Camp Panacan, Davao City- The statement made (on Sunday, September 20, 2009 thru an emailed statement and published by Sun Star Davao on September 21, 2009 ) by Rubi Del Mundo, the spokesperson of the National Democratic Front-Southern Mindanao, that more human rights violations will be committed by the military is a pure lie and tainted with deceit and pretense. The claim was made to discredit the successes the military, as a whole, had against the local terrorists in the Davao Region. They are using the recent designation of Col. Eduardo Del Rosario as Commander of the 1003rd Infantry Brigade to malign his person and leadership in view of Col Del Rosario’s successes in addressing the threats of terrorism exuded by the armed group from the NPA during his past stints as Commander of Task Force Davao and Commander of 73rd Infantry Battalion a few years back.
These terrorists fear, more than anything else, their nefarious activities, such as extortion activities, murder, grave threats against innocent civilians and other forms of crimes against public order, will be exposed before the public, curtailed if not stopped drastically, and the perpetrators of these heinous acts be put before the bar of justice. These violent acts, for all intents and purposes, are actually the violations of human rights and they themselves are the violators. The public, therefore, should be warned against the CPP/NPA/NDF so that they will not be victims of these treacherous acts and, thus, must be vigilant in order not to fall prey to their deception.
The killings perpetrated by them against innocent civilians and soldiers, they claim to a be sentence handed down by their “kangaroo court”, is merciless in nature and the alleged “conviction” is just an excuse for them to do it. In actuality, there is no legal or judicial basis for these and these are the clear violations of human rights.
Hence, what they are saying about the military, in general, and the 1003rd Infantry Brigade, in particular, is just but a façade of what the NPA are a doing. What they are afraid of is their illegal acts will be uncovered and put out in the open for the people of Davao to know. As this truth is revealed, they fear that the support or influence they have over the masses are lessened. As they thrive in areas where the local populace is supportive of them, either because they under duress or have been fooled of a false cause they are alleging, they may loose this influence and therefore be susceptible to arrest or capture. We cannot be-fault these people because they were deceived into believing that the armed group is fighting for the cause. In truth, their actions are all for their personal gain and benefit.
We have heard also of the many atrocities they have committed, such as, grave threats against those who do not want to cooperate with them; arson or bombing of cell sites, construction equipment and many more against those who do not pay them extorted money; kidnapping of civilians for the payment of ransom; and even robbery of personal belongings for their own personal use, are the violations of human right.
On the other hand, they fear also that many among their regular cadres may lay down their arms, return to mainstream society, and avail of the livelihood package the government is offering thru the Social Integration Program or SIP. The social interventions are so lucrative in view of the many opportunities it offers notwithstanding the chance for them to live a normal life with their respective families and a chance for them to productive in the community they choose to live.
The allegations of Del Mundo against Col. Del Rosario, with regard to the alleged “divide-and-rule tactics”, atrocities of a military-backed “Alamara”, coddling of a criminal, and human rights violations, are products of his imagination and are all baseless. He is making these false allegations to slander Col. Del Rosario so that his concept of operations against the terrorists will be hindered or hampered. They simply afraid that the Brigade’s ISO efforts will doubly gain ground and be a success in attaining an insurgency-free Davao Region in the near future. These will definitely hurt their illegal activities for personal gain and benefit.
Upon the assumption of command by Col. Del Rosario, he immediately pronounced the focus of the current Internal Security Operations. These are:
1) Peace and development efforts, thru the Brigade’s Civil-Military Operations, must be enhanced in order to win the hearts and minds, and confidence of the people towards government.
2) All units under the operational control of the Brigade must partner themselves with all sectors and stakeholders to be able to attain a confluence of efforts to address the threats posed by the terrorists/armed groups and, in so doing, also address the roots causes of insurgency.
3) Combat operations must be directly against the armed groups and such operations must strictly be in accordance with existing rules of engagement, policies and regulations, and with utmost regard for the respect of human rights, most especially women and children and non-combatants, and properties. Each soldier, from him and all the officers up to most junior enlisted personnel of the command, must commit himself/herself to the strict adherence to protect the people and respect their rights regardless of one’s political belief, religion, gender, age, culture, social status, and ethnic group. The concept of “Command Responsibility” shall be exercised at all levels of command. There shall be no compromise against those who violate such as all violators, if any, will be charged before a military and/or civilian court.
4) All members of the armed group/NPA, who surrender, are captured or arrested, are wounded, or are killed during operations, must be treated humanely and accorded their rights. Legal assistance will provided of them at all times.
5) Cultural traditions and customs of all peoples, IPs, Lumads, Muslims and all others alike, must be clearly understood by the troops to avoid differences and thereby avert conflicts.
Released by;
Division Public Affairs Officer
Contact Number: (082) 302-2061
E-mail Add: dpao10id@yahoo.com
9.20.2009
NPA MASSACRE CIVILIANS IN AMBUSH
Eight-year old girl, two civilians killed in NPA ambush in Surigao del Sur
BUTUAN CITY
An eight-year old girl and two other civilians aboard a logging truck were killed after some 50 heavily armed communist-New People’s Army (NPA) rebels ambushed them along Km. 9, Barangay Pakwan, Lanuza, Surigao del Sur Friday morning.
The regional police headquarters and advance command post of the Army’s Fourth Infantry (Diamond) Division here said the victims were on board a logging truck of Surigao Development Corp. (SUDECOR) when waylaid at 6:45 a.m. today.
The ambush also resulted in the wounding critically of another civilian.
Combat troops of the 401st Infantry (Unite n’ Fight) Brigade and the Surigao del Sur provincial police mobile force had launched a hot pursuit operation against the ambushers, who were members of the CPP-NPA Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC).
Killed on the spot were Junnie Montinegro, 32; Paterno Iting, 30 and an 8-year old girl Christine Salahay.
The wounded was identified as Gaudencio Ablog.
All the victims were reportedly dependents of SUDECOR.
Initial report said the logging truck of SUDECOR was on its way to their logging area when the rebels waylaid them in a curve and hilly portion of the road.
After the ambush, the rebels immediately fled to nearby mountains.
Brig. Gen. Mario F. Chan, commanding general of the 4th ID and Chief Supt. Lino D. Calingasan, regional director of Police Regional Office 13 deployed their respective combat units for a wide pursuit operations against the rebels in Lanuza.
“We condemned this kind of acts because the victims were all civilians,” said Gen. Chan, adding “we will pursue them to answer this inhuman behaviour,” added Gen. Chan.
As of press time, massive pursuit operation is still going on. (PNA)
BUTUAN CITY
An eight-year old girl and two other civilians aboard a logging truck were killed after some 50 heavily armed communist-New People’s Army (NPA) rebels ambushed them along Km. 9, Barangay Pakwan, Lanuza, Surigao del Sur Friday morning.
The regional police headquarters and advance command post of the Army’s Fourth Infantry (Diamond) Division here said the victims were on board a logging truck of Surigao Development Corp. (SUDECOR) when waylaid at 6:45 a.m. today.
The ambush also resulted in the wounding critically of another civilian.
Combat troops of the 401st Infantry (Unite n’ Fight) Brigade and the Surigao del Sur provincial police mobile force had launched a hot pursuit operation against the ambushers, who were members of the CPP-NPA Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC).
Killed on the spot were Junnie Montinegro, 32; Paterno Iting, 30 and an 8-year old girl Christine Salahay.
The wounded was identified as Gaudencio Ablog.
All the victims were reportedly dependents of SUDECOR.
Initial report said the logging truck of SUDECOR was on its way to their logging area when the rebels waylaid them in a curve and hilly portion of the road.
After the ambush, the rebels immediately fled to nearby mountains.
Brig. Gen. Mario F. Chan, commanding general of the 4th ID and Chief Supt. Lino D. Calingasan, regional director of Police Regional Office 13 deployed their respective combat units for a wide pursuit operations against the rebels in Lanuza.
“We condemned this kind of acts because the victims were all civilians,” said Gen. Chan, adding “we will pursue them to answer this inhuman behaviour,” added Gen. Chan.
As of press time, massive pursuit operation is still going on. (PNA)
Deafening silence is loudest!
TRUE to their vow of silence, the Maoist communist’s CPP-NPA-NDF refused to respond to the challenge raised by the ALLIANCE FOR NATIONALISM and DEMOCRACY (ANAD) Partylist to turnover their comrades who were responsible in the ambush-killing of 3 innocent civilians and the wounding of 3 others in the town of Toboso, Negros Occidental, last July 13.
Calls not only by ANAD but the residents of Toboso and the provincial government of Negros Occidental remained unheeded despite NDF-Negros spokesman Frank Fernandez and the head of the NPA’s Guerrilla Front’s admission of their personnel’s responsibility to the incident.
ANAD, through House Resolution No. 1367 filed before with the House of Representatives dated Sept. 1, issued a strong condemnation of that gory incident and called the CPP-NPA-NDF to turnover their men to the government even as it urged the Lower House and the members of the Maoist communist pseudo partylist groups, e.g. Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Anakpawis, and Kabataan to issue the same sentiment of denouncing and condemnation.
“With Fernandez and the alleged leader of the NPA’s guerrilla front’s admission they have shed all what is left of their “masks” and must turnover their men, perpetrators of that incident, to the government for appropriate judicial proceedings before the country’s courts of law,” said Alcover.
However, Alcover said that despite the several calls and challenges made, “the Maoist communists’ character show that they would pursue giving out deafening silence with the hope that the issue would die down and thrown to oblivion,” he added.
He expressed sadness to the fact that despite several urgings by the people, “pseudo partylist members of Bayan Muna and others had forsaken them by playing the same way as what their cohorts in the Maoist communist organization do - - silence,” Alcover said.
“One cannot expect something good to come out when all of these are displayed with malice and ill-will,” Alcover explained.
“Sincerity, transparency, and honesty is what the Maoist communist sordidly lacks as they continuously seek the destruction of our country’s democratic institutions and freedoms,” Alcover pointed out.
Calls not only by ANAD but the residents of Toboso and the provincial government of Negros Occidental remained unheeded despite NDF-Negros spokesman Frank Fernandez and the head of the NPA’s Guerrilla Front’s admission of their personnel’s responsibility to the incident.
ANAD, through House Resolution No. 1367 filed before with the House of Representatives dated Sept. 1, issued a strong condemnation of that gory incident and called the CPP-NPA-NDF to turnover their men to the government even as it urged the Lower House and the members of the Maoist communist pseudo partylist groups, e.g. Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Anakpawis, and Kabataan to issue the same sentiment of denouncing and condemnation.
“With Fernandez and the alleged leader of the NPA’s guerrilla front’s admission they have shed all what is left of their “masks” and must turnover their men, perpetrators of that incident, to the government for appropriate judicial proceedings before the country’s courts of law,” said Alcover.
However, Alcover said that despite the several calls and challenges made, “the Maoist communists’ character show that they would pursue giving out deafening silence with the hope that the issue would die down and thrown to oblivion,” he added.
He expressed sadness to the fact that despite several urgings by the people, “pseudo partylist members of Bayan Muna and others had forsaken them by playing the same way as what their cohorts in the Maoist communist organization do - - silence,” Alcover said.
“One cannot expect something good to come out when all of these are displayed with malice and ill-will,” Alcover explained.
“Sincerity, transparency, and honesty is what the Maoist communist sordidly lacks as they continuously seek the destruction of our country’s democratic institutions and freedoms,” Alcover pointed out.
9.09.2009
Anakpawis Maglungsod’s cunning and distorted views hit
The ALLIANCE FOR NATIONALISM AND DEMOCRACY (ANAD) Partylist described Anakpawis Rep. Joel Maglungsod’s recent statement as nuisance and malicious propaganda in reaction to the recent Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. News reports quoted Maglungsod as saying that the MOA would convert MMDA into a bunch of “armed and authorized thugs.”
ANAD Rep. Jun Alcover said that it is a normal reaction for Maoist communists, especially pseudo partylist groups like Anakpawis, “to issue such kind of rhetoric because they are only expressing a line of thought of their venerable idol – Mao Tse Tung who said: Oppose what the government does, and support what the government opposes.”
Rep. Alcover explained that this kind of posturing is common among Maoist communist sectoral front and pseudo partylist organizations and is maliciously designed to create confusion, infuse misconception, and ultimately sow hate and chaos among Filipinos against government.
It can be recalled that, last September 3, MMDA and the AFP signed a MOA making MMDA one of the reserve units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and to appropriately respond to emergencies, calamities, and national security concerns.
“As Filipinos and under the l987 constitution, aren’t we mandated to protect our country from all threats? So why is Maglungsod, like a wild animal, crying in the wilderness over an issue that he, as member of the Lower House, is duty bound to uphold and serve,” said Alcover.
Reiterating ANAD Partylist’s strong support to the peaceful campaign against all forms of threats against the freedoms and democratic ideals of our country, Alcover stressed saying, “It is our duty to rise up and be counted in defense and protection of our country and people. It is incumbent for Maglungsod, Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza, and their ilk to throw away violence by sowing confusion and misunderstanding among our people.”
“The MOA does not make the MMDA an institution as what Maglungsod’s demented understanding expresses. In this trying time, especially with the peace negotiation still hanging, it would be for the best interest of our country if Maglungsod and his cohorts, in the Maoist communist pseudo partylist groups, refrain from making statements that would inflame our emotions, cause misunderstanding and confusion among our people,” Alcover pointed out.
ANAD Rep. Jun Alcover said that it is a normal reaction for Maoist communists, especially pseudo partylist groups like Anakpawis, “to issue such kind of rhetoric because they are only expressing a line of thought of their venerable idol – Mao Tse Tung who said: Oppose what the government does, and support what the government opposes.”
Rep. Alcover explained that this kind of posturing is common among Maoist communist sectoral front and pseudo partylist organizations and is maliciously designed to create confusion, infuse misconception, and ultimately sow hate and chaos among Filipinos against government.
It can be recalled that, last September 3, MMDA and the AFP signed a MOA making MMDA one of the reserve units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and to appropriately respond to emergencies, calamities, and national security concerns.
“As Filipinos and under the l987 constitution, aren’t we mandated to protect our country from all threats? So why is Maglungsod, like a wild animal, crying in the wilderness over an issue that he, as member of the Lower House, is duty bound to uphold and serve,” said Alcover.
Reiterating ANAD Partylist’s strong support to the peaceful campaign against all forms of threats against the freedoms and democratic ideals of our country, Alcover stressed saying, “It is our duty to rise up and be counted in defense and protection of our country and people. It is incumbent for Maglungsod, Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza, and their ilk to throw away violence by sowing confusion and misunderstanding among our people.”
“The MOA does not make the MMDA an institution as what Maglungsod’s demented understanding expresses. In this trying time, especially with the peace negotiation still hanging, it would be for the best interest of our country if Maglungsod and his cohorts, in the Maoist communist pseudo partylist groups, refrain from making statements that would inflame our emotions, cause misunderstanding and confusion among our people,” Alcover pointed out.
9.01.2009
Media want Palparan, Alcover to probe police on results of newsmen's killing
DAVAO CITY – 28 Aug. 2009 - The head of a government information agency in the Davao Region on Thursday said police need to bare results of its investigation into media killings in Davao City .
Efren Elbanbuena, regional director of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), jested police probe on the killing of local journalists have been summed up in the acronym “DNA.” DNA is the medical process of identifying bodies through gene-matching with close relatives.
Elbanbuena sparked guffaws from local journalists attending a forum on press freedom in Davao City on Thursday when he spelled out DNA as “Di Namin Alam “(We don’t know).
The PIA director was one of resource speakers at the forum organized by the Tri-Media Organization for Peace and Alliance in Mindanao (Tropa) which spearheaded the 22nd anniversary of the August 27, 1987 bombing of radio station DXRA. Four radio broadcasters, including anti-communist crusader Leo Palo, were killed in the attack later claimed by the communist New Peoples Army (NPA). Two radio technicians and three civilians visiting the station also perished in the early evening assault at the station along Magallanes Street at the heart of the city.
Elbanbuena said victims of recent media killings in Davao City , like the DXRA attack, remained unsolved, referring to the 2003 murder of broadcaster Jun Pala and the 2007 fatal ambush of radioman Ferdie “Batman” Lintuan.
Until now, we are in the dark as to whether these killings are job-related or not, he said, adding there is a need to clarify if the victims were killed for other reasons than being their members of the working press, according to Elbanbuena.
What we have now is nothing but speculations, he said.
In the forum, Elbanbuena urged retired Army General and now Representative Jovito Palparan of the partylist Bantay and Representative Jun Alcover of Anad to pass a resolution in Congress asking the Philippine National Police to submit a final report on the Pala and Lintuan killings.
Palparan and Alcover were also resource speakers in the forum held at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP).
But Elbanbuena said media could avoid being next on the list of slain media if they stick to the journalists’ code of ethics make accountability and responsibility as the driving force in their commentaries.
The PIA director also urged media to form press clubs which would impose regulations on members. The media is a watchdog, but who would watch over the watchdog? he posited this question to emphasize the need for members of the press to understand that press freedom is not absolute.
reference:
ROGER M. BALANZA
ANAD Mindanao News and Info Bureau
Efren Elbanbuena, regional director of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), jested police probe on the killing of local journalists have been summed up in the acronym “DNA.” DNA is the medical process of identifying bodies through gene-matching with close relatives.
Elbanbuena sparked guffaws from local journalists attending a forum on press freedom in Davao City on Thursday when he spelled out DNA as “Di Namin Alam “(We don’t know).
The PIA director was one of resource speakers at the forum organized by the Tri-Media Organization for Peace and Alliance in Mindanao (Tropa) which spearheaded the 22nd anniversary of the August 27, 1987 bombing of radio station DXRA. Four radio broadcasters, including anti-communist crusader Leo Palo, were killed in the attack later claimed by the communist New Peoples Army (NPA). Two radio technicians and three civilians visiting the station also perished in the early evening assault at the station along Magallanes Street at the heart of the city.
Elbanbuena said victims of recent media killings in Davao City , like the DXRA attack, remained unsolved, referring to the 2003 murder of broadcaster Jun Pala and the 2007 fatal ambush of radioman Ferdie “Batman” Lintuan.
Until now, we are in the dark as to whether these killings are job-related or not, he said, adding there is a need to clarify if the victims were killed for other reasons than being their members of the working press, according to Elbanbuena.
What we have now is nothing but speculations, he said.
In the forum, Elbanbuena urged retired Army General and now Representative Jovito Palparan of the partylist Bantay and Representative Jun Alcover of Anad to pass a resolution in Congress asking the Philippine National Police to submit a final report on the Pala and Lintuan killings.
Palparan and Alcover were also resource speakers in the forum held at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP).
But Elbanbuena said media could avoid being next on the list of slain media if they stick to the journalists’ code of ethics make accountability and responsibility as the driving force in their commentaries.
The PIA director also urged media to form press clubs which would impose regulations on members. The media is a watchdog, but who would watch over the watchdog? he posited this question to emphasize the need for members of the press to understand that press freedom is not absolute.
reference:
ROGER M. BALANZA
ANAD Mindanao News and Info Bureau
THE CPP-NPA-NDF AIMS TO KILL THE BANANA INDUSTRY IN DAVAO REGION
DAVAO CITY, 31 Aug. 2009 – The CPP-NPA-NDF aims to kill the banana and mining industries in Southern Mindanao in order to cripple the region’s economic base and to worsen the hardship of the local people that it hoped would further advance the revolutionary condition of this part of the country.
This warped Marxist perspective explains the recent doubled efforts of the CPP-NPA-NDF Southern Mindanao Regional Committee to sabotage the Stanfilco Banana Plantation in Maragusan town, Compostela Valley Province.
About 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, August 29, some 50 heavily armed men believed to be under the NPA Guerilla Front 27 led by Francisco Saramosing alias Isko burned downed at the vicinity of Purok 11 Sitio Surigaonon, Brgy Camanlangan, New Bataan town, ComVal Province two units of container van coming from Panabo City that were scheduled to haul banana fruits from the Stanfilco Banana Plantation in Maragusan.
The armed men stopped the prime mover trucks towing the container vans and asked their drivers to alight and heads off before setting the carriers in blaze.
One of the units owned by Chua Trucking was empty but the other one owned by Javier Trucking was loaded with knockdown corrugated carton boxes to be used in casing up banana fruits.
Later in the afternoon, the Maragusan United Workers Union (MUWU), a local affiliate of the CPP-NPA-NDF front National Federation of Labor Unions-Kilusang Mayo Uno (NAFLU-KMU), distributed leaflets that urged its members to oppose the Stanfilco plan to absorb and to eventually regularize more than half of its banana growers’ workers, a scheme supported by the Maragusan LGU.
MUWU-NALFLU-KMU claimed that Stanfilco’s and the town mayor’s plan is “pure harassment,” “an unfair labor practice,” “a form of union busting” and “a ploy to revert the workers to contractualization.”
The truth of the matter is that the Stanfilco plan would provide security of tenure and stability of income to the current banana growers’ workers – a situation that would not help any to the bloody revolution waged by the CPP-NPA-NDF.
All workers that would be absorbed and regularized by Stanfilco would cease to be MUWU-NAFLU-KMU members and therefore they would also stopped paying monthly union dues – one of the CPP-NPA-NDF’s local sources of funds aside from the “revolutionary taxes” it is extorting from the banana growers.
Stanfilco even earnestly assumed the banana growers’ obligations to the absorbed workers when it volunteered to pay the separation fees just “to buy peace.”
The Marxist communist party is just fooling the workers when it touted the idea that it is protecting them by opposing the novel Stanfilco plan.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines conservatively estimated that the CPP-NPA-NDF earned about P3-million in revolutionary taxes from Southern Mindanao Region’s agriculture sector in the fourth quarter of 2008.
Combined with the other sectors, except for the telecommunication industry that had no confirmed data, the CPP-NPA-NDF’s so-called “tax implementing scheme” netted almost P20-million in the last quarter of 2008, intelligence estimates of the Army’s 10ID showed.
ANAD Partylist-Mindanao sees the figure as a gross understatement. For instance, it is publicly known that NPA “revolutionary tax implementors” are extorting from ordinary banana growers in ComVal, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur and elsewhere in the region at least P100 a month for every hectare of planted land. Big banana growers are extorted some P100,000 every month or so.
The CPP Central Committee reportedly considered SMR as “the mother of all regions” because of the big money it produced for the party and the advance level of its armed struggle.
In view of the situation, ANAD Partylist urged the Stanfilco banana growers’ workers to emulate the example set by the rank-and-file employees of the Marsman Estate Plantation, Inc. (MEPI) in Sto. Tomas town, Davao del Norte when they rejected the NAFLU-KMU in a peaceful certification election on June 2007, and the workers of DOLE Phillippines in Polomolok, South Cotabato who are hostage by AMADO-KADENA-NAFLU-KMU through the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement but whose hearts and minds are loudly rejecting the communist front union.
The independent Davao Marsman Labor Union (DAMLU) is now struggling to defend the rights and to promote the welfare of the MEPI workers in view of the company’s business hardship but without resorting to violence and undemocratic methods.
reference:
Arthur J. Tariman
ANAD Mindanao News and Info Bureau
This warped Marxist perspective explains the recent doubled efforts of the CPP-NPA-NDF Southern Mindanao Regional Committee to sabotage the Stanfilco Banana Plantation in Maragusan town, Compostela Valley Province.
About 7:45 a.m. on Saturday, August 29, some 50 heavily armed men believed to be under the NPA Guerilla Front 27 led by Francisco Saramosing alias Isko burned downed at the vicinity of Purok 11 Sitio Surigaonon, Brgy Camanlangan, New Bataan town, ComVal Province two units of container van coming from Panabo City that were scheduled to haul banana fruits from the Stanfilco Banana Plantation in Maragusan.
The armed men stopped the prime mover trucks towing the container vans and asked their drivers to alight and heads off before setting the carriers in blaze.
One of the units owned by Chua Trucking was empty but the other one owned by Javier Trucking was loaded with knockdown corrugated carton boxes to be used in casing up banana fruits.
Later in the afternoon, the Maragusan United Workers Union (MUWU), a local affiliate of the CPP-NPA-NDF front National Federation of Labor Unions-Kilusang Mayo Uno (NAFLU-KMU), distributed leaflets that urged its members to oppose the Stanfilco plan to absorb and to eventually regularize more than half of its banana growers’ workers, a scheme supported by the Maragusan LGU.
MUWU-NALFLU-KMU claimed that Stanfilco’s and the town mayor’s plan is “pure harassment,” “an unfair labor practice,” “a form of union busting” and “a ploy to revert the workers to contractualization.”
The truth of the matter is that the Stanfilco plan would provide security of tenure and stability of income to the current banana growers’ workers – a situation that would not help any to the bloody revolution waged by the CPP-NPA-NDF.
All workers that would be absorbed and regularized by Stanfilco would cease to be MUWU-NAFLU-KMU members and therefore they would also stopped paying monthly union dues – one of the CPP-NPA-NDF’s local sources of funds aside from the “revolutionary taxes” it is extorting from the banana growers.
Stanfilco even earnestly assumed the banana growers’ obligations to the absorbed workers when it volunteered to pay the separation fees just “to buy peace.”
The Marxist communist party is just fooling the workers when it touted the idea that it is protecting them by opposing the novel Stanfilco plan.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines conservatively estimated that the CPP-NPA-NDF earned about P3-million in revolutionary taxes from Southern Mindanao Region’s agriculture sector in the fourth quarter of 2008.
Combined with the other sectors, except for the telecommunication industry that had no confirmed data, the CPP-NPA-NDF’s so-called “tax implementing scheme” netted almost P20-million in the last quarter of 2008, intelligence estimates of the Army’s 10ID showed.
ANAD Partylist-Mindanao sees the figure as a gross understatement. For instance, it is publicly known that NPA “revolutionary tax implementors” are extorting from ordinary banana growers in ComVal, Davao del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur and elsewhere in the region at least P100 a month for every hectare of planted land. Big banana growers are extorted some P100,000 every month or so.
The CPP Central Committee reportedly considered SMR as “the mother of all regions” because of the big money it produced for the party and the advance level of its armed struggle.
In view of the situation, ANAD Partylist urged the Stanfilco banana growers’ workers to emulate the example set by the rank-and-file employees of the Marsman Estate Plantation, Inc. (MEPI) in Sto. Tomas town, Davao del Norte when they rejected the NAFLU-KMU in a peaceful certification election on June 2007, and the workers of DOLE Phillippines in Polomolok, South Cotabato who are hostage by AMADO-KADENA-NAFLU-KMU through the existing Collective Bargaining Agreement but whose hearts and minds are loudly rejecting the communist front union.
The independent Davao Marsman Labor Union (DAMLU) is now struggling to defend the rights and to promote the welfare of the MEPI workers in view of the company’s business hardship but without resorting to violence and undemocratic methods.
reference:
Arthur J. Tariman
ANAD Mindanao News and Info Bureau
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