Pahayagan ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas ANG Pinapatnubayan ng Marxismo-Leninismo-Maoismo English Edition Vol. XLVIII No. 16 August 21, 2017 www.philippinerevolution.info

6 firearms seized in Bicol

THE NEW PEOPLE'S Army (NPA)-Bicol confiscated six firearms from two consecutive ambuscades this August. Five offensives were likewise launched by NPA units in Southern Mindanao, Far South Mindanao, North Central Mindanao and Central Luzon. The island of Negros likewise recorded 17 armed actions since January this year. Mean- while, at least four offensives were launched by the NPA- Southern Tagalog last July. Bicol. The NPA-Sorsogon (Celso Minguez Command or CMC) ambushed 30 elements of the 31st IB, at 5:25 a.m. last August 7 in Brgy. Casili, Gubat. Four soldiers were immediately killed by a command-detonated EDITORIAL explosive, including 2Lt. Lee Tramedal, the commanding of- End the US-Duterte ficer of Alpha Coy, as well as SSgt. Alan Bercasio, SSgt. Rol- regime's anti-Moro war len Cabangon and another sol- dier. Seven more were wounded. he US-Duterte regime's nearly 100-day Marawi siege is now a full Confiscated from them blown war of suppression against various Moro groups which have were three M4s, magazines and taken upon themselves to continue the armed struggle to defend ammunitions, and other milit- Tand advance the 's right to self-determination. Its relentless ary equipment. The firefight airstrikes and bombings of the city have resulted in widespread destruc- lasted for 45 minutes. tion of property and livelihood, and the deaths of at least a thousand ci- According to the CMC, the vilians. This has brought about economic destruction and a massive hu- Red fighters seized three manitarian crisis. sachets of shabu from The intensity of Duterte's war and abuses against civilians. The sol- Tramedal's military pack. This against the Moro people has taken diers have free rein in plundering per- confirms the long-standing genocidal proportions, forcing them to sonal properties of Marawi residents, knowledge of the residents that kneel to his whims and decisions. It from the millions of pesos of business 31st IB troopers use illegal drugs. has given the AFP the license to un- earnings to house appliances of or- The second ambush was dertake mass killings, arbitrary arrests dinary families. and detentions, torture, harassments The Duterte regime has served continued on p. 3 Marawi to the AFP and the US on a Asia as its justification. also know as a US creation. silver platter. It gave the US a rare Duterte has been portraying his More groups have joined the chance to undertake more extensive war and the AFP's Marawi siege as a armed Moro groups, including the military intervention. The US took "war against terrorism" and against , which has bonded to- the opportunity to launch a wide- the foreign "ISIS" as a desperate gether in Marawi City for a rido (clan spread military operation similar to attempt to conceal the real reasons war). What started as a rido Syria (a combination of airstrikes of the growing armed resistance in between rival clans is now a rido and special forces operations) in the Marawi and other parts of the against the AFP, against the US and country, alongside dumping old and . He has mistakenly the Duterte regime. obsolete weapons and undertake presumed that his martial law de- In imposing martial law, Duterte various military exercises between claration in Mindanao will suppress managed to consolidate his control its troops and that of the AFP. the struggles of the Moro and over the reactionary and ensure the That the US aims to reclaim Filipino peoples. Instead of being perpetuation of his power. He swept Marawi as its base and maintain a cowed, Duterte has only fanned their aside the civilian authority of local large and more permanent number growing anger. Their contempt Moro officials. He managed to si- of troops here has become clear. for Duterte is unprecedented, lence Moro groups with threats and A 1953 decree allocat- who even insultingly bribes. He poured funds into the ing 80% of the city claims having Maranao AFP. The state has already spent P3 as its military re- blood. They are fully billion for the in servation has been aware of the reas- three months alone, excluding the revived. The US is ons behind the daily P1.3 million spent for missiles also intent on attack against and rockets for jetfighters and heli- drawing up a new their city at copters. He has reportedly raised military treaty the pretext millions of pesos from his oligarch using the "ISIS" of fighting cronies to benefit wounded and slain black scare in the the ISIS soldiers. country and in which they In launching the anti-Moro war in Marawi and all-out war in the en- tire country, the Duterte regime has ANG Contents completely subsumed itself to the

Editorial: End the US-Duterte regime's dictates and interests of US imperi- alism. He welcomed US aid and Vol XLVIII No. 16 | Agosto 21, 2017 anti-Moro war 1 weapons with open arms. This Au- 6 firearms seized in Bicol 1 Ang Bayan is published in gust, he warmly received in Pilipino, Bisaya, Hiligaynon, Editorial: Unite the people to resist Malacañang US State Department Waray and English. Sec. Rex Tillerson, a representative Duterte's heightened tyrannical rule 4 Ang Bayan welcomes of American monopoly capitalists. contributions in the form of Fight against the anti-drug campaign 5 As the war in Marawi rages, the articles and news items. Readers Uncover the truth behind Marawi siege 6 Moro people's armed resistance is are encouraged to send feedback spreading. They are intent on taking and recommendations for The US-created AFP-LRR 10 up arms to defend their interests and improving our newspaper. Destruction of tricycles condemned 11 welfare. Together with the New

instagram.com/prwcinfo Bungkalan in Batangas 11 People's Army, the Bangsamoro armed revolution for self-determin- youtube.com/PhilippineRevolutionWebCentral 10th International Day of Minorities 11 ation is bound to unprecedentedly @prwc_info Human rights violations in Palawan 11 advance in the years to come.

fb.com/philrevwebcentral CA rejects Sec. Judy Taguiwalo 12

[email protected] Duterte’s 2018 budget is anti-poor 13 Read the special report about the truth behind the AFP's Marawi Ang Bayan is published fortnightly by the Central Committee siege on page 6. of the Communist Party of the

2 August 2 1 , 2 01 7 ANG BAYAN "6 firearms. . . ," from p. 1 Alibando Tingkas in launched by the NPA-Catanduanes January 17, (Nerissa San Juan Command or NS- 2016. JC) against the elements of the Far South Catanduanes Police Public Safety Mindanao. Company last August 10, at 12:30 On August noontime, in Brgy. Sagrada, Viga. 13, the NPA- The NSJC seized two M16 rifles Far South and a 9mm Glock pistol, magazines Mindanao and ammunition. (Valentine Two policemen were killed, Palamine while nine others were wounded, Command including P/Insp. Montes. Mean- or VPC) attacked while, a police officer who sur- the armed personnel of rendered was treated humanely by Silvicultural Industries Inc., one of 5:30 a.m. Two were killed and three the comrades. One Red fighter, Ka the subsidiaries of David M. Con- were wounded among the soldiers. Jeremy, was martyred in the battle. sunji Incorporated (DMCI), in Sitio That night, another unit of the CBC Southern Mindanao. A member Bermuda, Sto. Niño, set off a command-detonated ex- of the 60th IB who was active in the Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat. Three plosive against elements of the Duterte regime's anti-Lumad cam- guards were killed and some were RPSB-4A in Barangay Mahipon, paign was killed in a partisan oper- wounded. These guards were Cavinti, Laguna. A police officer was ation last August 8 in Sitio Meg- trained by the 38th IB-CAA and are killed. cauwayan, Brgy. Tapak, Paquibato culpable in many cases of murder Before this, the Red fighters District in Davao City. According to and other crimes against Lumads harassed the RPSB in Barangay San the NPA-Davao City-Bukidnon Sub- and peasants in Sultan Kudarat and Antonio, Kalayaan on July 20, at regional Command, the 60th IB is South Cotabato. 10:30 p.m. One RPSB element was aggressive in exploiting the Lumad North Central Mindanao. The wounded. in its counterinsurgency campaign. NPA-South Central Bukidnon (SCB) Meanwhile, a soldier was killed Two soldiers of the 71st IB Subregional Command set off a in a sniping operation by a unit of were likewise killed in a partisan command-detonated explosive the NPA-Mt. Sierra Madre (Rosario operation by the ComVal-Davao against operating troops from the Lodronio Rosal Command) in Gulf Subregional Command, at 8th IB and 72nd Division Recon Mauban, Quezon on July 24. 10:30 a.m. last August 14, in Brgy. Company in Sitio Binangkasan, Negros. In a summing-up by the Poblacion, Mawab, Compostela Val- Brgy. Canangaan, Cabanglasan, NPA-Negros (Apolinario Gatmaitan ley. According to the residents, PFC Bukidnon last August 5 at around 1 Command or AGC), the NPA in the Jerome Adlawan and his companion p.m. island has launched a total of 17 were involved in a series of Lumad Central Luzon. The NPA-Pan- armed actions from January until and peasant killings in Mawab, gasinan announced the successful July of this year. Ten high powered Mabini and Pantukan. ambush by the Red fighters against firearms and 15 pistols, along with Meanwhile, 14 members of the the PNP-RPSB on July 28, at around various ammunition and military paramilitary group Alamara sur- 9:30 a.m., at Villa Verde Road, equipment, were seized from these rendered to the unit of the Davao Barangay Sta. Maria East, San Nic- offensives. Most relevant of these City-Bukidnon Subregional Com- olas. Two members of the RPSB, in- tactical offensives was the ambush mand last August 20. According to cluding Sgt. Aris Tamondong, were launched against the PNP- the Lumads, they were actively be- killed and two were wounded. Guihulngan last July 21. ing exploited by the 60th IB in its According to the NPA-Pangas- According to the AGC, in the counterinsurgency campaign in or- inan, the successful ambush sup- past six months, the NPA also suc- der to sow discord within the ports the struggle of peasants and cessfully meted out punishment on Matigsalog tribe in Talaingod and indigenous people of San Nicolas in 14 landgrabbers, criminal elements nearby municipalities. The Lumads defending their farms and ancestral and intelligence agents of the admitted being employed by the lands. 303rd IBde. These are involved in 60th IB in terrorizing and driving Southern Tagalog. A unit of many cases of human rights viola- away their fellow Lumads, destroy- the NPA-Laguna (Cesar Batralo tions and anti-peasant activities, ing a school in Sitio Labuo and in Command or CBC) harassed troops including the killing of four activ- the heinous murder of student belonging to the 80th IB on July 25, ist-leaders.

ANG BAYAN August 2 1 , 2 01 7 3 EDITORIAL Unite the people to resist Duterte's heightened tyrannical rule

odrigo Duterte is obsessed with his strongman Rambitions. He is set on establishing himself as a fascist despot. His resort to tyrannical methods has heightened since having unravelled as a camp-follower of the US imperialists. He has become ever more brazen and unapologetic in carrying out repressive policies and measures. He has escalated the campaign large parts of of extrajudicial killings against Mindanao and else- street peddlers and users of shabu. where. He expresses satisfaction over news He has like- that more than a hundred have been wise used his killed by his police in three days. He war against has publicly applauded the murder- drugs as a ous rampage of his police force and blanket tool has repeated his vow to save them against his from punishment, stoking greater political rivals. He brandishes his rammed through his new tax laws public indignation after police were thick book of dossiers of supposed and is seeking quick approval of his caught on camera manhandling a drug personalities which not even 2018 budget. With complete or 17-year old boy prior to his fatal the police chief can cite a basis nearly complete control of con- shooting. There is widespread clam- for. He has arbitrarily included and gress, Duterte aims to push for or for justice for all the victims of excluded people and has used the charter change to enshrine the Duterte's anti-people "war against list to arm-twist rivals with threats neoliberal policies of liberalization, drugs." of killings showcasing the privatization and deregulation and This escalation of police killings Parojinogs and Espinozas (of Al- realize his ambition of completely comes at the heels of the discovery buerra, Leyte) in order to force monopolizing power under the of a P6.4 billion shipment of shabu them to accede to his political and guise of establishing a federal gov- from China at a warehouse of the criminal agenda. ernment. Bureau of Customs. The involve- The brutality of Duterte's "war Duterte wants everyone to re- ment of Duterte scion Paolo and his against drugs" is matched only by main silent and blindly accept his Davao gang of businessmen cum the brutality of his all-out war planned infrastructure-binge with drug smugglers has also been ex- against the revolutionary forces all its burdensome debt deals and posed. Duterte has defended his ap- under Oplan Kapayapaan, his im- commissions. He has repeatedly pointee at the BOC despite (or per- position of martial law and suspen- threatened the Supreme Court haps because of) the drug sion of the writ of habeas corpus in against issuing TROs and had his smuggling. Mindanao and the anti-Moro war political allies file an impeachment Duterte is himself rousing wide- and siege of Marawi. In the coun- case against the chief justice. spread public suspicion that his tryside, the military rules and re- Threats of impeachment have also "war against drugs" is nothing but a spects no rights or freedom. Killings been dished out against other offi- smokescreen for a major turf war of peasants and national minorities cials who have not been cooperat- among major drug syndicates, and run unabated. It has relentlessly ive with the Duterte regime such as that he has been using the police to carried out aerial bombing, shelling Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Mor- provide favor and protection for one and strafing of civilian communities. ales. syndicate against another or that he Almost half a million people have Duterte has completely aban- himself is a drug kingpin. Employing forcibly evacuated. doned his cordial relations with the trusted and tested police officers, Duterte has used his congres- national democratic movement he liquidated the Parojinogs of sional supermajority to earn ap- having failed to entice the people's Ozamiz City, long known for con- proval and extension of his revolutionary forces to silence their trolling the illegal drug trade in Mindanao martial law. He has also guns in a protracted ceasefire prior

4 August 2 1 , 2 01 7 ANG BAYAN to substantively addressing the and public opinion fakery can with- encourage, unleash the initiative roots of the civil war. His congres- stand the assertion of the truth and give full swing to their members sional minions have voted to reject concerning the concrete conditions and their mass base to confront and the appointment of social activist of the oppressed and exploited confute Duterte and his band of Judy Taguiwalo as social welfare people. paid trolls in all forms of media. secretary, signalling his termination It is the task of the Party and They can do so by carrying out reg- of earlier efforts to explore a pos- revolutionary forces to unite all ular educational discussions among sible alliance with the Left. He has sectors in a broad people's alliance, their members and the masses in repeatedly declared he no longer provide it core strength and leader- the factories, communities, schools, wants peace negotiations with the ship in the struggle against the US- offices and so on. NDFP. Duterte regime's tyrannical, crimin- The broadest possible online The Duterte regime has carried al and corrupt rule. Indeed, many network of activists, propagandists out policies that favor foreign big of the Duterte regime's victims are and members of the national demo- capitalists, bourgeois compradors, now rising from the depths of fear cratic mass organizations must be big landlords, bureaucrat capitalists and raising their voices against his built. and the fascist military and police. regime. Under the direction of the It plans to impose additional tax The mass organizations and al- Party, the New People's Army (NPA) burdens and pursues a debt-driven liances must unite and mobilize the must continue to seize nationwide infrastructure program which are people in greater numbers by in- initiative, carry out more and more bound to be detrimental to the tensifying the mass struggles of tactical offensives, increase the people's welfare. It has waged wars peasants, workers, students, the number of its weapons and arm a of death and destruction against urban poor, the women, the Moro rapidly increasing number of new the people, especially against the and minority peoples, the church Red fighters. peasants, the Moro and national people, teachers, the migrant work- Every successful tactical of- minority peoples, the workers and ers and their families and other fensive of the NPA helps shatter the the urban poor. democratic sectors and groups. climate of shock, awe and fear im- As a result, the Duterte regime They must carry out mass struggles posed by the regime's brutal war has become increasingly politically and campaigns along anti-imperial- and, in turn, instills fear on the isolated from the people and has ist, anti-feudal and anti-fascist drug-crazed Duterte. The victories resorted to more and more tyran- lines. of the NPA inspire the Filipino and nical measures to perpetuate itself They must give attention to wa- Moro people to wage mass struggles in power. No amount of media and ging a propaganda offensive against and armed resistance against the social media manipulation and news Duterte's demagoguery. They must US-Duterte regime.

The fight against the bloody anti-drug campaign

AS THE NUMBER of victims of extrajudicial killings in the over social media. name of Duterte's "war against drugs" continues to in- This August 21, various groups, together with Stop crease, so are the enraged people condemning it. the Killings Network and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, On August 18, members of Anakbayan from the Uni- launched "Walk for Justice", which will wrap up in a versity of the Philippines-Diliman, Polytechnic University candle-lighting activity at the crime scene, and a program of the Philippines and University of Sto. Tomas launched a during de los Santos' wake. black ribbon protest in condemnation of the "war against Caloocan Archbishop Pablo David also called for drugs," particularly the killing of 17-year old Kian delos justice for the victims. According to him, the Catholic Santos. Various sectors led by KADAMAY and Rise Up for church will sound its bells every night from August 20 un- Life and Rights also staged a protest on the same day at til November 27 as a protest on the widespread killings. the Boy Scouts Rotonda in Quezon City. Cultural activists, including veteran directors, "Duterte's martial law is not only in Mindanao, but writers, singers and movie artists, released a statement of also in poor communities where drug suspects and small- condemnation. According to the group, killing in the name time addicts and pushers are killed without even a trial," of the "war against drugs" and the exoneration of those said Fr. Gilbert Billena, spokesperson of Rise Up. responsible, have seemingly become normal fare. They The campaign #JusticeforKian and an end to the gov- also called for an end to the campaign and justice to all its ernment's killing of its citizens with impunity spread all victims.

ANG BAYAN August 2 1 , 2 01 7 5 Ang Bayan Special report Uncover the truth behind the AFP's Marawi siege

his Ang Bayan special report seeks to put together the true picture of the and annihilated. The local police TAFP's siege of Marawi City. Featured here are crucial data the AFP per- force did not fight. They buried sists in covering up including the questions regarding the basis of the "ISIS" their firearms and left the city to- black-scare that Duterte created and inflated; and the US' central role in the gether with the civilian evacuees. initiation and continuance of the war on Marawi City; and others. These data were culled from reports of Party cadres carrying out direct 3. The fight that erupted in Marawi investigation, units of the New People's Army (NPA) deployed among the was exploited to declare martial law Moro masses, interviews with Marawi resident evacuees and research from in Mindanao. various public information sources. The evening of May 23, Duterte declared the imposition of martial 1. The context of the Marawi war's Although the brothers used IS- law and suspension of the writ of outbreak was rido and not rebellion. IS symbols and the flag, there are habeas corpus in the whole Even before the outbreak of the no indications that the group's op- Mindanao. war in Marawi, a widespread rido erations are controlled or funded by He did this while in Russia to had long been brewing among clans the Syria and Iraq-based ISIS. show the president Vladimir Putin of the local ruling class. Clans out There are also no indications that that he was fighting the "ISIS" in of power agreed to unite and launch the brothers had connections with his own turf. At the same time, he an armed action particularly other Moro groups that have begged Putin for additional missiles against the ruling faction headed by pledged allegiance to the ISIS flag and weapons that according to him Gandamra, the incumbent mayor outside Lanao del Sur. will be paid by the Philippines. Rus- who won in the 2016 elections. sia ignored his request. They planned to seize the city hall, 2. The US' botched liquidation op- AFP units that are directly con- neutralize Camp Ranao and close erations against trolled, funded and trained by the down the city's main avenues. triggered the fight. US for "counter-terrorism" tactics The clans involved here have The fight between the AFP/PNP were among the first deployed to deep and intertwined relations. One and armed Moro groups erupted at Marawi. Foremost among these clan, the Romato-Maute, had es- around 1:45 p.m. on May 23. The were the 2nd and 4th Light Reaction tablished a wide alliance when it at- AFP launched an operation similar Company. These were supported by tempted to oust the incumbent to that in Mamasapano with the in- a minimum of three battalions (49th mayor of Butig in November 2016. tent of liquidating Isnilon Hapilon in IB, 44th IB and 15th IB), one Through their mother's Romato pursuit of the $5 million (P125 mil- mechanized battalion (5th) and one clan, their family has direct connec- lion) reward offered by the US. reconnaissance division company tions with Solitario/Salic, the As in the botched Mamasapano under the control of the 1st ID. biggest clan in Marawi. operation, US design and control of At day two, the Naval Special The plan to oust the incumbent the operation is evident. At the op- Operations Group from Zamboanga faction in Marawi was led by the eration's day one, the city teemed Peninsula and the 1st Scout Ranger Mautes, particularly the brothers with US-trained and armed troops, Regiment with forces from the Omarkhayam and Abdullah. Their mainly the Light Reaction Regiment Lanao del Sur-Bukidnon boundary interest converged with the Abu (LRR) based in Fort Magsaysay in reinforced these units. The AFP Sayyaf's Isnilon Hapilon's interest Nueva Ecija. This unit was bolstered threw its whole Mechanized Division to establish a "Dawlah Islamiya" by the US in 2004, using its own into Marawi (four mechanized bat- (Islamic State) there. To draw in funds, and trained extensively for talions, one cavalry squadron and support within the city, they called its intended military strategy. (See one light armored unit), and all of for the "cleansing" of Marawi from related article on page 10) its armored units (114) that were non-Islamic ways, such as the And as in the Mamasapano in- sold by the US to the AFP in 2015. thriving drug trafficking, prostitu- cident too, a huge Moro force met Within a few days, AFP troops in tion, alcohol intoxication, indebted- and outfought the first AFP assault Marawi reached 3,000, supported ness, karaoke and others. The pro- like a "pintakasi." Almost the whole by almost all of the Philippine Air liferation of drugs was attributed AFP force used by the US in this Force's fighter planes and heli- to the AFP. operation was reportedly trapped copters. These were reinforced by

6 August 2 1 , 2 01 7 ANG BAYAN infantry battalions from Panay, "crossed the water" (Lanao Lake) at reported beheading of two workers Southern Tagalog and Bicol. dawn on May 24. By the size of their in Butig in 2016 was because they Encounters within the city were forces, they were able to control the were AFP intelligence agents. Under numerous and many at close quar- city's major roads and strategically the Shari'a law, beheading is a form ters. AFP forces were repeatedly positioned themselves in commer- of capital punishment practiced by engaged, together with their ar- cial districts. Islamic countries such as Saudi Ar- mored units, in battles that lasted Last August, another armed abia. for days. Most of the units which group directly attacked the 55th IB To make them appear as ter- were not trained for urban warfare detachment at the outskirts of the rorists, Duterte accused the Maute found it difficult to fight within the city. group as being behind the bombing city with criss-crossing roads and of the Davao City Market in the adjoining houses and buildings. 5. The "ISIS" black-scare and "ter- evening of September 2, 2016. In a rorism" rare interview, this was strongly 4. Armed Moro groups fought in- Ever since Duterte imposed denied by the group's spokesperson. tensively, widely and with strength martial law in Mindanao and The Maute group is not the only ordered the Marawi City siege, he 6. War of suppression against the group fighting in Marawi City. A has systematically and continuously Moro people's armed struggle non-formal alliance of various used the "ISIS" black-scare and The Duterte regime ceaselessly armed Moro groups, including linked this with the Maute group to repeats the story about the sup- former MILF factions that are dis- enlist support for his iron-fisted posedly "extremist Maute group" gusted with the deception of the measures. He used the "black and "terrorism of the ISIS." He in- successive Aquino and Duterte re- scare" although he has not pro- sistently paints pictures of a "for- gimes, compose the biggest Moro duced a thread of evidence eign power" behind the various force entrenched in the city at of ISIS pres- Moro groups' armed present. Many of the younger com- ence in struggle in Marawi, manders and forces of the MILF Marawi City despite the re- sympathize with the Mautes espe- nor its peated denials cially considering that the Romato links to of the AFP clan is powerful within its structure. the spokesperson. The Romatos own the land where Maute The Maute and Camp Bushra, the MILF's second group. other groups describe their fight biggest camp, is located. Many as their "jihad" or religious war to In the face of the soldier's in- evacuees establish their own government discriminate attacks, many of the who were within the Philippines. Marawi residents have decided to inter- More than their unity as "ji- fight the AFP, at their own initiative viewed said that they heard of "IS- hadists," these armed groups are or with the various armed Moro IS" presence in their area only from united by their common objection to forces in the city. television newscasts. Many also the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), They confront the intensity of doubt the prevalent black graffiti "I the proposed law drafted by the the AFP attacks using self-made love ISIS" around Marawi City be- GRP and MILF to establish their guns such as the barett and explos- cause this is inconsistent with the nation under the reactionary con- ives. Their reason is that if they do fundamentalist-religious stand of stitution of the Philippine constitu- not fight, they will be killed by the the ISIS. tion. soldiers anyway. Some assist with In their area, the Maute broth- Duterte thought that he would the guns while others go with the ers are known as "jihadists" who be able to unite the various Moro armed groups believing they are follow a "fundamentalist" Islamic groups under an amended BBL. But more secure in such company. Ac- view. They have no record of hurt- even the MNLF, that he has time cording to the civilians trapped in ing civilians or targeting non-Is- and again declared to be friendly to the city, during the first day, armed lams. There are no accounts that him, could not be persuaded to groups were even giving them food they ever spread intense hatred abide by this. and advising them to hide well. against Christians. Under the "revised" BBL, which Meanwhile, other Moro groups A video of armed men perform- according to some Moro groups is sent additional armed forces to ing sacrilege on religious symbols at no different from the previous BBL, Marawi City. One who identified St. Mary's Cathedral is being circu- Moro armed groups are required to himself as a Maute spokesperson lated but there is no evidence that surrender and submit to be under confirmed that other armed groups this was done by the Mautes. The the reactionary GRP and the AFP

ANG BAYAN August 2 1 , 2 01 7 7 and PNP, a matter most of the nomies are linked to the former. military says are Maute atrocities groups promoting their self dignity Duterte is turning a deaf ear to the but from the ceaseless bombing and refuse to do. They cannot accept to Moro's widespread appeal to stop brutality of the AFP. During the be integrated, or even just cooper- the bombings because of the war's first month only, around ate, with the reactionary military calamitous destruction to their lives 20,000 evacuees already showed that has dealt countless crimes and property. signs of severe depression. against their families and clans. The AFP drops 250-pound (or Duterte's war is a genocide-like Aside from this, it is not acceptable almost 115 kilos) bombs, rockets war against the Moro people. This is for most of the Moro to subject and other explosives from US-sup- Duterte's "punishment" for the their territory, funds and resources plied planes and helicopters. Ac- Moro groups who refused to support to the GRP and open these to for- cording to residents, there are fre- his peace agenda within the BBL eign plunder and exploitation quent incidents of midnight bombing framework and chose to continue (plantations and mining). from unknown vehicles believed to the path of armed resistance. Even among the ranks of those be unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) who agree with the BBL, there is an or armed drones of the US. 8. Military control of information increasing number of those who are The AFP tries to make it appear When the armed conflict star- getting exasperated with the reac- that only 80 civilians have been ted in Marawi, Duterte's and the tionary state's delay and its unful- killed. But based on the recorded AFP's propaganda machinery filled promises. They are aware that number of missing persons and the heated up to spread false, incom- Duterte is only deceiving them be- corpses brought to the funeral plete and grossly untrue informa- cause until now he has not pushed homes, estimates rise to almost a tion. The AFP's directive on martial the Congress to approve it. Many thousand civilians killed during the law implementation emphasized ordinary Moro warriors have de- first month of the bombing and that one of its key assignments was clared that they are ready to return strafing of the AFP. Many of them "control of information flow." to armed struggle if the outcome of were purportedly Maute members Media personnel are not al- the BBL does not fulfil their aspira- or sympathizers. Marawi local offi- lowed to freely gather information tions. cials' reports prove that corpses are in Marawi City. The military strictly strewn all over and the "smell of controls their movements and the 7. The regime is carrying out a gen- death" blankets the communities. information they release. Many of ocidal-like war against the Moro. More than 400,000 residents in them are required to report all of Local residents depicted the Marawi and nearby towns have the stories supplied to them by the soldiers as almost "naghuhura- been forced to evacuate to Iligan AFP spokesperson. mentado" (running amok) especially City and other places. Most of them Higher military officers limit the during the early days of the Marawi are cramped in evacuation centers media's press releases and the lat- siege. They shot men they found in in very miserable conditions. ter are required to request clear- the homes, even if those who Meanwhile, there are widespread ance for anyone they want to inter- identified themselves as civilians. cases of soldiers looting the resid- view. Using the excuse of ensuring This has been proven by a local offi- ents' abandoned homes, plundering their security, they are prohibited cial who dared to carry out rescue their savings, jewelry, computers from going far from the capitol and operations during the first time the and other possessions. are only fed reports and "dramat- AFP allowed them to conduct "hu- Civilians who are able to escape ized" encounters. manitarian operations." In front of from the war zone experience Even members of the media ob- the said official himself, soldiers severe trauma not from what the served how the soldiers controlled shot two unarmed men the civilians leaving the war zone to who were pleading to be make sure that they follow the rescued. AFP line. A few are able to give The AFP carries out the media the true story but unmitigated bombing they are quickly silenced by and destruction of the AFP and forced to re- homes, infra- tract. All civilians who get structure, out of the war zone are mosques, schools subjected to "profiling," and economy of even the children. the whole Marawi The AFP continues City and adjoining to repeat its lies regard- towns whose eco- ing supposed hostages of

8 August 2 1 , 2 01 7 ANG BAYAN the armed Moro, who are allegedly Even as the AFP's war and siege residents here face eviction. The enslaved and made pregnant by the of Marawi City has not yet ceased, city's remaining 20% land is titled to warriors. The AFP spokesperson several big compradors interested several private individuals. also could not show proof, even just in investing and making money from one picture of a corpse of an alleged "reconstruction" are already falling 10. In US' eyes: Marawi is the new member of the group. No agency or in line. To curry Duterte's and the Syria entity could prove their reports. In- AFP's favor, these companies con- The AFP design of the Marawi stead, there are contrary docu- tributed hundreds of millions of siege and destruction is very con- mented information by the city offi- pesos to the AFP support fund (to sistent with the US style of inter- cials. use as reward for the soldiers). vention in cities that have strong Many incidents that the media Duterte set up Task Force Ban- resistance movements like Syria, do not receive, such as the 14-year- gon Marawi (TFBM), a group Iraq and Afghanistan. Using the old and the media personnel al- headed by Department of National Duterte-created "ISIS" black-scare, legedly hit by a Maute sniper's Defense Secretary Lorenzana and the US concealed its direct armed "stray bullet" within the so-called 22 other officers of government intervention behind the screen of "safe zone," a place across the big agencies for the reconstruction of "advise on technical matters." In river from the position of the armed Marawi City. Not one local leader is reality, the US directed the whole Moro. Media personnel are also in this group's leadership and even operation through its so-called Joint witness to the traces of torture of more, not one representative from Special Operations Task Force Tri- male civilians after going through the city's residents and evacuees. dent, a small group under the the soldiers' "interrogation". Sol- The group drafted relocation plans Pentagon and composed of the high diers and police also display in- for the evacuees, includ- officials of their special solence at checkpoints, even in ing the construction of forces and private con- front of cameras, in threatening cramped housing tractors. According to and insulting residents who dared (22 square meters) the spokesperson of to return to the city to salvage their within and the US military remaining possessions. around Marawi spokesperson him- To justify their continued air- City. self, they expect strikes, the AFP declares that these The TFBM this task force to are "surgical" and only a few civil- has no plans of grow and the scope ians are affected. returning the of its operations to New disinformation is quickly evacuees to their expand in the next supplied to cover the as quickly communities. It dug up a weeks. previously refuted fake news. The 1953 decree that allocated Last August, while the AFP was burning of houses, schools and oth- more than 8,400 hectares of 80% of preparing for its "last offensive" er buildings are quickly attributed the city as a military reservation. against the armed Moro, there to the "Maute-ISIS" despite the According to this decree, almost the emerged the US intention to carry truth that those were the handi- whole city has been declared as out direct airstrikes in Marawi based work of AFP soldiers. Camp Keithley Military Reservation on a "new treaty" for "collective Aside from the two incidents and reserved for US military use. self-defense." It appears that the US when the statements of Moro This covers even the nearby muni- is pushing the revision of the Mutual groups came out in the mass media cipalities of Marantao, Piagapo and Defense Treaty of 1951 to include on May 24, no other information Saguiran, likewise some parts of internal threats such as the "ISIS" comes from them or even from the Lake Lanao. Residents living here and bring back their right to main- Maute brothers. All avenues of in- are in danger of being evicted from tain the huge military base and formation in social media were their own place. Camp Keithley was presence with the authority to in- ordered closed down by the AFP. All the former headquarters of the US tervene anytime and anywhere in the contradicting the AFP's reports are military in Mindanao. country. At the same time, US milit- labelled "sympathizers" of terror- In 1961, this was reduced by ary officers are also pushing for a ism. Anyone who releases informa- more than 1,000 hectares for the bigger operation with a name, such tion contrary to the official line is establishment of the Mindanao as the Operation Enduring Freedom threatened with charges of "cyber State University. At present, the in the 2000s. This operation became terrorism.” university only occupies around 300 the basis of the Joint Special Opera- 9. Business and military interests hectares and the rest are populated tions Task Force-Philippines that fuel the destruction of Marawi City by communities. Therefore, even lasted for 15 years.

ANG BAYAN August 2 1 , 2 01 7 9 The US-created AFP-LRR

THE AFP’S LIGHT Reaction Regiment (LRR) are the main elements engaged in the close-quarter battle that the Moro armed groups are currently waging in Marawi. At the minimum, two of its companies, the 4th and 5th Light Reac- tion Company, have been in Marawi since the first day. The LRR is a military formation strengthened. Under its Operation under the Philippine Army currently Enduring Freedom (2001-2014), the with six companies (600 personnel). US Special Operations Command It was created and exclusively sent the Task Force 510 (which later trained and armed by the US became the Joint Special Operations the New People’s Army in Tarlac. through the $25 million aid from its Task Force-Philippines) in 2002. The There was a period when it was Department of State in 2001. It was LRC was put under this command used against the Moro Islamic Lib- first established as a Light Reaction and after two years of training, it eration Front (MILF). In 2008, 50 Company in 2000 as a special “anti- was activated on 2004. The unit of its elements were charged for terrorism” force against the Abu specialized in counter-sniper oper- killing seven civilians while in pur- Sayyaf. During the early part of ations and close quarter combat, as suit of MILF fighters. In 2014, it 2001, the US sent special forces well as counter-guerrilla tactics. It was used as an attack force in the from its Okinawa base to launch a was expanded into a battalion in Zamboanga Seige, where the Moro six-month training program for the May 2002, and into a regiment in National Liberation Front attemp- said unit. The first elements came 2014. ted to seize parts of Zamboanga from the Scout Rangers and the The unit’s “counter-terrorism” City and establish their own territ- Philippine Army’s Special Forces. operations are not limited to the ories. This was also the unit used in When the terrorist attacks in pursuit of the bandit group Abu to pursue mem- the US occurred in September 11, Sayyaf. It was twice used against bers who came to the island. It 2001 and the US’ military interven- coup plotters from the military conducts secret strike missions to tion in the Philippines intensified, ranks (2003 and 2009). It was in- liquidate high value targets, as it the LRC was one of the units the US strumental in wiping out a unit of did in Sulu this year.

Lakbayan 2017: Solidarity against fascism Lumad students and their support- ers likewise trooped to the Depart- "Solidarity of national minorities and the whole Filipino people in the face of ment of Education office and the the US-Duterte regime's intensifying fascism." This is the general theme of AFP Eastern Mindanao Command the fifth Lakbayan ng Pambansang Minorya headed by Sandugo, an alliance of headquarters in Davao City to Moro people, Lumads, Cordillera people and other national minorities. protest the harassment and threats Approximately more than 1,500 last July, Duterte threatened to by government agencies on their Lumads and Moros from Mindanao's bomb Lumad schools while riding on schools. Hundreds of Lumads like- different regions will travel to Metro the old and deceptive AFP line that wise staged a protest last August 9 this last week of August until these schools are "illegal" and "un- in Davao City in commemoration of September. The Lumads and Moros registered" with the government. the International Day of National of Mindanao will be welcomed by Also since July up to the present, Minorities. tribes and other national minorities more than 100 Lumad students On August 15-16, more than from various parts of Luzon and headed by Save our Schools Network 500 Lumads and peasants from for a month-long campout set up camp at the University of the Compostela Valley province and series of protest actions. Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City launched the People's Caravan for For this year's Lakbayan, the as a protest to Duterte's threats. Justice and Peace. The rallyists primary call will be the lifting of The religious sector, academics as camped out in front of the provincial martial law in Mindanao which the well as artists, gave their support to capitol and called for justice for the AFP and the PNP used as pretext in the campaign of ending the harass- victims of killings under the Duterte order to intensify their fascist at- ment, rebel-baiting, and destruction regime's Oplan Kapayapaan and tacks on the Bangsamoro, Lumad of Lumads schools . martial law. According to Kar- and peasant communities and other Alongside this, massive protest apatan-SMR, in this province civilians in the island. actions were consecutively held by dubbed "valley of death," no less During interviews following his the people of Mindanao against the than 11 have become victims of ex- second State of the Nation Address Duterte regime's martial law. trajudicial killings since January. 10 August 2 1 , 2 01 7 ANG BAYAN Destruction of tricycles condemned Bungkalan in Batangas

KADAMAY MEMBERS STAGED a protest in FARMERS OF SITIO Balakbakan, Barangay Laiya Aplaya, San Juan, front of the Quezon City Hall last August 9 to Batangas launched their bungkalan (collective farming) last August condemn the implementation of the ordin- 17 on the land being arrogated by Laiya Development Corporation ance SP 2337 or "one-strike policy" against owned by Frederico Campos III. Campos is claiming Sitio Balak- unregistered tricycles. Before this, 80 tri- bakan to be transformed as a lavish resort for tourists. Last July 3, cycles were crushed in front of their owners. 2014, residences were violently demolished, driving the residents According to Bea Arellano, the organiza- to live on the sidewalk. Despite the severe harassment of the tion's president, the local government col- guards, the farmers continue to fight for their rights to land. lects so many registration fees that the hard-up operators are forced to continue 10th International Day of Minorities commemorated with their livelihood despite pressure from authorities. DSWD Sec. Judy Taguiwalo like- UNDER THE THEME "Day of Struggle and Celebration," indigenous wise condemned this and contrasted it to the peoples from Cordillera gathered last August 9 in Baguio City. The light penalties on illegal operations of trans- Cordillera People's Alliance (CPA) headed the call for the portation companies Uber and Grab. She heightened solidarity and struggle for rights and self-determination called for a more humane and productive of national minorities and rights of other sectors of society. The method in resolving the issue and not CPA also called for an end to the martial law in Mindanao as through the destruction of the people's Lumads bear the brunt of the widespread violations of the people's properties. rights by the military and its paramilitaries. Human rights violations in Palawan

onsecutive human rights violations were reported in Palawan from July at 10 p.m., elements of the 96th C24 to August 17 this year. At the same time, killings, harassments and Military Intelligence Combat Oper- militarization continue unabated in other parts of the country. atives shot brothers Jayson and Jojo Escaño inside their house in In July 24, the AFP twice While they were being transported Barangay Union. Jayson was killed mortared indigenous communities to the military camp, soldiers while Jojo sustained gunshot wounds in the Arib mountains, between pushed him out of the vehicle. He in his arm. Barangay Malihud, Bataraza and was severely injured and needed On August 7, the same unit Barangay Culasian, Rizal. The hospitalization. His wives were de- entered the house of Salvador Hapa Bagong Tinig ng Katutubo–Palawan tained in the DSWD office while his in Barangay Sangat. In the morning, vehemently denied the AFP West- children kept in a secret location. the soldiers returned, forcing him to ern Command’s claim that there On August 11, four minorities leave the area and his livelihood. was an encounter in the said area. were arrested in Barangay Alacali- On the next day, 4th Marine an, Taytay. They were tortured and Violence against Lumad schools Battalion Landing Team elements slapped with trumped up charges. and communities fired on four minorities who were The four are Noel, Reden and Ely After a clash between the 73rd traversing the river. Two were Peñaredondo and Elesar Buenasal- IB and NPA units last August 8, wounded. bas. Elesar, Noel and Reden were soldiers militarized the neighboring On July 27, a misencounter accosted by troops of the Regional sitios of Lamsalo, Kakob, Mahayag between AFP units was reported as Public Safety Battalion and accused and Maybaka in Barangay Upper a clash between them and Red of being NPA members. Suyan, Malapatan, Sarangani. Be- fighters. AFP soldiers occupied the cause of this, around 500 B’laan area, forcing the residents to evac- Sorsogon killings peasants were forced to relocate to uate. Next day, on July 28, the AFP Successive killings were reported Sitio Akbual in the same barangay. bombed Barangay Malihud and in Gubat, Sorsogon on August 7-8. In Prior to this, soldiers strafed Barangay Bulalacao, Bataraza. a statement, NPA-Sorsogon reported Lumad houses while they were away They illegally searched the resid- that on August 7, elements of the having a meeting with the 72nd IB ents’ houses and arrested their 22nd IB and 331st IB entered the commander in the area. According leader, Chieftain Polog and his house and killed Eming Estrada, a to Sarino Nayam and Melvin Bation, wives and children in Sitio Mar- peasant resident of Barangay Casili, both CLANS teachers, soldiers even inshawun, Barangay Bono-bono. Gubat. The following day, August 8 wrote threats in Moro language on

ANG BAYAN August 2 1 , 2 01 7 11 some houses to malign the Moros in AFP troops and Red fighters on July anan, an alliance upholding indi- the area. 27, a fact-finding mission was dis- genous rights in Cordillera, and According to CLANS, 33 schools patched by Karapatan-Cagayan Katribu. On August 9, a military have been forced to close due to re- Valley in Nagtipunan, Quirino last agent who introduced himself as lentless attacks against the Lumads August 3-4. They reported incidents “Mark” visited him in his workplace and around 1,100 students have of forced evacuation, attacks and in 18th Ave., Cubao, Quezon City stopped their schooling while 52 intimidation. and threatened to arrest and kill teachers were prevented from hold- Elements from the 86th IB re- him if he did not cooperate with the ing classes. fused to give Arnold Jamias, a civil- military. Capulas’ wife is a staff Meanwhile, a two-year old child ian they accused of being an NPA member of the NDFP Joint Monit- died in the evacuation center in the member, medical attention. They oring Committee. capitol grounds of Cabanglasan, even made it appear that he was On August 15, Karapatan-Panay Bukidnon on August 17. Angeline captured by their troops on July 26. reported intimidation against their Powan was among the hundreds of The group also reported desecra- secretary-general Reylan Vergara. evacuees who left their communit- tion of the body of a killed Red According to the group, three mil- ies after the paramilitary groups fighter. Meanwhile, three residents itary agents threatened Vergara’s New Indigenous People’s Army and suffered harassment and threats family. Alamara attacked them last May. from soldiers while two were intim- Meanwhile, the NPA-Pangas- She had been hospitalized three idated in a checkpoint set up by the inan condemned the occupation of times for diarrhea and fever. 86th IB. elements of the 84th IB, RPSB-PNP Residents from San Ramos, Pangasinan, PNP San Nicolas and Threats against civilians Nagtipunan, Quirino were forced to 702nd Brigade of the barangay hall and activist evacuate when military operations in Sta. Maria East, San Nicolas Repression and illegal arrests of continued non-stop in their com- since July 28. They even positioned known members of progressive or- munities. two military tanks in the area. The ganizations and human rights de- Rogelio Capulas also suffered military also intimidated residents fenders escalated. intimidation and threats. He is an in the area, forcing them to evac- After an encounter between active member of Binnadang Ami- uate.

CA rejects Sec. Judy Taguiwalo

the 24-member CA, 13 decided WIDESPREAD CRITICISM GREETED the Commission on Appointments (CA) against Taguiwalo through secret refusal to confirm Sec. Judy Taguiwalo as secretary of the Department of voting. Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) last August 16 earned widespread Three secretaries have been criticism. rejected by the CA, including Gina Taguiwalo's rejection is the 4Ps program last year. She also Lopez who stood against plunder- latest anti-people and militarist knew the rejection stemmed from ous mining operations as secretary moves by the Duterte regime. This her objection to the imposition of of the Department of Environment became clear when the news that new taxes on the poor and her sup- and Natural Resources. Lumad Monica Prieto-Teodoro, Gilbert posed links to the revolutionary students from the Save Our Schools Teodoro's wife, will replace movement. Network condoled with Taguiwalo Taguiwalo. Teodoro once served as Various journalists and fellow after the CA deliberations. secretary of the Department of Na- government employees expressed Taguiwalo was appointed to the tional Defense. A few days prior, the disgust over Taguiwalo's non-con- DSWD at the same time Sec. Rafael couple was reported to have firmation. They include Emmanuel Mariano was appointed to the De- donated millions to the fund for Leyco, the newly appointed officer- partment of Agrarian Reform as wounded and killed soldiers. in-charge of the department and NDFP recommendees after Rodrigo Taguiwalo knew that her ap- Aiza Seguerra, National Youth Duterte offered the Left the cabinet pointment was not confirmed due to Commission head. They challenged positions. Sec. Rafael Mariano's her refusal to incorporate pork bar- the CA to make public the names of confirmation hearings is set on Au- rel in the DSWD budget through the those who voted for rejection. In gust 30.

12 August 2 1 , 2 01 7 ANG BAYAN Duterte’s 2018 budget is anti-poor

ON THE FIRST day of deliberation of the 2018 na- ence in resolving the housing shortage. The budget alloca- tional budget, the Gabriela Women’s Party drew at- tion will only build 6,000 units of cheap housing, a far cry tention to the budget’s stress on the construction of from the 5.7 million units that are needed. big infrastructure projects (more than a trillion) while Meanwhile, the Kabataan Partylist condemned the cuts allocating only a much smaller budget (P1.4 billion) to in the budget of 43 state universities and colleges (SUCs) housing for poor families. In effect, this is a budget for next year. Worse, the state expects these universities for demolition, Gabriela said, as the regime’s infra- and colleges to generate P44 billion through tuition fee col- structure program is sure to dislocate the urban poor lection, in contradiction to the recently passed free tuition from their communities. A minimum of P48 billion has law. It is paradoxical that in the face of this law, the neo- been allocated for the “right of way” alone, which liberal policy of pushing commercial operations of SUCs that means the demolition of many communities to give will eventually be passed on to students is still being pro- way to roads. Gabriela denounced Duterte’s indiffer- moted.

ANG BAYAN August 2 1 , 2 01 7 13