79th IB narrative is a desperate piece of fiction

The Apolinario Gatmaitan Command of the New People’s Army (AGC-NPA), alongside the revolutionary forces of Negros Island, offers its highest tribute to the martyrs of Barangay Salamanca, Toboso. Their names are now etched into the long history of the struggle for land and justice on this island. While the 79th Infantry Battalion (IB) attempts to bury their identities under a mountain of black propaganda, the Negrosanon people will remember them as they were: patriots and revolutionaries who understood the plight of the marginalized and chose to defend the peasantry even at the cost of their lives.

The military’s account of the encounter is a study in calculated exaggeration. Of those who fell, only a small squad was composed of revolutionary fighters led by Roger “Ka Jhong” Fabillar. The rest were civilians documenting a peasant activity, standing alongside farmers who are consistently pushed to the margins by land-grabbing and systemic neglect. Among the casualties were local and foreign journalists and human rights advocates who only carried notebooks, cameras, and the grievances of the poor — tools far more threatening to the status quo than any rifle. Notably, the victims included Roel Sabillo, a local farmer from Toboso, who was working at his uncle’s business during the incident, and RJ Ledesma, a Bacolod-based journalist.

Amidst the narratives circulating through communities and social media, one can easily recognize the 79th IB’s script for what it is: a desperate piece of fiction. They were quick to parade a tally of 19 casualties, claiming each was an armed combatant. To bolster this claim, they presented 19 firearms allegedly recovered from the site. This appears mathematically convenient but logically bankrupt; it is a clumsy attempt to paint a picture of a proportionate firefight where none existed.

To believe the military’s account is to ignore their well-documented history of “planted evidence” and “fabricated encounters.” This has become the standard operating procedure to meet liquidation quotas and secure promotions. We must not forget the Sagay 9 massacre, where murdered farmers were paraded as “Red fighters,” or the Negros 14, where civilians were similarly touted by the AFP as armed rebels. In both instances, the military presented firearms with serial numbers already linked to previous operations, or weapons in such disrepair they could never have been fired.

What the military labels a “battlefield success” was, in reality, a cold-blooded assault on individuals whose only weapons were their convictions and an unwavering commitment to the rural poor.

The soil of Negros has been watered with the blood of the brave, and from that soil, the revolution will only grow stronger. The fascist state and its military instruments see only a body count, but the people see a reason to keep fighting.

#Philippines #International #NPA #Negros #Toboso

New York, NY – Filipino community organizations and their allies rallied outside of the Philippine Consulate in New York City, April 20, to call for an end to U.S. military involvement in the Philippines.

The protest marks the beginning of the month-long Balikatan joint military exercises between the United States, the Philippines, Japan, Canada, France and New Zealand. The organizers included the New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP), Malaya Movement, and BAYAN. Speakers also included members of Anakbayan as well as Filipino residents whose families are still living in the country.

An unconscionable waste of needed fuel

In the midst of crisis-level fuel prices, criminalization of labor organizing and protest, and exorbitant military spending, these war preparations come at a steep price for the average Filipino family, and should be terminated immediately.

The United States and Israel’s war on Iran has spiked fuel prices across the globe and has had a devastating effect in the Philippines. The average price for one liter of fuel currently exceeds the daily minimum wage in the country, and many Filipinos are unable to pay. Filipino workers and parents are having to skip meals and make other serious sacrifices in order to make ends meet. Meanwhile, the Marcos-Duterte regime has stockpiled enough fuel for an entire month of military drills—fuel that is desperately needed by the Filipino people.

No support for immigrant workers

Community organizers denounced Marcos’ bid to join the United Nations Security Council, as well as the UN’s decision to use the Philippines’ migrant worker policies as a model for the rest of the world. Those policies have caused severe harm to the Filipino people and should not be emulated.

Speakers denounced the ways that the Marcos-Duterte regime has turned its back on immigrant workers, including by refusing to support Filipino immigrants kidnapped by ICE and detained for months without a trial. The Philippines supplies more than 20% of the world’s seafarers, including commercial shipping workers as well as cruise workers. Right now, many of those same Filipino workers are stranded on oil tankers in or near the Strait of Hormuz as a result of Trump’s illegal war. Those workers are not being paid but are unable to return home, while their government continues to support the United States and Israel’s war.

The expansion of U.S. military presence and the campaign to kick Cerberus out of the Philippines

NYCHRP members also announced a new campaign targeting Cerberus Capital Management (CCM), a Manhattan-based private equity firm that has unjustly acquired 300 hectares of land on a former U.S. military base in Subic Bay, in the Philippines. The U.S. Navy was expelled from Subic Bay