ANGPahayagan ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas

Pinapatnubayan ng Marxismo-Leninismo-Maoismo

Engl ish Edition

Vol . L No. 14

July 21, 2019

www.cpp.ph

The people must ardently fight and end the reign ofthe national traitor Duterte. The future of the en-tire nation and the life of every Filipino are at stake

under his unrelenting subservience to imperialist powers.Duterte seems to have offered the seas and natural re-

sources of the country at the altar of China in exchange forfat contracts which he and his fellow bureaucrat capitalistsprofit from. On the other hand, he further strengthened UScontrol of the Philippines as a large military base in ex-change for its continuous military aid for his brutal andterroristic "counter-insurgency" and "anti-drug" wars.

As he benefits from these, Duterte is deaf to theclamor of the people to fight for genuine freedom anddefend the interest of the country in the face of two ri-valling imperialist superpowers. If Duterte remains inpower, foreign domination, the chronic crisis, and thefascist supression of the national democratic move-ment in the Philippines will certainly intensify.

The situation in the Philippines is firmly intercon-nected with the current global situation which is besetby intensifying contradictions among imperialist pow-ers in the fields of economy and trade, diplomacy, poli-tics and military. While the crisis of the global capital-

ist system remains unresolved, these contradictionsand its impact on the Philippines and other semi-colonies and will intensify.

Leading imperialist powers, especially the US whichremains as the most powerful due to its vast military ma-chinery dispersed across the globe, are at the center ofthese contradictions. Various imperialist powers are rig-orously challenging the dominance of US, especially Rus-sia in the military field, and China in the economic field.

In its desperation to arrest its internal economiccrisis, the US is bustling to revive its hegemony.

The US resists the emerging division of the world(in the fields of military and trade) among imperialistsunder which its spheres of control are being reduced.

Historically, the Philippines has always been impor-tant in the geopolitical strategies of imperialist countries.It is sought after by global powers as it is located alongmajor trade routes, especially that going to and from theIndian Ocean, and East and Southeast Asia.

In the past more than a century, the US imposedits control over the Philippines, firstly through directcolonization, and later on, through indirect control. USmilitary bases in the Philippines are used as spring-

Fight for genuine freedom!End Duterte's reign!

EDITORIAL

July 21 , 2019 ANG BAYANULY2

Vol L No. 14 | Ju ly 21, 2019

ANG

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Editorial: Fight for genuine freedom! EndDuterte's reign! 1

Legislative agenda for liberalization 3

US tightens hold of PH 4

Workers mount #PayDayProtest 4

NPA harasses 63rd & 87th IB 4

Writ of kalikasan 5

Suspension order vs. Lumad schools 5

Impact of rice liberalization 5

Rift in Duterte alliance widens 6

Prevailing civil-military junta 7

Villagefolk foil abduction attempt 8

board for deploying military troopsin wars of aggression from Vietnamto the Middle East, and also for ex-panding its market for Americanproducts in Asia, especially inChina. Almost three decades havepassed since these bases were dis-mantled, but up to the present,hundreds of American troops arepermanently stationed in thePhilippines and their exclusive fa-cilities in AFP camps continue tomultiply.

The subsumption of the Philip-pines to the colonial and semicolo-nial domination of the US is thebiggest hindrance to the develop-ment and advancement of thecountry. The economy of thePhilippines is dominated by Ameri-can corporations and is directed bythe USAID, IMF-WB, and US banksand finance institutions.

China emerged as a capitalistsuperpower since the beginning of2000s. It used its hundreds of mil-lions of cheap laborers to absorbproductive capital, especially thosefrom the US. Later on, the worldmarket was flooded with cheap

products from China. At present,China is threatened by a produc-tion slow down due as it has satu-rated the market with overpro-duced commodities and capital. Inan attempt to mitigate the crisis itis beset in, China is expediting itsexportation of capital in the formof loans and extensive infrastruc-ture construction.

As part of these desperateschemes, China has increased itspresence in the Philippines overthe past years, particularlythrough exploiting the mineral andother natural resources of thecountry. China is competing withthe US and other capitalist powersin depleting the resources of thePhilippines. Simultaneously, it ispouring in infrastructure projectsloans used to purchase its over-produced cement and steel.

China acknowleges that thePhilippines is a US military strong-hold which the latter uses as itsseaport and airport, and a launchpad of its war vessels and materiel.For a long period, the US used thePhilippines to dominate and control

trade activities in the South ChinaSea. China saw the need tostrengthen its presence and influ-ence in the Philippines amid its in-tensifying rivalry with the US. This iswhy it is aggressively asserting itscontrol and claim over vast maritimeterritories at the western side of thePhilippines, exploiting aquatic re-sources and constructing their mili-tary facilities in the said area.

The Philippines is caught be-tween two clashing imperialist gi-ants. The Filipino people shouldcarry their struggle forward forgenuine freedom from US controland the intrusion of China.

This struggle is currently fo-cused on fighting against the na-tional traitor Duterte. He must beopposed and held accountable forhis contempt of the freedom andsovereignty of the Philippines.

First, his surrender of therights of the Philippines in theSouth China Sea, including the sov-ereign right to the country's"exclusive economic zone" must bedenounced. He must also be heldaccountable for corruption and en-riching himself through anomalousagreements and loan contracts.

Simultaneously, Duterte's sub-servience to US imperialism must beexposed as the foremost imperialistpower in the Philippines, especiallythat it is attempting to use big massprotests against China to concealor justify the intensification of itsintervention and use of the Philip-pines for its military interests.

Duterte must be opposed andheld accountable for paving the wayfor the increased presence of USmilitary forces in the countrythrough the Operation Pacific Eagle-Philippines, and the increasing num-ber of joint exercises and maneuversof the US military in the Philippines.We must fight the imposition of theUS to change the 1987 constitutionto completely liberalize the economyof the country to the benefit of for-eign big capitalists, whether Ameri-can or Chinese. This is being carried

"Fight...," continued on page 3

Contents

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ANG BAYAN July 21 , 2019 3

forward by Duterte to push for the implementation of hisbogus federalism or other changes to ensure the expan-sion of the power of his family.

We must condemn the US and China for supportingthe tyrannical rule of Duterte, and hold them account-

able, especially the US, for arming its fasicsts agents.The military support received by Duterte's military fromthe US reinforces him to carry on with the relentlessmass killings, political persecution and supressionagainst those fighting his reign.

Legislative agenda for all-out liberalization

In his upcoming State of the Nation Address this July 22, Rodrigo Duterteis expected to once again demonstrate utter subservience to his US impe-

rialist master by prioritizing the implementation of neoliberal economic re-forms which have long been recommended by the US under its The ArangkadaPhilippines Project (TAPP).

These reforms aim to push forall-out liberalization of the localeconomy by streamlining or disman-tling investment restrictions formultinationals and their subsidiaries.In the past three years, Duterte andvarious government agencies succes-sively issued executive and adminis-trative orders, respectively, to grad-ually foist the implementation of thisneoliberal scheme.

PSA amendmentsAmong those targeted for invest-

ments by multinationals is thetelecommunications and transporta-tion subsector. The said industries arestill considered public utilities. Publicutilities are defined by reactionarylaw as "goods or services which satifythe needs of a community." As theseare considered strategic enterprises,the 1987 Constitution limits foreignequity on public utilities to 40%. Thisprovision, however, is brazenly vio-lated as many telecommunication andtransportation companies are alreadycontrolled by foreign capitalists. Thisis implemented through loans andpartnerships with local compradors.

To completely dismantle remain-ing protections on the subsector, theregime is pushing for the amendmentof the Public Service Act (PSA). Incompliance with TAPP recommenda-tions, telecommunications andtransportation will be removed fromthe list of public utilities. Its scopewill now be limited only to "distribu-tion and transmission of electricity;and water pipeline distribution and

sewerage pipeline system.This will allow the fullownership and controlover the operation ofcompanies in these in-dustries by foreigncapitalists. Duterte'ssupermajority failed torailroad the enact-ment of this pro-posal before the17th Congress finallyclosed last month.

FIA amendmentsThe US is also pushing for the

amendment of the Foreign Invest-ment Act (FIA) to compel the gov-ernment to more frequently reviewand shorten the list of restrictions oninvestment areas and professionsthat are exclusively for Filipinos. Thelist, which is called the foreign in-vestment negative list (FINL), pro-hibits the entry of and full ownershipby transnationals in specific enter-prises, and the practice of profes-sions to foreign nationals.

It particularly seeks to allowforeign professionals, especiallythose from imperialist countries, towork in the Philippines and managethe operations of multinationals andtheir subsidiaries. This poses athreat to the employment of Filipinolawyers, doctors, scientists, engi-neers and other professionals asthey will be compelled to complywith foreign requisites in the guiseof promoting "global standards."

On October 2018, Duterte issued

Executive Order 65 which promul-gated a shortened FINL. It removedthe restriction on five investment ar-eas and activities including internetbusinesses; teaching non-professionalsubjects in college; technical voca-

tional training centers that are notpart of the formal education

system; financing compa-nies; and wellness cen-

ters. It also increasedthe rate of foreign eq-

uity allowed on con-tracts for construc-tion and repair of

public-works and de-velopment projects from

25% to 40%; and on privateradio networks from 20% to

40%.These aggressive liberalization

measures will immediately benefitChina through capital investmentsand its deployment of personnel asper its loan conditions to the regime.

Other measuresThe US also recommended the

amendment of the Retail Trade Li-beralization Act. This aims to fur-ther lower the capitalization re-quirement of foreign retailcompanies from $2.5 million to$200,000.

Duterte is also railroading thepassage of the the second TRAINLaw package dubbed as the TrabahoBill. This aims to lower the corpo-rate income tax rate from 30% to20% and rationalize the incentivesgiven to corporations operating inspecial economic zones.

In sum, since he assumed thepresidency, Duterte had issued noless than 10 executive orders topave way for the full liberalizationof the local economy.

"Fight...," from page 2

July 21 , 2019 ANG BAYANULY4

US tightens hold on the Philippines

THE PHILIPPINES further tightened its hold on the Philippines after the 8thBilateral Strategic Dialogue (BSD) between both countries was concluded lastJune 15-16. The annual BSD is conducted under US-Philippines MutualDefense Treaty and is participated in by ranking officials of the USgovernment and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The US delegation was headed byAmbassador Sung Kim, along withrepresentatives of the State De-partment for East Asian and PacificAffairs and Department of Defense forIndo-Pacific Security Affairs. Not onlymilitary, but also political andeconomic matters were discussedduring the dialogue.

The US used the dialogue tofurther assert its power over Asia,especially amid its tension with China.It urged the Philippines to uphold theAssociation of Southeast AsianNations (ASEAN) code of conduct tocounter the claim of China over thedisputed territory in the South ChinaSea. It was also agreed upon that thePhilippines will participate in USfreedom of navigation operations,through to project the latter's

strength through sailing warships andflying jetfighters within the territoryof the country.

Bigger exercises will be conductedby the Philippine Army and US in thecoming years. In the Salaknib 2020,the 1st Brigade Combat Team (BCT),founded by the US military in 2018 willbe retrained. About 1,500 BCTsoldiers and 1,700 US Army PacificCommand troopers will participate inthe activity. Salaknib purportedly aimsto enhance interoperability of USmilitary commanders and AFP soldiersin conventional warfare andcounterterrorism operations. "This isa preparation for large-scaleconflicts," said Philippine Armyspokesperson Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala.

Prior to the BSD, the US alreadyallocated a $145.6 million aid for the

NPA harasses

63rd & 87th IB

THE NEW PEOPLE'S Army (NPA)-Western Samar twice harassedelements of the 63rd IB on June 16in Barangay Bay-ang, San Jorge,Samar. Two soldiers were killed-in-action. Three elements of the 87thIB were also killed in a harassmentoperation in Barangay Sto. Niño,Paranas on June 27.

Meanwhile, the NPA meted apunitive action against Sonny Mo-reno, a member of the MilitaryIntelligence Battalion (MIB), inPoblacion, San Jose de Buan lastJuly 7. He actively participated insurrender campaigns against civil-ians. Moreno was also a notriousrabid counter-revolutionary mer-cenary of former mayor AnaniasRebato. The NPA punished Rebatoon October 2018.

AFP this 2019. This still excludes theshare of the Philippine governmentfrom $1.5 billion military aid,recently approved by US PresidentDonald Trump for countries in theAsia-Pacific, for 2019-2023.

In conjuction with the BSD, theMarine Aviation Support Activity(MASA) was also held at the MarineBase Gregorio Lim in Ternate, Cavi-te. MASA is conducted twice a yearand is participated in by the Marinesand Air Force of the US andPhilippines. MASA is one of the 280military exercises which arescheduled to be conducted in thecountry this 2019.

Workers mount #PayDayProtest

MEMBERS OF THE Kilusang Mayo Uno conducted a #PayDayProtest onJuly 15, a week before Rodrigo Duterte's State of the Nation Address.They condemned the regime's continuing policy of wage repression, con-tractualization and the overarching jobs crisis in the country.

Farm workers from HaciendaBuenconsejoa in E.B. Magalona,Negros Occidental participated inthe campaign. They said that theirpockets are already empty becauseof the hacienda's illegal closure andits management's termination ofworkers. Their Their ₱150-dailywage is way below the legislated₱365-daily minimum wage for work-ers in Negros. Majority of them haveworked in the hacienda for three upto 24 years.

In Cebu, drivers protested tocondemn the bogus jeepney mod-ernization program which is essen-tially a scheme to kill their livelihood.

In Davao City, police elements ille-gally searched through the personalbelongings of activists protesting infront of the regional office of theDepartment of Labor and Employ-ment.

Earlier, workers spearheaded bythe Pepsi Cola Workers Unityprotested in front of the factorygates in Muntinlupa City last July12. They condemned the manage-ment for turning a deaf ear to thedemands, including wage increaseand the regularization of 1,000contractuals, which they raisedduring negotiations for their collec-tive bargaining agreement.

ANG BAYAN July 21 , 2019 5

The scourge of liberalization

to rice farmers

ECONOMIC OFFICIALS of the reactionary gov-ernment, during their Pre-State of the NationAddress Economic and Infrastructure Forum,dubbed the Republic Act 11203 or Rice Libera-lization Act a "monumental legislative achieve-ment." This is a big fat lie as this "achievement"is considered a scourge by rice farmers.

The said law was implemented in Decem-ber 2018 to arrest rice inflation in the lokalmarket. In reality, however, the price of riceonly dropped by ₱1-2 since the implementationof the law. Its retail price is still pegged at₱30-₱70.

This is despite the deluge of imported ricewhose landed cost range from ₱18-₱25/kilo.

On the other hand, the average farmgateprice of local palay dropped from ₱20/kilo inthe beginning of 2019 to ₱12-₱17/kilo thisJune. This value is almost equivalent to thecost of production shouldered by rice farmers.Because of this, rice farmers are expected tolose up to ₱114 billion this year which is waybeyond the much-hyped ₱5.9 billion rice tariffwhich was collected after the implementationof the liberalization law.

SOS condemns suspension order

against Lumad schoolsSTUDENTS AND TEACHERS of Lumad schools under theSave Our Schools (SOS) Network protested in front of theheadquarters of the Department of Education in Pasig Cityon July 17 to condemn its attempt to order the closure ofLumad schools in Mindanao. In particular, they criticizedits suspension of 55 schools of the Salugpongan Ta' TanuIgkanogon Community Learning Center Inc. in compliancewith the order of National Security Adviser HermogenesEsperon, Jr.

The Save Our Schools (SOS) recorded that 215 schools inMindanao have been forcibly closed since 2016. Eightyschools closed down due to military occupation in communi-ties and systematic attacks and destruction of facilities bysoldiers.

Duterte has long accused Salugpongan and other Lumadschools of being schools operated by the New People's Army.In his second State of the Nation Address in 2017, he eventhreatened to bomb the said schools. This year, 30 Lumadschools were closed wherein 1,300 students were compelledto stop schooling due to relentless military attacks.

The CPP stated that the DepEd order manifests how themilitary controls the policy issuances of civilian agencies. Itadded that this adds to the anti-Lumad policies of theDuterte regime including the grabbing of ancestral lands forconversion into mining and plantation uses.

Regime coerces fishermen to withdraw writ of kalikasan petition

ON JULY 9, lawyers of the Duterte regime coerced 40 fishermen from Masin-loc, Zambales and Palawan to withdraw their petition for a writ of kalikasan inthe West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Assisted by the Integrated Barof the Philippines, the fishermenfiled a petition at the Supreme Courtlast April against China's destruc-tion of coral reefs at the WPS. Awrit of kalikasan is a legal remedyused to compel the incumbent gov-ernment to protect the constitu-tional right of Filipinos to a healthyenvironment in compliance with the1987 Constitution.

The fishermen filed the petitionto stop the China's reclamation toerect its military structures withinPhilippine territory. The reclamationhas resulted in massive destructionof reefs, especially in Zambales andPalawan.

The Supreme Court earlier is-sued a decision in favor of the fish-ermen last May. It ordered theDuterte regime to protect the WPSand take measures to stop the vio-lation of environmental laws, espe-cially in the exclusive economicmaritime zones of the Philippines.Chel Diokno, the fishermen's lawyer,stated that the decision proved thattheir petition is legitimate. He addedthat their withdrawal are a result ofgovernment intimidation. Because ofthis, the court cancelled the secondhearing wherein the fishermen andgovernment representatives weresupposed to meet.

By coercing them to withdraw,

the regime was able to remove alegal obstacle to Chinese exploita-tion in the Philippine seas.

Meanwhile on July 12, incommemoration of the third yearsince Arbitral Tribunal's issuanceof the decision in favor of thePhilippines' claim over the dis-puted West Philippine Sea, hun-dreds trooped to the Chinese Em-bassy to condemn the continuingintrusion of China in Philippinemaritime territories.

According to P1NAS, the deci-sion of the Arbitral Tribunal in2016 may also be help other coun-tries to fight Chinese intrusion intheir respective maritime territo-ries. As a result of the reclamation,China was able to complete theconstruction of a military base inthe Philippine seas.

July 21 , 2019 ANG BAYANULY6

Rift in the Dutertealliance widens

The rift in the Duterte-Arroyo-Marcos alliance iswidening further. This is evident in the continu-

ing rivalry among its henchmen who are vying for thehighest position in Congress. Duterte directly inter-vened in the competition by endorsing last July 8Alan Peter Cayetano and Lord Allan Velasco to al-ternately share the Speakership. But days after this,however, the congressmen still failed to reach a con-sensus contrary to Duterte's expections.

Until the eve of the opening ofCongress, nobody among the ri-valling congressmen is certain togarner a majority vote.

When Duterte endorsed thespeakership of Cayetano and Ve-lasco, he also endorsed Martin Ro-mualdez from the Arroyo bloc to actas the majority leader. Cayetanogained the blessing of Duterte be-cause he promised to lobby forcharter change or cha-cha in Con-gress. Many, however, still opposethe plan for his speakership. ThePDP-Laban, earlier, refused theterm-sharing offer. Three otherblocs in Congress, including that ofsiblings Sara and Paolo Duterte's,are also not amenable to thescheme.

New wrapping, old schemeDuterte's endorsement of

Cayetano was primarily based onthe latter's promise to championcha-cha. Despite having a superma-jority in the previous Congress,Duterte failed to railroad thisscheme due to contentions betweenthe Senate and Congress on certainkey provisions on the transition tothe federal form of goverment.

To pave the way for cha-cha,the Inter-Agency Task Force on Fe-deralism and Constitutional Reformguised it as a new package whichemphasizes on economic provisionsthat will purportedly "open theeconomy to give everybody hope."Under this slogan, the regime willcertainly push for neoliberal consti-

tutionalreformswhich have long been recommendedby the American Chamber of Com-merce.

The Task Force is lobbying for"federalism," but as Duterte recog-nized that there is no broad supportfor this, he instead declared "even ifyou don't like federalism, youchange the constitution still." Ac-cording to Eduardo Año, secretaryof the Department of Interior andLocal Government, the direction ofcha-cha may still change in thecoming three years.

Details on constitutionalamendments proposed by the TaskForce are yet to be publicized. Butbased on the Resolution of BothHouses No. 15 which wass issued onDecember 2018 by the Congress, itis certain that the Philippine Con-stitution will worsen as it containsproposals to remove provisionswhich protect the insterests of localbusinessmen and the people, and toliberalize the local economy fortransnational corporations. Simi-larly, it gives Duterte legislativepowers and absolute control of thegovernment. In Duterte's "new"constitution, the people's rightswill be reduced, and they will losethe right to impeach an incumbentpresident.

Intimidating thepolitical opposition

Amid rivalries among his allies,Duterte is ensuring that his political

enemies will neither be able tostand on their own nor earn thesupport of Congress and otherbranches of the state. On July 18,he filed a sedition case against po-litical oppositionists, including LeniRobredo, vice president of thePhilippines, and 35 others. Alsoamong those charged were LP sen-ators, Otso Diretso candidates(except Mar Roxas), priests and abishop, lawyers and their support-ers.

The Communist Party of thePhilippines called this a "intimida-tion and harassment" attemptagainst political oppositionistswhich serves as his warning tothose who will refuse his cha-chaagenda. "Pure hogwash," beyondbelief," and "extreme harassmentand intimidation,"—these were thereactions of the senators andbishop who were accused of incit-ing to sedition by the regime. Thecase was based on a video state-ment of Peter Advincula (alias Bi-koy) who implicated the Dutertefamily in illegal drug trade. Thislegal attack clearly aims to harass,intimidate and coerce the opposi-tion to stop from fighting hisschemes. This also serves as awarning to Duterte's allies who areplanning to unite with the opposi-tion. Earlier, LP declared that itwas "open" to joining the super-majority to be established by Ca-yetano in Congress.

ANG BAYAN July 21 , 2019 7

Prevailing civil-military junta

The civilian bureaucracy of the US-Duterte regime isdominated by what is practically a civil-military

junta. This July, the number of positions in the govern-ment held by retired military and police officials alreadyreached 64. Eleven of them are in his cabinet andspearhead major agencies. This number is set to in-crease as Rodrigo Duterte is set to appoint another re-tired soldier to head the Department of Agriculture.

These military and police offi-cials appointed by Duterte are noto-rious for butchery, subservience totheir US master and massive corrup-tion. He rewarded them with civilpowers to continue with the brutalcounter-insurgency programs whichthey previously spearheaded as bat-talion and division commanders inMindanao. Thus, most of them havehad earlier engagements withDuterte when he was still the Mayorof Davao City.

Militarized departmentsFive out of 21 departments of

the Duterte government (one is va-cant) are directly headed by retiredmilitary officials. The Departmentof Agrarian Reform is also headedby a graduate of the Philippine Mil-tary Academy who did not serve asa soldier.

Leading among these militaristsis Ret. Gen. Delfin Lorenzana, sec-retary of the Department of Na-tional Defense. He is a rabid imple-mentor of US policies in the ArmedForces of the Philippines (AFP)since he was appointed in 2002 asDefense Attache of the AFP inWashington DC. He worked hand inhand with Duterte in the late 1980swhen he became the commander ofthe Second Scout Ranger Battalionin Davao City.

The Department of Environmentand Natural Resources is headed byRet. Gen. Roy Cimatu. He wasdubbed “General Pacman” forspearheading the "all-out war" inMindanao under the regime ofJoseph Estrada. When he was stillChief of Staff of the AFP, he was

implicated inthe "pabaon"scandal inwhich hepocketed ₱50million in"retirementbenefits."

EduardoAño, veteranintelligenceofficer, currently heads the De-partment of Interior and LocalGovernment which manages thebudget of the Philippine NationalPolice (PNP). He is responsible forthe abduction of activist JonasBurgos as he served as the head ofthe Intelligence Service of theArmed Forces of the Philippineswhen the crime was perpetrated.Año was also the commander of the10th ID when Leoncio Pitao (KaParago) was killed hors de combatin 2015.

Gregorio Honasan was also ap-pointed as secretary of the Depart-ment of Information and Communi-cation Technology. Honasan wereamong the soldiers who mounted acoup against former presidentCorazon Aquino. Meanwhile, Ret.Gen. Rolando Bautista, a militarychief of the Duterte regime who re-cently retired, is the secretary ofthe Department of Social Welfareand Development.

Other civilian positionsDuterte also offered them other

positions in the civilian bureaucracyoutside his cabinet. Among theseare the Bureau of Customs (BoC)which is now headed by Commis-

sioner Ret. Gen. Rey LeonardoGuerrero. He replaced Ret. PoliceGen. Isidro Lapeña after being im-plicated in smuggling ₱6.4 billionworth of shabu from China.

Despite this, Lapeña was reap-pointed as director of the TechnicalEducation and Skills DevelopmentAuthority. Former BoC chiefNicanor Faeldon who was com-pelled to resign was reappointed aschief of the Bureau of Corrections,the former position of PNP chiefRonaldo de la Rosa before runningfor senator. Faeldon was involvedin two coup attempts against for-mer president Gloria Arroyo.

Meanwhile, Carlito Galvez Jr.was appointed as head of the Officeof the Presidential Adviser on thePeace Process after Duterte can-celed peace negotiations betweenthe GRP and the National Demo-cratic Front of the Philippines. Hewas a military officer of Duterteand was involved in a coup attemptin 1989.

Also currently headed by for-mer military officials are the Hous-ing and Urban Development Coor-dinating Council, MetropolitanManila Development Authority andNational Security, among others.

July 21 , 2019 ANG BAYANULY8

Villagefolk foil abduction attempt

Residents of Barangay Bito-on in Jaro District, Iloilo City foiled theabduction attempt against Wilfredo “Tay Pido” Panuela, 65, leader of the

Katilingban sang mga Imol sa Syudad (Kaisog), by state agents this month.

Two intelligence agents wereheld and brought by the villagefolkat the barangay hall. Withoutproviding any identification, theyclaimed that they are members ofthe Philippine Army and the Natio-nal Bureau of Investigation.Panuela and his wife Josephine havelong been subjected to harassmentdue to their participation in thestruggles of the community.

Maura Abellon, leader of theKalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirapin Panay and Guimaras, believesthat the government is behind the

attempted abduction, attacks andharassment against urban poorleaders who are resisting demolitionand condemning human rightsviolations. On July 8, the grouptrooped to the police headquartersin Iloilo City.

On July 7, Salvador Romano wasmurdered while aboard a motorcycleat Aglipay St., Poblacion, Manjuyod,Negros Oriental. He was a formerstaff of Karapatan Negros and iscurrently a member of the IglesiaFilipina Independiente (IFI). He isthe 48th victim of extrajudicial

killing in Negros under the Duterteregime.

Harassment against churchpeople criticizing the regime'scrimes and violations of humanrights continue unabated in theisland. Military elements arecurrently looking for Rev. JoelBengbeng of the United MethodistChurch (UMC) in Canlaon City andRev. Brian Ascuit of UMC in SanPedro, Sta. Cruz to purportedly talkto them.

In Ilocos, soldiers areconducting so-called visits underthe Joint Campaign Plan Kapanata-gan to harass members of the IFI,UMC and the United Church ofChrist in the Philippines.