WISHFUL thinking or prophetic words from the late John Lennon? Perhaps both. It was originally written as protest song against the Vietnam War which eventually became a Christmas standard.
It does seem appropriate as today is Christmas Day and tomorrow “Boxing Day” in England while in the Philippine Dec. 26 is the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of the Philippines a.k.a. CPP/NPA/NDF.
And this will probably be the last Christmas of the remnants the late Joma Sison’s CPP/NPA/NDF politburo. Not that these septuagenarian/adult diaper-wearing communists celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ as communists are supposed to be atheist.
Let’s check out the facts why it is, indeed, CPP/NPA/NDF’s last Christmas on earth:
The way things are happening lately, it appears that the CPP/NPA/NDF have run out of bullets.
Every day we see on the 6 o’clock news/newspaper headlines hundreds of NPA cadres/ armed fighters literally lining up to avail themselves of the government’s amnesty program to surrender themselves and their weapons.
Yes folks, this 55-year-old insurgency nonsense which started with the ambitious plan to overthrow the government of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. is now gasping for air in its final death throes, ironically under the government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
From the original 89 guerrilla fronts, almost 70 are dismantled, leaving only 19 severely weakened fronts. Of course, due to NTF-ELCAC’s whole-of-government approach.
Through their initiatives and support programs, former rebels are transforming into peaceful, productive citizens. The CPP-NPA-NDF’s extortion activities were significantly curtailed, fostering trust in our government.
The demi-god of the CPP/NPA/NDF, Joma Sison, succumbed to COVID-19 in The Netherlands; Luis Jalandoni is a septuagenarian more concerned with adult diapers/maintenance medicines than being a revolutionary; Concha Araneta Bocala, also a sickly septuagenarian, has gone into hiding while Marco Valbuena, CPP/NPA/NDF “spokesman”, is just a figment of their imagination.
And the CPP/NPA/NDF’s other foremost leaders, Benito Tiamzon and wife Wilma Austria, were killed at sea when their boat blew up during a chase with the Armed Forces.
Basically, the CPP/NPA/NDF are running around like a headless chicken.
Excerpts from a May 3, 2023 article from The Economist:
“Last month the guerrilla leaders of the New People’s Army (NPA) ordered its units all over the Philippines to give a 21-gun salute to two fallen heroes (Tiamzon couple). Yet this martial display was diminished by an instruction to give the salute silently, either because the army is out of bullets or for fear a fusillade would alert the police.”
I suppose the few hungry, probably sick and exhausted fighters who duly lined up just whispered “bang” or probably farted simultaneously.
“The revolution is over” and “The New People’s Army is a relic of all sorts of political stupidity.”
Indeed, the insurgency is dying, the NPA is out of ammo. This nonsense lives only in the quaint memories of the pseudo-communist professors in the University of the Philippines, the “useful idiots” and, of course, the remnants of the so-called “Makabayan bloc” party-lists in Congress.
All recent encounters with the NPA are government-initiated, resulting in huge NPA casualties, plus no one’s interested or attend their urban rallies.
The NPA’s demise can be credited to AFP offensives and the NTF-ELCAC. This body engages NPA commanders locally, encourages insurgents to surrender their arms for livelihood support under the Enhanced-Comprehensive Local Integration Program. It also directs development funds to rebel-influenced villages to blunt its rural support base.
Recently, President Marcos instructed Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. to announce that the government of the Republic of the Philippines and the NDF have affirmed and signed the Oslo Joint Communiqué on Nov. 23, where they agreed to a “principled and peaceful resolution of the armed conflict resolving the roots of the armed conflict and ending the arm struggle” which shall pave the way for the transformation of the CPP/NPA/NDF.
Then there’s Proclamation No. 404 granting amnesty to former members of the CPP/NPA/NDF who committed crimes punishable under the Revised Penal Code/Special Penal laws because of their political beliefs.
The end of the CPP/NPA/NDF is inevitable. Let’s give peace a chance. Hopefully this time it will work./PN
