The Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army has committed mass murder against its own members in the 1980s, former cadres of the rebel group said.
In a documentary produced by Sambayanan, former Southern Mindanao Regional Party Committee-executive committee member Ben Tepaet said it was CPP founder Jose Maria Sison’s successor, Benito Tiamzon, who initiated the investigation of all CPP-NPA members and summary killing based on mere suspicion.
“Yung pumalit kay Sison, Tiamzon, yan ang gumawa ng polisiya na lahat ng tao pinaimbestigahan sa bawat level ng unit, talagang papatayin ka nila [The one who replaced Sison was Benito Tiamzon. He was the one who made that policy that all of the people were investigated in every level in the unit. They will really kill you],” Tepaet said.
In the same documentary, former NPA-Sandatahang Yunit Propaganda member Chito Herbolingo said “kangaroo courts” were established, which resulted in about 1,000 deaths in Davao.
“Pag punta ka doon, parang tapos na yung desisyon, formality nalang yung pagpunta mo doon. In Davao alone, tinataya na mayroong more or less one thousand ang pinapatay ng sarili nilang kasamahan [Even if you go there, the decision’s already done, it was just some sort of formality. In Davao alone, there were more or less a thousand that were killed by their fellow comrades],” Herbolingo said.
Sison is in exile in The Netherlands since 1987, after peace talks with then-President Corazon Aquino’s government failed.
The Department of Justice, meanwhile, asked the Philippine courts to arrest Tiamzon and other CPP-NPA consultants for multiple murder cases.
Tiamzon went into hiding when their bail for temporary liberty was canceled.
The DOJ also filed a pending motion in court to declare the CPP-NPA-NDF as a terrorist organization under the Human Security Act.
The US State Department and the European Union have both tagged the CPP-NPA as terrorist bodies.
Meanwhile, an entire unit of the New People’s Army operating in Agusan del Sur and Compostella Valley, which was considered as a hotbed of terrorist activities, surrendered to the military on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the communist movement.
Brig. General Andres Centino, commander of the Army’s 401st Infantry Brigade said that 19 members of the Guerilla Front 3 and 4 under their leader identified only as “Mark” voluntarily yielded to the authorities on Christmas Day.
The surrender also highlighted the handover of 13 firearms to include an M203 grenade launcher rifle, six M16 rifles, an M653 rifle, one M14 assault rifle, four pistols, and two grenades.
The former NPAs also brought with them three radios and more than a thousand ammunition of M16 and M14 rifles.
Centino said that prior to the surrender, NPA leader Mark has sent their intention to surrender due to frustration that has been marred by corruption in the CPP-NPA and their inconsistencies in their propaganda while some of them can no longer endure the continuous operations of the military.
“We welcome their surrender, this is the best gift to their families who are waiting for them to come home alive,” said Centino.
In Sultan Kudarat, four NPA rebels, fearing of being decimated during an encounter with army troopers in the hinterland village of Masiag, laid down their arms and surrendered.
The four NPA rebels led by a certain Ka “Carding” the communist group’s political instructor and platoon medic, handed over his garand rifle, while his men surrendered a KG submachine gun, two revolvers, a 99mm pistol and three MK2 grenades.
“We were very afraid to die in battles that we could not win. We also wanted to spend Christmas with our family,” said Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, commander of the Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion, quoting Carding in Illonggo.
Army troopers on combat operations in Masiag village encountered NPA rebels, triggering a gunfight. Ground troops delivered mortar fire on rebel positions accompanied by anti-tank weapons.
A total of 203 NPA rebels have surrendered after the 33rd IB took over responsibility of the insurgency in Sultan Kudarat, 65 of whom received social benefits through the Enhance Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP), said Cabunoc. With PNA