Pahayagan ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas ANG Pinapatnubayan ng Marxismo-Leninismo-Maoismo English Edition Vol. XLII No. 19 October 7, 2011 www.philippinerevolution.net

Editorial Strengthen the broad patriotic front against US imperialist intervention!

S imperialist intervention is intensifying in unemployment, wage freezes and the destruction the under the puppet Aquino of productive forces. They have spurred massive Uregime. Relentlessly interfering in the landgrabbing to the detriment of food produc- country's internal economic, political, military tion, the plunder of the country's natural wealth and cultural affairs, US imperialist overlords have and the degradation of the environment. The Fil- been brazenly brandishing their military power to ipino people are now suffering from hunger and further consolidate more than a century of neo- poverty at levels unprecedented in the country's colonial domination in the country and push history. harder for policies that cater to foreign interests Despite these policies' disastrous effects, US to the detriment of the people. imperialism's reactionary puppets have the gall to Since US imperialism's establishment of the further drive the Philippines into the abyss of Philippine neocolonial state in 1946, the Filipino neocolonialism. Their sinister goal is to further people have been mired in chronic crisis due to open the country's economy, deceiving the peo- the plunderous operations of foreign ple with the illusion of a “world without borders” companies and their exaction of su- in order to banish from their minds the impor- perprofits from the country's re- tance of patrimony, of freedom, sources. They conspire with the big sovereignty, national dignity comprador bourgeoisie and the big and the right to self-de- landlords in oppressing and exploit- termination. ing the masses of workers and peas- ants and in extracting and living off the country's natural resources. They have been using the reactionary state and fascist military to suppress the people for taking action to achieve national and demo- cratic change. For more than three decades, the Philippines has been bogged in ever deeper crisis due to the relentless im- plementation of liberalization, deregulation, privatization and de- nationalization policies by succes- sive puppet regimes. These policies have led to an increasingly crush- ing debt burden, more widespread

NPA punishes US intervention This issue’s PAL workers fired, the 3 mining companies confirmed by fight goes on PAGE 11 highlights... in Surigao PAGE 4 Wikileaks PAGE 8 Reactionary puppets and the reactionary regimes have not in its history but unresolvable Aquino regime's men have resur- stopped thinking about what in- even with the allout campaign rected calls to amend the 1987 centives they could offer to for- to export migrant labor. constitution to completely do eign capitalists. They have de- The new Parity Amendments away with provisions that sup- pressed workers' wages, en- being pushed will usher in a port the national patrimony. To forced widespread contractual- new era in Philippine neocolo- the Filipino people, this brings ization, suppressed unions, pro- nial history—a time of unbri- back memories of the 1946 cam- vided tax holidays and allowed dled foreign plunder under a paign to adopt the Parity 100% profit repatriation, con- puppet regime. Philippine “free- Amendments granting equal dom” will be further devoid of rights to Americans to do meaning. business, own land and The puppet exploit the country's re- state will be sources. reduced In the name of “at- even more tracting foreign invest- to being a ments,” reactionary puppets mere ad- have been pushing for amend- ministra- ments that would allow foreign tor of for- capitalists to buy land in the eign inter- Philippines and permit 100% ests in foreign-owned companies to op- trol over the coun- erate in the country. If these hundreds of thou- try, whose measures push through, the sands of hectares of land direc- problem of landlessness and the and mountainous areas and the tion and future will lie com- eviction of peasants from their use of public funds in their in- pletely in the hands of foreign farms will surely worsen. This vestments. monopoly capitalists. will also surely spell the demise Direct foreign investments in These moves by the reac- of small local businessmen who, the Philippines grew almost tionary state pose both a for decades, have failed to re- thirtyfold from $914 million in threat and a challenge to the cover from the dumping of im- 1980 to $24.9 billion in 2010. Filipino people, especially the ported goods and the influx of But there has been no develop- working class, the peasant foreign capital. ment. Instead, the Philippine masses, the urban petty bour- For decades, reactionary economy has further deteriorat- geoisie and the national bour- economists have peddled the lie ed. Manufacturing's share in the geoisie. They are the ones who that attracting foreign invest- overall economy is down to its bear the brunt of the oppres- ments is the solution to the level in the 1950s. The country sive and exploitative system. country's economic problems. suffers from an unemployment The added burdens wrought by For several decades, successive rate that is not only unequalled the new Parity Amendments and the complete surrender of the country's economic sover- ANG Contents eignty will weigh most heavily on their shoulders. Editorial: Strengthen the Vol. XLII No. 19 October 7, 2011 patriotic front 1 The Filipino people must thoroughly resist attempts to Ang Bayan is published in Pilipino, US is behind renewed cha-cha drive 3 Bisaya, Iloko, Hiligaynon, Waray and NPA punishes 3 mining firms in Surigao 4 further condemn the Philippines English editions. Major mining disasters 5 to semicolonialism. The reac- Dole punished for landgrabbing 6 It is available for downloading at tionary puppets' insistence on the Philippine Revolution Web Central Ambush in Paquibato 6 located at: Offensives in Bicol 7 completely surrendering Philip- www.philippinerevolution.org. NPA metes blows on AFP in ICR 7 pine economic sovereignty must Ang Bayan welcomes contributions US intervention confirmed 8 be confronted head-on by allout in the form of articles and news. Nuclear arms in the Philippines 9 Readers are likewise enjoined to send Civilian killed in Ifugao 10 struggle to defend national in their comments and suggestions for “Poldet” 11 freedom, democracy and the the betterment of our publication. You The figth goes on in PAL 11 right to self-determination. can reach us by email at: Protest actions against the regime 12 The entire people must rally [email protected] Protest in Wall Street 13 around the banner of the patri- Ang Bayan is published fortnightly by the Central Committee otic front to effectively thwart of the Communist Party of the Philippines plans by the reactionary pup-

2 ANG BAYAN October 7, 2011 pets for the allout betrayal of the country and continuously US is behind renewed cha-cha drive advance the struggle for nation- al freedom. We must propagate eaders of the Senate and the Lower House declared during a the patriotic spirit, especially LLegislative Summit on September 29 that they would be among the youth and studentry. pushing for amendments in the economic provisions of the 1987 We must shatter the illusions of constitution. This was only a month after US ambassador Harry “globalization” and “develop- Thomas Jr. said in a speech that the Philippine constitution ment” being peddled by the im- must be amended to remove what he considers to be restrictive perialists and their puppets by provisions that obstruct the easy entry of foreign investments in propagating the patriotic study the Philippines. of the country's history. The current cha-cha efforts are being led by Sen. Franklin The patriotic front must ad- Dri-lon, who in recent years held several consulta- vance the policies of self-deter- tions with US em- mination and resist foreign in- bassy officials in tervention in the country's in- the Philippines ternal affairs. It must demand on charter change. the abrogation of all unequal military treaties and an end to Rep. Teddy Casiño the permanent presence of said that the new American troops in the Philip- cha-cha means pines. The patriotic forces must auctioning off fight for an independent foreign the country's sov- policy based on mutual respect ereignty to for- among nations and against in- eigners. The Ba- tervention. gong Alyansang The patriotic front must ad- vance nationalist or patriotic (BAYAN) cited a economic policies. It must bill filed by Rep. fight for the junking of pro- Loreto Campos of imperialist laws such as the Oil Misamis Occiden- Deregulation Law, the Foreign tal that completely does away with the remaining protective Investments Incentives Act, measures provided by the 1987 constitution to the country's the Mining Act of 1995 and economy. Among others, the bill calls for the removal of the other laws that favor foreign 40% ceiling on foreign ownership in businesses and allows for- capitalists and are contrary to eigners to control the management of companies with foreign- the interests of local investors. owned shares. It also expands the right of foreign investors to It must fight for the abroga- explore natural resources and allows foreigners to own industri- tion of unequal economic al land, practice their profession, own media as well as colleges treaties like the Japan-Philip- and universities and lease land for more than 50 years. ~ pines Economic Partnership Agreement, the Treaty of Amity with Japan and the General Agreement on Tariffs and mobilizing the broad masses monopoly pricing of petroleum Trade, among others. and in advancing the armed products and reductions in so- It must advance the princi- struggle for national and so- cial spending as well as mass ple of self-determination in eco- cial liberation. Part of this ef- struggles for higher wages and nomic policies and resist the fort are the antifeudal strug- to defend the right to decent dictates of the International gles in the countryside which jobs. Monetary Fund and World Bank. include movements to protect In the face of the long- It must demand an end to the the environment and the standing and deepening de- Philippines' debt reliance. It livelihoods of the peasant pression of the world capital- must push for land reform and masses and the minority peo- ist system, US imperialism has national industrialization. ples against big comprador been browbeating its semi- At the foundation of the mining and logging. colonies like the Philippines in country's patriotic front are the Also part of this overall ef- order to further exploitat their revolutionary and progressive fort are urban struggles natural resources and their forces. They must persevere in against heavier tax burdens, cheap labor. ~

ANG BAYAN October 7, 2011 3 VICTORIOUS NPA OFFENSIVES

guards were killed in the NPA NPA punishes attack, saying that not a single guard was hurt. In fact, the 3 Surigao mining firms company-size security force did not resist. Most of the guards uerrillas under the Pulang Diwata Command of the New Peo- escaped, including the 20- ple's Army (NPA) in Northeastern Mindanao Region (NEMR) strong “quick reaction force” Gpunished the three biggest and most destructive mining com- that was armed with modern panies in Surigao del Norte in the morning of October 3. weapons. These are the Taganito High-Pressure Acid Leaching Plant (TH- While the punitive action was going on, the NPA gathered PAL), the Taganito Mining Cor- Up to 152 pieces of ma- the firms' 300 workers in various poration (TMC) and the Plat- chinery were destroyed at the places and explained the reason inum Group Metals Corporation PGMC comprising bulldozers, for punishing the three mining (PGMC)—all of them based in pay loaders, cranes, com- companies. They released three Claver town and subsidiaries of pactors, graders, dump trucks, high-ranking TMC officials after Nickel Asia Corp. which is owned ten barges and six tugboats. five hours and warned them by Sumitomo Metal Corp. Ltd. of PGMC is a sister company of against continuing their compa- Japan. TMC. ny's evil practices. This punitive measure, one This is one of the biggest Malaya cited the companies' of the biggest and most daring losses ever incurred by plunder- violations of the policies of the NPA operations in the history of ous foreign companies in the people's democratic govern- people's war in the country, in- country in the hands of the rev- ment. dicates a high level of planning olutionary movement. TMC is responsibe for the and coordination. The NPA confiscated a num- widespread destruction of ma- It also shows the capability ber of computers and items of rine life and mountain areas in and determination of the revo- military value such as combat Surigao del Norte in its 30 years lutionary movement to imple- boots, base radios and 25 VHF of operation. It has also violat- ment the policies of the peo- handheld radios. The Red fight- ed the rights of the Mamanwa ple's democratic government to ers also seized 13 shotguns, ten Lumad to their ancestral lands protect the environment and short firearms, a number of M16 and wrought havoc on the peas- natural resources and defend rifles and rounds of ammuni- ants' livelihoods. The company the rights of the Lumad, peas- tion. has trampled on the rights of its ants and workers. Said National NDF-Mindanao spokesperson workers. It has also bribed cor- Democratic Front-NEMR spokes- Jorge “Ka Oris” Madlos belied rupt bureaucrats into allowing person Ka Maria Malaya, because news reports that three security only `40 million agencies of the US-Aquino re- in tax pay- gime conspire to allow plunder- ments to the ous mining companies to oper- ate in the country, it is only the revolutionary movement that can protect the people. Initial reports indicate that 200 pieces of big machinery were destroyed by the NPA, in- cluding dump trucks, excava- tors, tractors and seven barges owned by TMC. The NPA also de- stroyed the company's main of- fice, accounting office and labo- ratory. Explosives were also det- onated at the newly built Taganito Mining Port owned by TMC-THPAL, the smelting plant and a vertical tank used to store gasoline.

4 ANG BAYAN October 7, 2011 VICTORIOUS NPA OFFENSIVES local government instead of gion's four provinces. It exports the national minorities are be- `400 million. all the high-grade nickel ore it ing deprived of their land and PGMC has plundered millions extracts, benefiting other coun- livelihoods and their culture of tons of nickel ore and sold tries. massively destroyed. Third, the this to imperialist countries like Meanwhile, the Communist mines continue to pollute the the US, Japan and Australia. Its Party of the Philippines assailed environment and destroy agri- operations have caused the the Aquino government for culture and the people's other complete denudation of the shamelessly favoring the inter- sources of livelihood. forests and mountains covered ests of foreign investors and or- Jalandoni pointed out that by the PGMC concession and the dering the beefing up of securi- the rivers and streams in Claver destruction of rivers and seas. ty forces to guard mining com- have been completely polluted, Most of its workers are contrac- panies. NDF Negotiating Panel aside from its coastal areas. This tuals receiving lower than the chair Ka Luis Jalandoni mean- prompted the Tribal Coalition of standard wage. while said Aquino does not un- Mindanao and its supporters to The giant THPAL uses mas- derstand the basic issues behind file a case with the Supreme sive amounts of sulfuric acid the struggle of minorities, peas- Court on May 30 against the which is highly toxic to humans ants and fisherfolk against the three mining companies pun- and the environment. It is also destructive operations of big ished by the NPA as well as Ori- a coal-fired plant and thus mining companies. First, the ex- ental Synergy Mining Corp., spews tons upon tons of toxic traction of mineral ore for ex- Shenzou Mining Group Corp. and fumes. And it only processes port at extremely low prices kills Marcventures Mining Develop- low-grade nickel ore from vari- whatever plans the country may ment Corp., all of them based in ous mines in the Caraga Re- have to industrialize. Second, Claver. ~

Major mining disasters April 6 and July 11, 2007. Toronto Ventures Negros Occidental. The cessation of mining oper- Inc. Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte. Heavy rains ations caused the tailings pond to dry up, with washed away the soil and destroyed the concrete winds blowing dust as far as five kilometers away. walls of a dam used in mining copper and zinc. The number of people with lung ailments has This contaminated the Canatuan and Siocon since grown. Rivers which were filled with silt three meters August 9, 1999. Atlas Consolidated Mining high. and Development Corp. Toledo City, Cebu. The October 11 and 31, 2005. Lafayette Mining mine released 5.7 million cubic meters of acid, Ltd. Rapu-rapu, Albay. Cyanide contaminating and silting the Sapangdaku River overflowed from the tailings and causing fishkills. pond after heavy rains, result- April 26, 1999. Mining Corp. Placer, ing in massive fishkills at the Surigao del Norte. A concrete pipe connect- Ingay and Hollowstone ed to the tailings pond gave in, burying 40 Creeks. Binosawan River houses in mud. The mudslide af- was contaminated with fected 40 hectares, includ- toxic levels of cyanide. ing 20 hectares August 27 and of agricultural September 11, 2002. land. Dizon Copper Silver November 6, 1997. Mines Inc. San Mar- Philex Mining Corp. celino, Zambales. Strong Sibutad, Zamboanga rains destroyed the tail- del Norte. Mud and ings dam, flooding huge rocks lowlying areas. Mine flowed towards tailings flowed towards Mapanuepe Lake and Sto. the tailings dam after heavy rains, causing flash Tomas River. Affected residents were forced to floods that destroyed nearby houses and rice evacuate. fields. December 2001. Maricalum Mining. Sipalay, March 24, 1996. Marcopper Mining Corp.

ANG BAYAN October 7, 2011 5 VICTORIOUS NPA OFFENSIVES

Marinduque Island. A tunnel con- nected to the tailings pond was NPA punishes Dole breached, causing 1.6 million cu- bic meters of mine tailings (equiv- for landgrabbing alent to 300,000 dump trucks) to uerrillas from Front 19 and did not have anything to flow into the Boac and Mogpog of the Northeastern do with the imposition of rev- Rivers and reach Calancan Bay. Mindanao Region meted olutionary taxes. She said The heavy siltation caused the G punishment on multinational that the economy does not death of these rivers. Dole Philippines in the night derive any benefits from for- Up to 1,200 residents were of September 25. eign-owned plantations and forced to evacuate. Five towns The Red fighters destroyed that the latter merely engage were inundated. Since a cleanup of two backhoes, four dump in landgrabbing. the Boac River was begun in 2000, trucks, a warehouse and nurs- Ka Maria also pointed out sacks of silt have been piled by ery and hacked all the banana that when farming was still the riverside, filling up to 67,000 trees in Dole's 20-hectare prevalent in the area, almost square meters. This is so far the plantation in Anahaw Daan, all members of farming fami- biggest mining disaster in Philip- Tago, Surigao del Sur. lies were productive and pine history. In a statement, Ka Maria earning income. Since Dole September 2, 1995. Manila Malaya, the spokesperson of seized their lands, however, Mining Corp. Placer, Surigao del the National Democratic Front usually only one member of Norte. The tailings pond founda- in the region explained that each family became employed tion gave way, killing five people the objective of the punitive on a seasonal basis in ex- and contaminating the seacoast. action was to drive out Dole change for low wages. ~ December 6, 1993. Marcopper Mining Corp. Marinduque Island. The tailings pond walling broke, causing its contents to flow to- wards the Mogpog River. Two chil- dren died from the ensuing floods, Ambush in Paquibato which also killed farm animals. Agricultural lands were contami- ight soldiers of the 69th IB were killed and an undeter- nated. Mogpog town and other mined number of troops wounded when a team from the communities downstream were in- E1st Pulang Bagani Company of the New People's Army undated. (NPA) ambushed them in Sitio Banban, Barangay Lumiad, October 7, 1986. Lepanto Paquibato District, Davao City on September 19. The NPA used Consolidated Mining Corp. seven command-detonated explosives against the soldiers be- Mankayan, Benguet. The tailings fore opening fire. pond broke after being filled be- To cover up their embarrassment at their huge losses in yond its capacity. This polluted the field, the 10th Infantry Division (AFP Eastern Mindanao the Abra River, affecting nine Command) resorted to boasting before the media that the towns along its path, including military had confiscated several explosives from a big NPA Cervantes, Ilocos Sur. Cervantes camp that had been overrun. The military showed a number residents are deprived of an esti- of undetonated explosives taken from the scene of battle mated 7.33 million kilos of rice along with other explosives that had been seized long before. annually because river pollution The 10th ID, however, was unable to conceal their casual- has resulted in the loss of irriga- ties from the masses. Residents saw with their own eyes how tion water. the fallen soldiers were taken aboard two Huey helicopters November 8, 1982. Maricalum that could seat ten people. One of the helicopters landed Mining Corp. Sipalay, Negros Occi- twice. After hauling away their casualties, the military con- dental. A breach in the tailings ducted aerial bombing six times on the farmers' fields in Sitio pond submerged agricultural lands Banban. That evening, the road leading to the 69th IB's head- in 1.5 meter-high floodwaters. The quarters in Barangay Dalisay, Panabo City was closed to traf- Tao-angan River became heavily fic as the helicopters landed with the casualties. A funeral silted. ~ hearse came twice to pick up the soldiers' bodies. ~

6 ANG BAYAN October 7, 2011 VICTORIOUS NPA OFFENSIVES DRC troops. The soldiers were NPA thwarts AFP offensives hit with a command-detonated explosive when they reached in Bicol Barangay Cadandanan in Bulan town. The explosive killed two he New People's Army (NPA) in Bicol continues to confront soldiers, wounded six others and and thwart the brutal military and civil-military operations of wrecked their vehicle. Tthe 9th ID and the PNP. September 17. An NPA pla- toon used a CDX on attacking Following are reports of tac- 93rd Division Reconnaissance 49th IB troops in Barangay Bog- tical offensives in the Bicol re- Company and the 903rd Brigade tong, Barcelona town, killing a gion not previously published in in Barangay Bacalon, Magal- soldier and wounding an- Ang Bayan: lanes town. The AFP operation other trooper. September 23. Three police- was conducted on the day the Sep- men were wounded when a military declared a daylong tember squad of the Celso Minguez ceasefire in conjunction 15. Red fighters Command (NPA-Sorsogon) raid- with the United Nations under the Arman- ed the PNP station in Barcelona International Day of Peace. do Catapia town before midnight. At 8:30 a.m., an- Command September 21. A soldier other NPA squad am- (NPA- was killed and at least three bushed a KM 450 Ca- others were wounded when the truck full of soldiers marines Celso Minguez Command thwart- from the 49th IB sent Norte) ed offensive operations of the to reinforce the 93rd am- bushed soldiers from the 92nd DRC in Barangay Malangkaw Ba- NPA metes blows on attacking sud, Labo. The soldiers had just enemy forces in ICR come from a military operation ed fighters overcame enemy attacks in two guerrilla and were on the way back to fronts in the Ilocos-Cordillera Region and inflicted sev- their camp when they were am- Reral casualties on the AFP. bushed by the Red fighters. Six At least 20 soldiers were killed and eight others were soldiers were wounded. wounded in gunbattles in Ilocos Sur and Ifugao in September. September 3. Red fighters In Cervantes, Ilocos Sur, 15 elements of the 50th IB were of the Nerissa San Juan Com- killed in a series of firefights on September 23, 24 and 26. mand ambushed PNP troops in In the first gunbattle in Barangay Remedios in the morn- Barangay Mabini, Caramoran, ing of September 23, four soldiers were killed and six others Catanduanes, wounding P/Insp. were wounded. In Sitio Bulaga, Barangay Aluling, ten troop- Rene Bea, deputy chief of the ers were killed in the evening of September 24. And in Sitio Caramoran Municipal Police Maupong, Barangay Concepcion, an undetermined number of Station, and four other police- military forces were wounded. Two Red fighters under the Al- men. fredo Cesar Command were martyred. Not a single Red fighter was The residents of Cervantes intensely hate the 50th IB killed or seriously wounded in which serves as the protector of Lepanto Consolidated Mining these firefights. Said NDF-Bicol Inc. In the first half of 2010, the 50th IB set up its camp in spokesperson Ka Greg Bañares, Cervantes. But angry townsfolk expelled the battalion after these show the NPA's determi- soldiers raped and sexually molested some students of the Ilo- nation to raise its level of mil- cos Sur Trade School. itary preparedness, discipline Meanwhile, in Ifugao, five soldiers were killed and two and capability, effective coor- others were wounded when a unit under the None del Rosario dination and support among Command figured in an encounter with attacking military guerrilla fronts in the region's forces in Barangay Binablayan in Tinoc town on September various provinces and the 12. A civilian working in his swidden farm was killed when the depth and breadth of mass soldiers opened fire. ~ support enjoyed by the peo- ple's army. ~

ANG BAYAN October 7, 2011 7 view of the Philippines as being Wikileaks cables confirm US a key component of its trade strategy in Asia. In a cable dat- intervention in the Philippines ed August 27, 2007, former US ambassador to the Philippines maze of issues has been revealed by close to 1,800 secret re- Kristie Kenny reported that the US ports and messages from US embassies worldwide which were was already highly capable of de- Aamong the confidential documents published by the online fending American interests in the whistleblower wikileaks.org. The following are just a few of the sig- Sulu and Sulawesi Seas, one of nificant issues covered and disclosed in these reports. the key commercial routes in Asia. She attributed this to the contin- Permanent military pres- bility of these airports to ac- ued influx of US funds to AFP ence. Confidential US embassy commodate big aircraft such as forces deployed to these areas. reports paid particular attention the Boeing 737 and the C-130. Interference in internal af- to ensuring the continued pres- Funds would also be provided for fairs. The cables also confirmed ence of US military forces in the the construction of a bridge link- the US' domination of reac- Philippines. They specifically ing Tawi-tawi and the nearby is- tionary politics in the country. emphasized the conduct of “mer- land of Sanga-Sa-nga. The In a telegram dated October 2, cy missions” and livelihood proj- bridge, which will be needed for 2005, the US ordered the quick ects as measures to gain the the rapid transport of local and passage of the Anti-Terror Bill people's sympathy and acquies- American troops between these after the bombing in Bali, In- cence to American military pres- islands, will be worth $3 million. donesia. There was strong public ence. Aside from infrastructure, clamor against the bill because One of the things that the funds have also been allotted it was merely going to be used US emphasized was the building for the training of Filipino by the ruling clique to attack of infrastructure that would pro- guards of seaports and airports the people's civil rights and sup- vide American troops and mili- in Zamboanga and Sulu. Special press its political enemies. tary equipment easy access to funds have also been provided As expected, the US' puppets the country. In a US embassy re- to raise the capability of AFP scrambled to obey their master's port dated April 4, 2007, the US forces stationed in Sulu. To orders. Then Department of In- called the Philippines a “focal make their presence in these is- terior and Local Government point” in its “war against terror- lands palatable, the US poured secretary Angelo Reyes immedi- ism.” It invoked threats from the in millions of dollars for socio- ately said that there was “clear Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Is- economic projects such as elec- and present danger” of a terror- lamiyah bandit groups to justify trification and the construction ist attack in the country. On the the “preparation” of infrastruc- of water systems and school other hand, then Senate presi- ture in Jolo and Tawi-tawi for the buildings. The Joint Special Op- dent Franklin Drilon obsequious- large-scale deployment of Ameri- erations Task Force-Philippines ly assured the can troops in the future. Using was given a major role in passage of the personnel from the US Agency for these projects. bill. Despite International Development and The cables made widespread the Joint Special Operations Task mention opposition Force-Philippines, the US pushed of the from the people, for the improvement of airports, US' the bill was seaports and bridges in various signed into law islands so that these could be in 2005. used by US military forces, air- craft and seacraft. The improvements included the expansion of the airports in Jolo and Tawi-tawi. The US embassy in the Philip- pines requested $6 million (`270 million based on an exchange rate of `45:$1) for the extension of these airports' runways. The goal was to improve the capa-

8 ANG BAYAN October 7, 2011 FASCIST STATE ON A RAMPAGE The US has been relentlessly intervening in the peace talks Elderly civilian killed between the Government of the Philippines and the National De- in Ifugao mocratic Front of the Philip- n elderly civilian was killed by rampaging military troops pines. In a series of cables ex- in Ifugao province. In the countryside of Ilocos Sur and changed between the US em- Davao City, six civilians fell victim to illegal arrest. In the bassies in the Philippines and A cities of Panay, mass leaders are being subjected to constant ha- The Netherlands, the US insisted rassment. These are some of the more striking violations of hu- that , the NDFP man rights gathered by Ang Bayan since August. chief political consultant in the peace talks must not be stricken September 29. Col. Lyn- and Datu Marcelo Gumatao, off the list of terrorists. (See the don Paniza, 10th ID both leaders of the Ata-Manobo September 7, 2011 issue of Ang spokesperson, claimed that tribe were abducted by the New Bayan). In 2009, the US strong- Datu Lorenzo Pendio, baran- People's Army. The alleged ab- ly opposed the European Union's gay captain of Salapawan, removal of Sison's name from Paquibato District, Davao City ‘Elderly’...continued on page 10 the EU terrorist listing. The US even insinuated that Sison be deported to the Philippines even Hold the US accountable if there was a clear threat to his life and security. In February for keeping nuclear arms 2010, the US called the Norwe- gian ambassador to a secret in the Philippines meeting to ask for a briefing and he US must be held accountable for its long history of ly- demand anew that Sison's name Ting about stashing nuclear arms in the country. be included in the terrorist list. In a confidential document written in 1969, US diplomat Norway serves as the third-party Robert McClintock reported to then US Secretary of State Hen- facilitator in the peace talks. ry Kissinger that care must be taken to prevent the leakage of US ambassadors to the information about US nuclear weapons being secretly held in Philippines have brazenly been the Philippines. McClintock said no other official of the pup- issuing statements, summoning pet government knew about this except Ferdinand E. Marcos puppet local officials, asking for who was then running for his second term as the country's briefings and giving them direc- president. The nuclear weapons had been hidden in their tives. Looking at several cables bases in the Philippines since 1966 as part of their military tackling various internal affairs, strategy in Southeast Asia. one is struck by the ambassa- McClintock's report was in response to a then ongoing in- dors' highly apparent colonial vestigation by a US Senate committee headed by Sen. Stuart arrogance and their low regard Symington on secret agreements entered into by the US gov- and contempt for their minions ernment without the permission or approval of the Senate or in the reactionary government. Congress. McClintock urged Symington's committee to keep Even more contemptible are this information strictly confidential for fear that it would be the Philippine officials for kow- leaked to the US public, and eventually, to the Philippines. He towing to US embassy directives. was concerned that Marcos' electoral campaign would be af- From former president Gloria Ar- fected should it be made public that he knew about the pres- royo to the Senate president and ence of nuclear weapons on Philippine soil. McClintock's pro- House speaker to legislators and posal had Kissinger's approval. even police and military officers, Other documents revealed that the US stationed more than these puppets, wthout excep- 13,000 nuclear arms in various parts of the globe, including the tion, scrambled to follow the US' Philippines, from 1950 to 1990. One particular memo specified orders. They also consulted the Clark Air Base as a launching pad for nuclear strikes, should US on almost every move made there be a military confrontation between China and the US. by the reactionary state—from The documents were made public after they lost their sta- confronting the revolutionary tus of confidentiality. The US Freedom of Information Act movement to plans for imposing states that all confidential documents must be made available martial law in 2005. ~ to the public after 20 years. ~

ANG BAYAN October 7, 2011 9 FASCIST STATE ON A RAMPAGE ‘Elderly’ from page 9 layan, another guerrilla killed in mass leaders who were abducted the firefight. It was five days in April 2007 and have not been duction is now being invoked by before they were able to retrieve surfaced to date. Lopez is lead- the military and its minions to his decomposing body. ing a widespread campaign declare a pangayaw or tribal war September 23-26. Five against destructive mining op- against civilians suspected of civilians were arbitrarily arrest- erations in Panay and Guimaras supporting the revolutionary ed by operating troops of the islands. movement. Paniza also claimed 50th IB and accused of being September 20. The MMDA that the two tribal leaders were Red fighters. The victims are Sidewalk Clearing Operations CAFGU elements. In fact, Pendio Matthew Sawey, Francis Teng- Group demolished the picket and Gumatao are among the ngedan, Edward Galao, Kidsol line of workers of Philbles, Inc. most vocal in opposing the set- Keeg and Hilario Bantio. Galao, in Barangay Paso de Blas, Ma- ting up of military detachments Keeg and Bantio are still in mil- linta, Valenzuela City. The in their areas. The two datus are itary custody. workers were only given a 15- temporarily staying with rela- September 21. A coconut minute leeway before two tives because they are being ha- wine maker from Sitio Carbon, trucks rammed the picket line. rassed by the military. Barangay Lumiad, Paquibato Most of the workers at the sug- September 27. Hope Hervil- District was illegally arrested. ar sack factory are women. la who chairs the Bagong Gilbert Sibala, who is a nephew They have been on strike for Alyansang Makabayan in Panay of a retired sergeant of the 69th close to a year and a half be- reported receiving threatening IB was forced to sign a docu- fore their picket line was torn phone calls and text messages. ment stating that he was sur- down without any orders from This was after the military and rendering, with two soldiers the DOLE or any other govern- police claimed that NPA sparrow standing by as witnesses. His ment agency. units were in Iloilo City. Hervil- picture was also taken after he September 20. Forty-eight la said the threats are meant was made to wear a camouflage year old Crisanto Fat, a political to intimidate them and uniform and carry a rifle. The detainee at the Negros Provin- create conditions for soldiers then compelled the cial Jail since April 2009 died of more attacks against le- police a heart ailment. Fat led the gal activists. She cited to file Naghiliusa nga mga Mangungu- the death threats re- charges ma sa Barangay Quintin Remo ceived by Bayan Muna- against when he was charged with ille- Aklan chair Fernando Bal- Sibala, gal possession of firearms and domero before he was citing explosives. This was a year after gunned down in July thehe was diagnosed with a heart 2010. photo- disease. The Aquino regime ig- September 24. graph nored calls for Fat to be released Troops of the 50th IB des- as “evi- on humanitarian grounds. ecrated the remains of Ben- dence.” September 12. Soldiers ny Boy “Ka Likot” Aguillar, a conducting a military opera- 23-year old Red fighter killed tion killed Ama Bahiwag in a firefight in Sitio Bulaga, Puguon, an elderly civilian Barangay Aluling, Cervantes, from Ballococ, Liwon, Asipulo, Ilocos Sur. His skull was Ifugao. Ama Bahiwag was in crushed, one of his eyes dangled his swidden farm in Barangay out of its socket and his chest September 21. Madia-as Binablayan in the neighboring was bashed in because the sol- Ecological Movement chair Ma. town of Tinoc when he was diers riddled his body with bul- Geobelyn Lopez received death shot by soldiers who took posi- lets and repeatedly hit it with threats through a letter signed tion inside the houses of civil- their rifle butts. The military by an “Alvin M. Salvador.” The ians. The troopers also de- even displayed his body before letter sender accused her of stroyed the personal belong- Cervantes residents the follow- having links with the armed rev- ings of Bagnet residents Ina ing day in order to terrorize olutionary movement and insin- Elizabeth and Manong Jose them. The AFP also prevented uated that she could suffer the such as plates, boxes contain- relatives from looking for the re- same fate as Ma. Luisa Posa- ing clothes, and a guitar. They mains of Delfin “Ka Dindo” Gul- Dominado and Nilo Arado, two also stole the couple's ATM

10 ANG BAYAN October 7, 2011 FASCIST STATE ON A RAMPAGE card for 4Ps and Manong the residents to postpone the Jose's air gun and burned demolition while they waited PAL workers wooden slabs being stored in for the result of their petition their house. for a temporary restraining or- fired; the fight August-October. Forty-five der. families lost their homes in a On September 6, hundreds goes on violent demolition in Sitio Fa- of houses along Common- tima, Barangay Don Bosco, wealth Avenue, Quezon City mid the Parañaque City on October 5. were torn down to give way to Philippine Earlier, another violent the Aquino regime's National AAirlines demolition took place on Center Eastside Development (PAL) workers' Reparo Street, Barangay 161 in Project. Among the houses de- protest action Baesa, Caloocan City on Sep- molished was that of the late and despite an tember 20. The residents union leader and appeal filed be- fought back by throwing bot- Rep. Crispin “Ka Bel” Beltran. fore the Su- tles and rocks at the demoli- Meantime, up to 384 fami- preme Court, tion team. Two hundred hous- lies lost their homes in San Pe- Lucio Tan and es were destroyed in the dro, Laguna on August 5. The the other big 6,200-square meter lot being houses were demolished to give capitalist owners of PAL went claimed by a Simplicio Rivera. way to the Philippine National ahead with their plans of termi- The police ignored pleas from Railways Southrail project. ~ nating regular workers at the check-in, cargo, catering and ramp sections on October 1 and A cultural presentation hiring contractual workers from agencies also owned by Tan. by political detainees PAL workers, their families and supporters have been multi-media production entitled “Poldets: Panata sa launching a series of protest ac- AKalayaan ng mga Detenidong Pulitikal” was presented tions for a week now. They at the Hall (Vinzons Rooftop), University of launched a work stoppage on the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City on September 30. September 27 where they re- The presentation featured artistic works by current and for- ported for work but did not per- mer political detainees like Ericson Acosta (poet, play- form their functions. The work wright and composer), Axel Pinpin (poet), Bonifacio Ilagan stoppage caused major distrup- (script writer and director) and Jess Santiago (singer and tions in the company's opera- poet). tions. Through visual art, political issues such as extrajudicial PAL's retaliation was swift killings, forced disappearances, demolitions, militarization and brutal. It used policemen and other human rights violations in the country were tack- and security guards to bodily re- led. The presentation highlighted the plight of political de- move the workers from their sta- tainees and their ode to freedom. Ericson Acosta narrated tions and bring them out of the the play from his prison cell in Samar. airport. All the workers who Through a monologue, the experiences of former politi- joined the protest action were cal prisoners were featured, particularly under martial law. put on “forced leave” and even- For Judy Taguiwalo and Bonifacio Ilagan, art served as tes- tually fired. Malacañang also timony of their experiences in prison and why they contin- threatened to file criminal ue to struggle for the freedom of political prisoners and the charges against the protesting country's liberation. Prison failed to stop their struggle. In- workers. stead, it became a means for them to maintain their in- The PAL workers' struggle volvement in the national democratic movement. Their art gained broad support. The Kilu- gushed forth from a prison that many thought would si- sang Mayo Uno (KMU) immedi- lence their revolutionary aspirations. ately expressed support. Garry “Poldet” which was directed by Donna Dacuno was col- Martinez of Migrante Interna- lectively presented by UP Alay Sining, KARATULA, Sinag- tional also called on migrant Fil- bayan (Sining na Naglilingkod sa Bayan) and People's ipino workers to support the PAL Chorale. ~ workers by boycotting PAL ANG BAYAN October 7, 2011 11 planes. The CPP also assailed the vi- Aquino regime should brace olent dispersal of the PAL work- ers' protest action on Septem- for more protest actions ber 27 and condemned Aquino for threatening to “punish” the he US-Aquino regime will be facing more protest actions PAL workers who joined the because it continues to ignore the people's grievances protest. Tagainst the policies dictated by the International Mone- The Church People-Workers' tary Fund and World Bank. Solidarity (CPWS) also ex- pressed its support for the PAL The CPP issued this decla- Pinagkaisang Samahan ng workers' struggle. CPWS is a ration after a series of street mga Tsuper at Operators Na- newly formed network of church protests in various parts of tionwide (PISTON) which people and workers' rights ad- the country on September 19- held a transport strike that vocates. 23. The Party hailed the tens paralyzed 70% of public The KMU called on the pub- of thousands of people who transport nationwide on lic to support the PAL workers' joined march-rallies, pickets September 19. This was fol- struggle, saying it was also the and other forms of protest lowed by a series of protest struggle of Filipino workers and against the Aquino govern- actions by youth and stu- the Filipino people. The KMU ment's antipeople and pro-im- dents of state universities added that big capitalists like perialist policies of liberaliza- in different parts of the Lucio Tan have been using the tion and privatization. country that peaked on Sep- current crisis to justify the ter- The first protests were tember 23. mination of workers. ~ launched by the militant More than 10,000 stu- dents, teachers, employees and administrators walked PALEA's yellow leadership out of their classrooms and offices and marched in the streets to condemn the lack he Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) slammed the yellow leader- of government support for Tship of the Philippine Airlines Employees' Association education. (PALEA) for making a series of wrong decisions that proved In Metro Manila, 5,000 detrimental to the interests of PAL workers. The KMU said that students from the University PALEA president Gerry Rivera and secretary-general Bong Pa- of the Philippines in Dili- lad had long been betraying PAL's workers. Rivera and Palad man, Quezon City and Padre are also officers of the reformist Partidong Manggagawa. Faura, Manila marched to The KMU cited two instances when the PALEA leadership deliberately ignored the voices of its members who over- whelmingly favored a strike. In December 2010, up to 86% of the PALEA membership voted in favor of a strike. By February 2011, the strike vote was 95%. Instead of heeding its mem- bers' decision by gearing for a strike and leading them in this struggle, Rivera and Palad merely filed a case at the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) and appealed to Mala- cañang. As expected, Malacañang favored the capitalists and the NLRC dismissed the unfair labor practice case filed by PALEA. It was also Rivera and Palad who agreed in 1999 to a ten- year moratorium on a Collective Bargaining Agreement with PAL which froze workers' wages and benefits but allowed Lu- cio Tan to continue raking in huge profits. The KMU called on the workers to repudiate PALEA's lead- ership and persevere in their struggle. Said KMU, with the support of the working class and the general public, it is the PAL workers' collective action that will prove decisive in the struggle against mass layoffs, the contractualization scheme and union busting. ~

12 ANG BAYAN October 7, 2011 Mendiola Bridge which is on- Aquino government's budget ILPS calls for stop ly a stone's throw away from for 2012 which slashes allo- Malacañang. They were cations for education, health to military base joined by students from other and other social services. public schools in Manila and This will force state universi- construction Bulacan. The protest action ties and colleges as well as on Jeju Island featured “planking” (lying public hospitals to raise the face down on the streets), necessary funds by collecting cultural presentations and higher fees. nternational League of Peo- speeches. With the education sector Iples' Struggle chair Prof. Jose Thousands also launched to suffer an estimated `24 Ma. Sison called for an immedi- mass actions in the cities of billion budget reduction, Ka- ate stop to the construction of a Baguio, Angeles, Davao, bataan Party Rep. Raymond US military base in Gangjeong, Tacloban, Iloilo and Malolos; Palatino has filed a bill call- Jeju Island in South Korea. Si- in Los Baños, Laguna; in Bi- ing for a `45.8 billion budg- son said local residents are col; and in Bukidnon etary allocation for educa- strongly opposed to the base province. They assailed the tion. ~ because it will put them in harm's way should conflict erupt between the US and China. Jeju Island lies near North Korea and is a famous tourist area. Many of Wall Street protests its residents voted against the construction of the military spreading base. The locals fear the repeat of a massacre that occurred in Je- protest camp called “Occupy Wall Street” has been going ju Island on April 3, 1948 where on in New York City for three weeks now. Thousands of 80,000 civilians were killed be- AAmericans are camping in parks and other places near Wall cause of militarization. The peo- Street where they hold discussions, debates and programs to ple's livelihood will also be de- protest US government policies that favor big corporations and stroyed because the US' disregard the rights and interests of ordinary Americans. weapons and other military The protest actions have advanced a broad array of social equipment will damage the is- and economic issues. In partic- biggest worldwide and is the land's marine and other re- ular, they have stressed opposi- hub of the biggest finance sources. tion to government bailouts of speculators in the US which The Kilusang Mayo Uno banks and the housing mort- include the big corporations (KMU) also warned against the gage crisis in the US. The pro- that went bankrupt and were exploitation of workers who will testers brought placards saying bailed out by Barack Obama's be employed by the base. It “Tax the rich” and “We want regime. The protesters have supports the struggle of the money for health care, not cor- suffered several police disper- workers and people who have porate welfare.” The rallyists sals but keep coming back. persevered in their struggle to have been staying stop the construction of the at Zuccoti base despite the dispersals of and Lib- their protest actions, arrests erty Parks, and intimidation. Construction recreation work has been temporarily halt- areas near ed since June when residents Wall and supporters blocked trucks Street. bringing construction materials. Wall Street is the Both Sison and the KMU financial center not called on other countries to ex- only of New York City press their solidarity and sup- but of the US. On port for the struggle of Jeju Is- this street can be land's residents in order to found the New York thwart any war of aggression Stock Exchange the US may launch in the Asia- (NYSE), which is the Pacific. ~

ANG BAYAN October 7, 2011 13 Eighty activists were arrested on Among the groups that have nounced plans to join the September 24. Five activists were joined the protests are the protest camp. injured after being hit by pepper Transport Workers Union of Similar protest actions were spray. Some 700 were arrested in America, New York Union, Air also held in 52 US cities, among Brooklyn, New York for protesting Line Pilots Association (ALPA), them San Francisco, Boston and on related issues on October 1. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Chicago. There are also plans to The mass actions on Wall and GABRIELA-USA and the In- occupy stock markets and banks Street have gained support from ternational League of Peoples in the capital cities of Canada, other organizations as well as Struggle. On October 5, the 14 the United Kingdom, Germany, movie stars and politicians. biggest unions in the US an- Finland and Japan. ~

Protests continue in Greece

rotest actions by workers and mination) and suffer a 40% cut walked out of their classrooms Pstudents in Greece have been in their salaries for a number of while employees of financial of- going on unabated against a years. A property tax will also fices and hospitals also protest- new round of austerity measures be imposed and collected ed. on social services planned by through payments for electricity Students and pensioners ral- the government. The latest is a and other services. lied at the parliament building in 20% reduction in the pensions Transport workers launched a Athens. On September 29, actors given to those aged 55 years daylong strike on September 22, and artists protested by tearing and older and a 40% cut for causing bus, taxi and train op- up their emergency tax notices. those aged 55 years and erations in Athens to screech to On October 5, ship and air younger. Thirty thousand gov- a halt. Airport operations were travel schedules were cancelled ernment employees will also be also paralyzed for a number of in a daylong strike that was al- put on reserve status for 12 hours when employees launched so joined by hospital and gov- months (the equivalent of ter- a work stoppage. Teachers ernment employees. ~

14 ANG BAYAN October 7, 2011