Over the past few days the Armed Forces of the Philippines (APF) has stepped up in its propaganda drive against the Communist Party of the Philippines and New People's Army (NPA) in a desperate attempt to discredit the ongoing public health and economic campaign of the people's army and the mass organizations to help the efforts to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to an April 11, statement from Marco L. Valbuena, Information Officer, Communist Party of the Philippines, “The AFP's anti-NPA propaganda drive smacks of pure lies and accusations based solely on AFP-manufactured information. What we know is that the broad masses who are gripped by fear of the COVID-19 welcome the NPA's public health campaign. They feel empowered because their awareness and understanding is raised by the information drive. They are enabled to plan and implement the necessary public health measures in their communities to prevent the spread of the disease.”

Valbuena continued, “In the face of the increasing threat of food shortage and hunger, they are also encouraged by the Party’s call to carry out emergency food production through cooperation to help them tide over the lockdown. All NPA units will continue to observe the Party's unilateral ceasefire which remains in effect until April 15 in order to concentrate its energy to attend to the urgent public health and economic needs of the people.”

The stepped-up psywar drive of the AFP shows that it has refused to be diverted from its costly counterinsurgency campaign, even when the country is being confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic.

The AFP aims to prevent the New People's Army from providing the people in the revolutionary territories with all forms of assistance in order to surmount the COVID-19 crisis.

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