The Filipino old-State murdered 19 people and displaced over 600 during an armed operation against the Northern Negros Front of the New People’s Army (NPA) in central Philippines on April 19.
The NPA is led by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), which has been waging a People’s War for 57 years. The People’s War is the longest in history, a testament to the resilience of the revolutionary movement.
Communist forces currently operate in 73 out of 80 provinces, with a recent resurgence of guerrilla warfare in the Negros Occidental province where the latest massacre took place.
The CPP condemned the massacre and pledged to “deliver revolutionary justice”.
“The AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] is desperately trying to cover up their crimes, concocting twisted facts to prop up its lies. The AFP’s initial claim that seven firearms were recovered from the site was later ‘updated’ to 20 (later 24), to make it appear that all those killed were armed combatants,” a spokesperson for the Party said.
The casualties include ten fighters from the NPA and nine non-combatants, including a journalist, a student leader, peasant organizers, international human rights workers, and local residents. Two of the victims were teenagers, aged 15 and 17 years old.
Among those killed was Lyle Prijoles, a 40-year-old Filipino-American human rights worker from San Diego, CA, and Kai Dana Sorem, a 26-year-old activist who lived in Washington State. Sorem was a founding member of Anakbayan South Seattle, a chapter of the Filipino youth and student activist organization Anakbayan USA.
At a vigil organized by Anakbayan South Seattle on April 25, participants condemned US imperialism and the semi-colonial Filipino old-State under its domination, while honoring the martyred revolutionaries and masses. They also spoke about Sorem’s work in the US organizing high school students against mass deportations, saying that she was “driven by her great love for the masses.”
Image: Rally of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) in Hong Kong demanding justice for the Toboso 19. Credit: Bulatlat
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