Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

Revolutionary forces in the Philippines and abroad vehemently denounced the cold-blooded murder of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) official Julius Giron and his companions Dr. Ma. Lourdes Denero Tango and Arvie Alarcon Reyes, by Duterte security agents in the early morning hours of 13 March in Baguio City north of Manila. The three were sleeping and unarmed when they were gunned down by combined elements of the Northern Luzon Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). Giron and Dr. Tangco suffered up to seven gunshot wounds each, including several to the head. Reyes got four bullets to his chest.

In condemning the murders, the Communist Party of the Philippines said, “Giron’s blood is on Duterte’s hands. His assassination was carried out under Duterte’s war of suppression... his key security and military officials have long wanted to eliminate Giron who served as one of the Party’s leading cadres and principal peace consultant to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).”

NDFP allied organizations described the killing as a war crime. The Christians for National Liberation said, “these (killings) concretely prove the insincerity of autocrat Duterte in the peaceful resolution to the armed conflict.” Condemnations of the cold-blooded murders, as well as Red salutes for Giron, were also expressed abroad, including from the Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany, Communist Party of Turkey – Marxist-Leninist and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Giron was 70 years old, suffering from infirmities of old age and already had difficulty keeping his balance. “Despite his advanced age,” the CPP said, “he remained ever the active revolutionary communist and one of the key leading cadres of the CPP. He was forever a student and teacher of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.” Giron was a member of the Party’s Central Committee, its Political Bureau and Executive Committee. He was also a senior consultant of the NDFP in peace talks with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP), entitling him to protection under the GRP-NDFP Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees.CPP

Founding Chairman Prof. Jose Maria Sison, in paying tribute to Giron said, “The greatness of Comrade Julius as a revolutionary patriot and communist fighter will be amplified and will shine even brighter to inspire the current generation of the revolutionary cadres and masses and future generations to achieve the total victory of the people’s democratic revolution and proceed to the socialist revolution.”

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Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) condemns the brutal government murder of the prominent Filipino communist Julius Giron, his wife Lourdes Tan Torres and their aide. We extend our condolences to his family, friends and our comrades of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

We are given to understand Julius Giron made a lifetime of huge contributions to revolutionary struggle of the people of the Philippines to end all oppression and exploitation. This cruel and cowardly killing, carried out by police thugs at 3 a.m., stands as an indictment of the Duterte regime and its imperialist masters. This criminal act is a sign of the regime’s desperation. Imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism is heading for defeat. Revolution will put an end to counter-revolution.

The people of the Philippines share a common enemy with the American people – U.S. monopoly capitalism. Every step forward for the revolutionary movement in the Philippines is an advance for both peoples. We see your losses as our losses, and we join with you in morning these martyrs. Likewise, your victories are a win for the people of the United States, and we celebrate each of your successes.

FRSO stands in solidarity with the national democratic movement of the Philippines and the Communist Party of the Philippines. On this sad occasion of the murder of Julius Giron, we vow to build on that solidarity, and we reiterate our demand to end all U.S. aid to the Duterte regime.

With communist greetings,

Mick Kelly,

For the Standing Committee of the Central Committee,

Freedom Road Socialist Organization

\_\_\_____________________

Condemn cold-blooded assassination of Party leader Giron

Communist Party of the Philippines

March 17, 2020

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) condemns in the strongest terms the cold-blooded assassination of Party leader ), his wife Lourdes Tan Torres (Ka Kara) and their aide (Ka Nars), his wife Lourdes Tan Torres (Ka Kara) and their aide last March 13 ago in Baguio City. Claims made by the military and police that they were about to serve an arrest warrant are outright lies. It was a liquidation operation, a massacre, carried out at 3 a.m. with the clear aim of assassinating Giron and eliminating all witnesses.

The entire Party and all revolutionary forces are enraged over the murder of Ka Nars and Ka Kara.

Giron was nearly 70 years old. He and his wife were suffering from the infirmities of old age. Giron, specifically, had difficulty keeping his balance. He, his wife and aide were unarmed and were not in a position to fight back against the armed fascist agents. Claims by the police that their arresting team was fired upon by Giron is a fabrication to cover up their crime.

Giron was, in fact, murdered in cold blood. The perpetrators and masterminds of the assassination of the Girons are criminals. The Party and revolutionary movement will make sure that they will pay for their crime.

Giron's blood is on Duterte's hands. His assassination was carried out under Duterte's war of suppression against the Party and the national democratic revolutionary movement. Duterte and his key security and military officials have long wanted to eliminate Giron who served as one of the Party's leading cadres and principal peace consultant to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

The cold-blooded murder of Giron contravenes Duterte's recent overtures to resume peace talks with the NDFP. It demonstrates unequivocally that the NDFP-GRP peace talks cannot be successfully resumed as long as Duterte's Proclamation 374 and Executive Order 70 remain in effect. Under these orders, military and police forces carry out killings, mass arrests, abductions, surveillance and intimidation and other forms of suppression against the people.

The Communist Party of the Philippines, the entire revolutionary movement, and the Filipino grieve over the loss of Ka Nars, Giron's last known nom de guerre. The Party extends its deepest condolences to the children and grandchildren of Ka Nars and Ka Kara, and all their relatives and friends.

Ka Nars was one of the stalwarts of the Party's Central Committee, its Political Bureau and Executive Committee, serving the Party's central organs over the past three decades. Despite his advanced age, Ka Nars remained ever the active revolutionary communist and one of the key leading cadres of the CPP. He was forever a student and teacher of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.

Ka Nars' record of selfless and tenacious service to the proletariat, the Party, the Filipino people and their revolutionary movement will forever remain etched in the annals of the people's war in the country. Many of the Party's victories were achieved with Ka Nars performing important roles.

He played a key role in reconstituting the Party's leadership in 2014 and bringing together more than a hundred Party cadres to hold the Party's 2nd Congress in 2016. He was elected to the Second Central Committee, the Political Bureau and as one of the key officers of the Executive Committee.

As young revolutionaries, he and other Party cadres pioneered revolutionary work in the Cordilleras and other Northern Luzon regions in the 1970s. They helped forged Igorot unity, and in rousing, organizing and mobilizing the national minority groups in their resistance to national oppression, defense of their ancestral land, and in their fight for genuine autonomy. He was in the Cordilleras during the people's epic struggle against the Chico River Dam Project.

The Duterte regime may have succeeded in ending the life of Ka Nars. However, with the dastardly act of murder of Ka Nars in the March 13 Baguio massacre, it has only further roused the people's hatred for its fascist crimes and steeled their determination to resist and end the reign of state terrorism and all forms of oppression and exploitation.

Long live the memory of Ka Nars! Your blood will forever flow along the rivers of Magat and Agno, Catubig and the Pulangui and will always inspire the proletariat and all the toiling masses to wage revolution until victory!

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