[Via... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . . ----- Original Message ----- From: Magnus Bernhardsen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2001 3:20 PM Subject: [red_activism] NPA Vows to Face Warlords' Armed Goons 'Teeth to Teeth' http://www.bulatlat.com/archive/010npawarlords.htm 'To Keep the Peace,' NPA Vows to Face Warlords' Armed Goons 'Teeth to Teeth' By ARTEMIO ALEGRE DUMLAO SOMEWHERE IN NORTHERN LUZON - Marxist guerrillas operating in the hinterlands of Ilocos and Cordillera regions are more than ready to face armed goons of political warlords "teeth to teeth" as part of their "police function" to ensure orderly and peaceful elections this May, a top rebel leader said. "This is a special role of the New People's Army (NPA): to ward off cheating and election-related violence by opposing candidates who have armed themselves against the people," Ka (Comrade) Rudy, nom de guerre of Jovencio Balweg, leader of the Abra-based Agustin Begnalen Command (ABC) of the Communist Party of the Philippines-led NPA bared from his remote mountain lair. Communist guerillas have readied themselves and harnessed their skills against armed goons of political warlords, Ka Rudy said, even as government election officials and the police have identified possible "watchlist areas" in Abra, Kalinga and Ilocos Norte where violence could erupt between supporters of opposing candidates. "Disarming" "To keep the peace, we are determined to disarm these goons to prevent any armed confrontations," the rebel leader said as he disclosed similar experiences of the NPA during the 1998 elections. In the past election in Malibcong town, Abra, the NPA launched "military actions" against local government unit officials who used government-issued VHF radio communication equipment to command armed goons terrorizing their political opponents. They confiscated the mobile radios and exposed the dastardly acts to the voting public. "We were able to deter clashes," Ka Rudy narrated. In Tineg, an upland town south of Bangued, the capital of Abra province, each warlord has about 100 high powered rifles (HPRs) according to the NPA count in 1998, he added. The rebel leader also disclosed that warlordism in Abra has become so prevalent nowadays, even as it is a relatively new phenomenon in upland areas compared to lowland Ilocos provinces where loose firearms are said to be included in the candidates' "war chests." If it cannot be prevented, the NPA will launch military actions against goons because ultimately it is the people who will bear the brunt of the crossfire between opposing candidates, Ka Rudy warned. In Lagangilang town in 1998, the NPA engaged armed goons of a politician in a firefight killing two of them. "Education Campaign" Ka Rudy however put more weight to educating political supporters of opposing candidates as a more effective solution. He said, they have written letters to political clans in conflict in Lagayan town as well as their followers condemning the violence and explaining that they should not be fighting each other but should instead unite. Two weeks ago, election officials and the police failed to convince opposing candidates in Lagayan to forge a "peace pact" in the midst of a series of election-related killings starting the last quarter of last year. The latest incident in the town was the shooting to death of barangay kagawad Rogelio Seguera and the reported mauling of the witness in Barangay Pangot, Lagayan last February 10. Early this year, a passenger jeepney bound for Poblacion, Lagayan was ambushed by men wielding high-powered firearms. Last January 2, municipal councilor Leonardo Parado, Sr. died from an ambush allegedly by supporters of his opponents' political camp. "Growing Role" Ka Rudy said that the campaign against political warlords is a growing role of their police functions in their areas of operations even as government election officials still earmark active NPA presence as an indicator of potential election violence. "Aside from our campaigns against criminals like cattle rustlers, rapists and businessmen-despots in the barrios where the armed revolutionary movement enjoys respect and control, fighting against warlords is a very essential function of the NPA to defend the people," he continued to explain. A local peasant resident who spoke on conditions of anonymity confirmed that the NPA's presence in their barangay deters crime. Crimes only happen when the government's military come, he told in Iluko vernacular. We appreciate the NPA for doing this where the government's police could not act as such, he said. # To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
