NDF-EV condemns virtual martial rule in troop deployment to Tacloban City and military machinations in the election period

May 23, 2007

Manila-- The National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas today condemned the virtual martial rule in the deployment by the 8th Infantry Division of soldiers to the northern barangays of Tacloban City and the outright role of the military in rigging the elections to favor the Arroyo regime. "The military psywar blabberers blatantly lie that the 8th ID is sending troops to the northern barangays of Tacloban City because of the alleged presence of the New People's Army," said NDF-EV spokesperson Fr. Santiago Salas. "What the military really aims after the elections is to forestall mass protests by heightening the psywar campaign against the people's organizations and party-list groups, whom they frame as part of the NPA to justify attacking and killing off their leaders and members. In the elections, various reports from Samar and Leyte also describe soldiers as terrorizing the people against voting for the progressive party-list.

"But the people have democratically defied the military and the Arroyo regime in the elections: Despite the barefaced use of fraud and military terrorism against them, the progressive party-list groups are clearly headed for Congress. The people have spoken, but in retaliating by sending troops against them, the military goes on with its script of mayhem and murder."

Fr. Salas also expressed scorn at the statements of the 19th IB's Lt. Col. Lope Dagoy attempting to link legal progressive organizations to the NPA, as well as maligning the NPA for "extortion" in Leyte. "Lt. Col. Dagoy makes a mockery of due process and justice by using military fabrications and coerced witnesses to pave the way for the continuing harassment, intimidation and killing of members and leaders of legal progressive organizations. This is the same battalion commander whose impunity for extrajudicial killings is driven home in the massacre by his men of unarmed civilians in Palo in 2005, as well as in the summary executions of captured CPP-NPA cadres Bibiano Rentillosa and Antonio Ramos while in the custody of the 19th IB.

"Dagoy has the gall to accuse the NPA of "extorting" from six individuals and others in Ormoc City. Yet in the same breath he brazenly demands that in exchange for dropping the charges against them, that these six individuals and other wealthy personalities pay for and support the setting up of Cafgu paramilitary units. Who is now squeezing these persons, who is the real extortionist and a blackmailer to boot?"

The NDF-EV spokesperson called on the people to actively expose and oppose the state of virtual martial rule and the post-elections machinations of the military and the Arroyo regime to clamp down on mass protests. "The 2007 elections will go down as one of the bloodiest and dirtiest ever because the fate of the Arroyo regime is tied up with it. The people must remain firmly united, vigilant and militant against the continuing manipulation of the real election results to favor the regime, and to frustrate the regime's use of the anti-terrorism law and the military and police against public outrage over yet another illegitimate electoral outcome. The protests against the violent and fraudulent elections will surely continue as part of the struggle to bring to account the corrupt, fascist and puppet regime. And as it has shown in the victorious May 13 tactical offensive in Northern Samar, the NPA will intensify offensives to promote the genuine alternative to the utterly rotten reactionary elections: revolution. #

Reference:

Roy Santos

NDF-EV Media Liaison Officer

Cellphone Number: 639196199369

E-mail: ndfevis@gmail.com