air India, telecom- with the workers for higher system nationwide was para- munications companies and coal wages and a new collective lyzed, with seaports, airports, mines to resist the government's bargaining agreement trains and buses stopping all op- privatization plans. (CBA). Instead, the compa- erations. Banks and post offices There is a terribly wide gap ny has been propagating were closed for the day, as were between the rich and the poor in the so-called 3P scheme as telephone services, markets and India. Out of a population of a basis for raising the other retail outlets, mines, ener- more than a billion, almost half wages of workers in close gy plants and automobile facto- or 410 million live in poverty. On to 45 unions in Coca-Cola ries. The strike shook the centers the other hand, only 55 billion- Philippines' parent compa- of 14 of the country's 28 states. aires control almost $250 billion ny, San Miguel Corpora- Among the workers' de- (equivalent to more than 60% of tion. Under 3P, instead of mands are the creation of a na- the Philippine economy). granting an across-the- tional social security fund, a Ordinary workers receive board wage increase, an higher minimum wage and its only 500 rupees or $43 per individual worker's wage broader application, equal month and work for ten to 18 will be raised based on his rights and protection for both hours per day. According to gov- or her presence, perform- casual and permanent workers, ernment statistics, the unem- ance and participation. The an end to attacks on unions, ployment rate stands at more evaluation will be conduct- lower costs of goods and servic- than 10%, with ever growing ed every two months and es, a stop to the sale of state- numbers of casual workers. anyone who does not pass owned companies and an end to Some 60 to 100 million youth in will be automatically termi- corruption in government. India are also victims of bonded nated. Even before the nationwide labor, a system where their Coke also claims to be strike, Indian workers had al- services are used to pay off their doing a review to deter- ready been launching a series of parents' debts. Soaring prices of mine what jobs are “essen- mass actions. Among these were goods are an added burden to tial” or “non-essential.” the two-day occupation of the the Indian people. The official The union believes that this Hyundai plant and strikes led by inflation rate is 12%. ~ is a precursor to the massive layoff of regular workers and their replacement by contractuals. Through this scheme, Coke is systematically killing the workers' union. It has been manipulating labor policies to avoid ne- gotiating with the union and granting a wage increase, and to effect a massive layoff. Contrary to its much-vaunted public image, there is no happiness with Coke. ~

8 ANG BAYAN March 21, 2012 US troops massacre 16 Afghan civilians

ixteen innocent civilians, including nine chil- sound of gunfire coming from different directions. Sdren and three women were massacred by US They also heard laughter from the drunken US troops on March 8 in Afghanistan. The incident oc- soldiers. curred in Panjwai district in Kandahar province. US military officials, however, claim that the Six others were seriously wounded. The incident killings were an accident and not the result of their was a reaction by US-led NATO forces to a series military operations. The perpetrator was allegedly of military defeats. a sergeant who had gone berserk and slipped out It was about 3 a.m. when US troops barged in- of a military camp alone, and walked for more than to a house occupied by three families and arbitrar- two kilometers before entering the area. ily opened fire at the sleeping victims. After the Before the incident, NATO and US forces had shooting, the troops poured been suffering a series of defeats in the hands of kerosene on the bod- the Taliban. On March 6, six British soldiers on pa- ies and burned them. trol were killed in Kandahar when their vehicle was An Afghan farmer al- hit by a bomb. On the same day, nine elements of most lost his mind af- the Afghan Local Police were also killed in a sur- ter learning that 11 prise attack by Taliban forces on their checkpoint members of his family in Char Chino district, Oruzgan province, in south- had been murdered. ern Afghanistan. Based on the On February 25, two high-ranking NATO offi- testimony of the cials were killed when an Afghan soldier shot them surviving vic- right inside the Ministry of Interior building in tims, the as- Kabul. On February 21-25, four US soldiers were sailants were US killed by Afghan policemen and soldiers in separate troops. Someone had heard a heli- incidents in southern and eastern Afghanistan af- copter land, bearing some 20 sol- ter US troops burned copies of the Koran in diers. Neighbors were roused by the Bagram Base on February 21. ~

Rights groups file PKM warns Aquino, Danding anti-demolition suit at UN

THE Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Magbubukid (PKM) THE Philippine Universal Periodic warned Benigno Aquiino III and his uncle Eduardo “Dan- Review (UPR) Watch filed a case on ding” Cojuangco Jr. that they would face the collective March 14 at the office of UN Special wrath of small coconut farmers once they use the more Rapporteur on Adequate Housing than P50-billion coconut levy fund for the “conditional Raquel Rolnik. cash transfer” program. The case cited more than 50 in- “The Filipino peasantry will frustrate Aquino cidents of violent demolitions of and Cojuangco’s maneuvers to deny small co- houses in Metro Manila under the US- conut farmers their legitimate and rightful claims Aquino regime. Among those affected to the multi-billion peso coco levy funds,” said are 19 communities and more than PKM chair Andres Agtalon. The PKM is an 16,000 families. As a result, thou- allied organization of the National sands of homes and jobs have been Democratic Front. lost, millions of pesos worth of liveli- Even as the small coconut farm- hoods destroyed and many children ers wage struggles to demand control over forced to stop their schooling. all assets bought using the coco levy The latest cases involved the dem- funds, they may cooperate with the olition of an urban poor community in New People's Army in the guerrilla Barangay Corazon de Jesus in San bases to take over and run oil mills Juan City and several shanties along owned and controlled by Cojuangco the railroad tracks of the Philippine and the Aquino government. National Railways.

ANG BAYAN March 21, 2012 9 ILPS condemns killing of Mexican activist

THE International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS) condemned the killing in January of Ben- have caused widespread environmental destruc- jamin Vazquez Sanchez, a local activist fighting tion. Among those already affected by the oper- destructive foreign mining in Mexico. He was ations are the area’s watershed and the resi- gunned down by hired goons of Minera Cuzcat- dents’ sources of water. Minera Cuzcatlan has lan, a local subsidiary of the Canadian-owned likewise been responsible for several human Fortuna Silver. Two other local activists—Andres rights violations since its entry in 2006. Sanchez Vazquez and Rosalinda Dionisio—were COPUVO is part of the Oaxacan Collective in wounded in the shooting. Defense of the Land, a collective of indigenous or- Bernardo Sanchez Vazquez was the presi- ganizations resisting foreign projects and opera- dent of Coordinadro de Pueblos Unidos del Valle tions that exploit Mexico's natural resources to de Ocotlan (COPUVO), a mass organization the detriment of its people. In the past ten years, fighting Minera Cuzcalan's open-pit mining op- up to 24,000 mining concessions have been grant- erations in Ocatlan Valley, Oaxaca, Mexico. Ac- ed by the Mexican government to foreign compa- cording to COPUVO, the company's operations nies.

10 ANG BAYAN March 21, 2012