BWorld 113, Peace talks with CPP-NDF for another 30 years?

* This is my article in BusinessWorld last February 17.

After three decades (1987-2017) of peace talks between the Philippine government and the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front (CPP-NDF), all held in Europe (Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Italy, etc.), what lessons have we learned?

There are at least two. One is that the “endless peace talks” for the past 30 years might continue for another 30 years or more. Here is a brief time line of those peace talks that I gathered from various sources.

Joma Sison and his team in Europe have earned huge media and political mileage. They can continue getting funds for these high-profile peace talks so they will want the talks to continue for the next 30 years or more, with their kin and buddies as future negotiators.

Similarly, media and political mileage have also benefitted negotiating teams of the Philippine government, regardless of administrations. At least they get frequent, all-expenses paid trips to Europe. So there is also incentive for them and future government negotiators to continue the talks for the next 30 years or more.

Second lesson, since the CPP-NDF negotiators have been residing in Europe for decades, could it be that the Philippine government is negotiating with foreigners but previously Filipino citizens? My source says several negotiators have become either Dutch or Spanish citizens.

I am not a big fan of nationalism so this issue is not that important to me. I am just curious if some groups will insist on the citizenship issue, will there be no legal problems?

The Philippine communist movement has already been a spent force for so many years. The Philippine government should treat them just like other organized criminal groups engaged in extortion and armed attacks.

Likewise, the Europe-based CPP-NDF negotiators are spent leaders who are better ignored than heard, for the next decade/s to come. They will continue making unreasonable demands to cover up their irrelevance.

Bienvenido Oplas, Jr. is the head of Minimal Government Thinkers and a Fellow of SEANET. Both institutes are members of EFN-Asia.

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See also:

BWorld 110, Should we go federal or not? February 19, 2017 

BWorld 111, Electric cooperatives and unstable power supply, March 01, 2017

BWorld 112, Asia Liberty Forum 2017 in Mumbai, March 01, 2017

The CPP, China, Joma and Dick Malay

Reposting a brief memoire by a former young Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) official in the early 70s, Ricardo "Dick" Malay, below.

When I was still among the leftist student activists in UP Diliman in the 80s, I would hear his name a few times. Not that I was a member of the party or its youth arm, KM , but from older Marxist leaders like Profs. Dodong Nemenzo and Randy David.

I met Dick for the first (or second?) time in November or December last year, in one of the gatherings of UP alumni at Taga UP Diliman Ka Kung (TUPDKK). Dick narrated many things when he went to China in 1971. An interview of him and Victor Corpuz by Howie Severino is here. Check at 1:25 minute mark.

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The Left, China and Rizal

By Dick Malay

December 30, 2014

We arrived in China in the summer of 1971 not  as refugees of an impending martial law, but armed with an urgent mission for the revolutionary Left. My wife and I had taken a French leave from our work with marching orders to set up a a clandestine outpost in Beijing. It was  tasked  as a clearing house for China's military assistance to the fledgeling Maoist rebellion versus a dictatorship in the making.

      

The Communist Party led insurgency felt it needed more than ideological support from the putative center of world revolution. In an era where Mao the Great Helmsman was vowing all-out internationalist assistance to rebellions and uprisings the world over, it was thought that overthrowing the strongman's rule with imported Chinese weapons was in the best interest of the revolution.  Together with a CPP politburo member, we landed in Beijing to the welcoming arms of our Chinese comrades.

     

At the same time, our mission was  to forge fraternal ties with Communist governments and revolutionary movements with chanceries in the Chinese capital. With such a global united front standing behind it, the anti- Marcos struggle was assured of victory. But for us, the first order of the day was to negotiate the shipment of armaments and ordnance from our Chinese partners.They granted two CPP proposals over the course of two years for the sea-borne delivery of weapons to the NPA, then steadily gaining in strength against government forces.

   

The initial shipment in 1972 undertaken by the vessel MV Karagatan ended in a debacle. During a deadly firefight with government troops alerted to the boat's movements, the rebels on the receiving ground abandoned most of the Chinese armaments, including powerful assault rifles, to the enemy. The Karagatan incident was one of the reasons President Marcos cited for declaring martial law.

    

But the setback did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the Chinese party to continue supporting the insurgency. In 1974, a second transshipment aboard the Dona Andrea met a more grievous fate.  Enroute to a Hainan naval base to pick up a large quantity of military hardware, the vessel manned by inexperienced cadres and fighters was shipwrecked in the Pratas Islands.

Although the Chinese authorities rescued the crew and brought them safely to the mainland, we felt the collaboration was nearing the end of its line. With two dismal failures exposing the CPP military ineptitude on one hand and uncovering China's export of revolution on the other, it was time to take a long hard look at the bi-lateral relationship born in the implosions of a perfervid era.

    

Two developments added to the emerging bleak picture. China and the Philippines were on the road to a cozy friendship after cementing diplomatic ties; and Deng Xiaobing, the pragmatic foe of Mao Tsetung, was back in power. It was Deng who voiced disgust at the price China had to pay for courting the CPP to its side. "The Filipino comrades are very clumsy," he reportedly said after reports of the two disastrous shipments came to his attention.

   

The events foretold that the times of friendship and solidarity  were drawing to a desolate close . We were compelled to shutter our mission and move to a new destination where the Maoist creed was a growing novelty  and attracting curious minds. At a farewell banquet given by the Chinese party commissar for our departing group, I raised my glass to toast the CCP and Chairman Mao for the friendship and hospitality we deeply felt during our ten year sojourn in their land.

To which the commissar responded raising his own glass of maotai:  "To the health and victories of our Filipinos comrades. Let us not forget also, to the memory of your national hero Dr Jose Rizal whose death is commemorated today. We Chinese people highly respect and revere him as one of our own heroes. Ganbei!"  

 

I had forgotten the day was a December 30. In that instant, i was jolted back to the reality that we were too busy forging on with our revolution that we had become hostage to the dogmas of a parallel world we were unwittingly creating in our quest for a better world to live.

Mabuhay ka at maligayang araw, Gat Jose Rizal!

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Terms from Dick which I heard, referring  to his big disappointment of China communism and Joma Sison:

1. "classless society" -- no classes especially in universities in China after the Mao revolution. Professors were either killed or sent to the farms to live like farmers.

2. "A mad dog grrr rero" -- new pronouncement of Joma Sison's alias "Amado Guerrero". 

Hahaha, Very witty Dick.

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See also: 
China Watch 9: Liu Xiaobo, Human Rights and the NPA, December 10, 2010
Pilipinas Forum 3: Is Marxism Still Relevant?, August 30, 2011 
Pilipinas Forum 19: The CPP-NPA, Sison and Maoism, November 09, 2011 
Pilipinas Forum 26: On State-Party Relations, February 28, 2012

Pol. Ideology 47: SONA Rallies, Socialism and Thomas van Beersum

Another big rally by the leftist group Bayan Muna and other nat-dem allies was made last Monday, July 22, to protest the annual State of the Nation Address (SONA) speech of the President at the House of Representatives in Batasan, Quezon City. The entire north-bound lane of the 10-lanes Commonwealth Avenue was closed by the demonstrators and the big police force blocking them. There was a collision between the two groups that afternoon.

I commented in one friend’s facebook wall that they were “ungas, violent demonstrators.” A certain Paul G. corrected me, posting a news story with video that it was the police who charged first.

http://www.humanrightsphilippines.net/2013/07/sona-2013-police-attack-protesters-scores-injured-arrested/

SONA 2013: Police attack protesters; scores injured, arrested

I apologized to him and other demonstrators who may be reading that thread, for my earlier comment. But I added that I do not support those huge and confrontational mobilization to air grievances. I wrote,

You have the right to demonstrate but you also deprived ordinary motorists and commuters who use Commonwealth ave. of their right to fast and safe travel. Your "right of expression" is not absolute as other people also have the "right to travel" that a large demonstration has curtailed if not limited. Many classes and business transactions in QC were cancelled that day because of such big demos. These people and students also have the "right to education" and "right to economic transactions" that were curtailed that day.

Paul countered that with a SONA, 

the road in the area is definitely a headache ... so they know that one day they have to understand the situation ... mapipigilan ba ang tao lumabas at sa dami nila .. ako mismo nagulat at nalula ... di mo sila pwede ilagay sa bangketa kasi aabot sya sa edsa kung sa bangketa mo ilalagay ... pang unawa naman at sinabi nang maka ilang beses na iwasan ang lugar .. sadyang sinadya lang ng QC govt na di kami payagan at d silai nagbigay ng alternate route para sa demonstrators magalit ang riding public at di sa gobyerno nila ... isang araw lang yun .. sana nakaunawa din kayo ... ako mismo nakipag diskurso ako samga mananakay sa lugar ... sadyang sa dami ng taong nakita ko sumama .. di talaga maiiwasan.

I saw the tv footage last Monday morning, around 6am, the demonstrators already occupied the entire north-bound lane of Commonwealth Ave. as they marched from Philcoa. The demonstrators could have lessened the inconvenience to the public, especially to people who do not share their political demands and pol ideology, if they started their march and demo at noontime, instead of early morning. Kung gusto nilang unawain sila ng publiko, dapat mang unawa din sila.  Hindi komo galit sila sa gobyerno, idamay nila ibang tao the entire day. Even already traffic-congested Marikina experienced extra congestion that day because vehicles that were supposed to take the San Mateo and Montalban roads to Batasan then Commonwealth, took the Marikina route. They caused inconvenience not only to QC residents and motorists that whole day.

He countered that they needed understanding as the neoliberal policies of the Aquino government will hit more poor people.

These guys should hear the other side, people who may respect their political ideology but disrespect their methods to propagate it. I oppose socialism and heavy statism, I engage people in some debates, in fb or other online media, in seminars and conferences. People who do not share my views have the freedom to delete or disregard my comments, they have an option. In the case of demonstrators, the only options they give to other people is more traffic or cancellation of their educational, business or personal transactions for one day. Intolerance breeds resentment from others.

The discussion later shifted to that young European man who was caught on camera shouting at one police officer during the anti-SONA rally. Some people think it was a case of “foreign intervention” in Philippine soil. It is not "foreign intrusion" as it is just an individual's action.

This poster was posted by Paul. See this, that foreigner is struggling "alongside Filipinos" including me? That’s garbage. That young Dutch man is only struggling for himself and his political ideology, and the demonstrators. People have the right to proudly announce their arrogance and intolerance, let it be. If people self destruct, we should not interrupt them. No need to physically harm guys like him. We can broadcast their faces, names and character. There is personal responsibility to each personal action (or inaction).

Paul commented further that “Nonoy… arguing that we should all vanish from the face of the earth because we think differently and act accordingly ... peaceful pa nga kami at practicing what is said in the Consti.”

Intolerant people tend to have poor reading comprehension. Nowhere did I advocate that demonstrators should "all vanish from the face of the earth." I said that they have the "right to demonstrate" but such right is not absolute, it has limit. Anyone can hold plackards and b___t the President or anybody he does not like, in his house. But not in my house or somebody else's house. There are certain limits to the "right to self expression" of people.

Intolerant people cause big disharmony in society. They will force their way, like blocking roads and stop motorists and ordinary passengers, so they can shout what they want to shout. Respect for other people's right to safe and fast mobility is nothing, is useless in their vocabulary.

Then he posted this poster. My simple definition of a socialist are those people who want to socialize everything, from education, healthcare, housing, agriculture, factories, banks, our pockets, our savings. No or little private property and savings allowed, most if not all will be forcibly socialized, forcibly collectivized, by the state and the dictators.

A good reading for believers of confrontational politics to advance the Maoist and socialist ideology, 11 pages long, is this, Pilipinas Forum 19: The CPP-NPA, Sison and Maoism

And for believers of Marxism and class struggle, class war ideology, also 11 pages long, Pilipinas Forum 3: Is Marxism Still Relevant?

These photos of Thomas van Beersum with CPP founder Joma Sison in the Netherlands, have been circulating in facebook and twitter yesterday and today.

The Vincenton Blog has two articles about this guy today,
An Open Letter to Thomas van Beersum, 
Commie Trash-Talker van Beersum and JoMa Sison are Revolutionary Comrades
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See also: 

Pol. Ideology 43: On BIG Government Fetish, June 17, 2013 

Pol Ideology 44: Another Debate With an Anarchist, July 07, 2013

Pol. Ideology 45: Left Intellectualism Means Abandonment of Socialism, July 08, 2013 

Pol. Ideology 46: Misunderstanding Adam Smith, July 14, 2013

China Watch 9: Liu Xiaobo, Human Rights and the NPA

Today is International Human Rights Day. Every December 10 every year is human rights day. And on this day, two significant events happened in the Philippines.

One is that the President has ordered the release of the health workers who have been detained for nearly a year now, called the "Morong 43". The Philippine military hauled them on charges of being members of the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army (CPP-NPA).

The CPP-NPA were receiving some indirect assistance from the China communist government in the 70s under the leadership of Mao Tse Tung. The founder of the CPP, Joma Sison, was a hard-core Maoist. He patterned the CPP revolution on three communist thinkers, Marx-Lenin-Mao. The kind of revolution they want to pursue is mainly Maoist -- use of farmers, rural workers, to "encircle the cities" in an armed revolt and capture state power.

The second important event today is the decision of President Aquino to join other countries who will boycott the awarding ceremony of the Nobel Peace Prize awards in Oslo, Norway, today.

This year's awardee is Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese dissident who was among the leaders of the Tiananmen rebellion in 1989 that resulted in the Tiananmen massacre. Liu was imprisoned then, got out, imprisoned again on other charges later, got out. And about a year ago, he was sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment.

China's government violently opposed the decision of the Nobel Peace prize committee, so it launched a diplomatic offensive and pressured some countries not to participate in the awarding of the prize.

I think the China government simply over-reacted, its OA. Nobel is a private foundation, not a government or a multilateral institution. If it was the UN, or any state government around the world that gives that Peace award, the China government has every reason to react negatively diplomatically.

So now, what if Rotary International, or Mason International, or the International Red Cross, or Transparency International, or any other private and international NGO will give a similar award on peace and non-violence, to any other Chinese dissident, past or present, the China government will again launch another negative diplomatic assault?

It is true that President Aquino and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) were so embarrassed by the hostage-taking and death of many HK-Chinese hostages a few months ago. China reacted angrily with the massacre inside the tourist bus. So P.Noy does not want China to be angry again, and this should be the main reason why the Philippine government will boycott the Nobel Peace Prize awarding ceremony. In this case, the PNoy government danced along with the over-reaction of the China government.

Back to the NPA. The National Democratic Front (NDF), the chief negotiator in behalf of the CPP-NPA, made a mistake earlier of making the "freedom of Morong 43" as their no. 1 precondition before they will resume peace talks with the Philippine government. It's like implying, "they're our buddies, set them free first, then we can talk". The detained health workers would not want the public to think that way.

Lesson: Big government, like the China communist government, can be evil. The right to dissent, the right to self-expression, is part of human liberties. So long as words do not call for violence, like calling for an armed overthrow of a government, critique of corrupt and dictatorial governnts are rightful privileges of people in a free society.

The same way, the CPP-NPA-NDF dream of estabilishing socialism and a socialist government in the Philippines, their main strategy of armed struggle and violent overthrow of the Philippine government, is evil. Many civilians, including health workers like the Morong 43, have been trapped and hostaged in the endless but hopeless goal of establishing a socialist government via armed revolution,

If they want health socialism, education socialism, housing socialism, pension socialism,management socialism, etc., then they should work in the open, non-armed, battle for ideas. They should bring books and blogs, not armalite and grenades.

The Big Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and their corruption is directly proportional to the corruption and idiocy of the CPP-NPA. If the AFP is not heavily corrupt along with the politicians, the communist rebellion would have ended a long time ago.

It is important that NGOs should remain independent -- independent from government, independent from politicians, independent from communist rebels, independent from other bodies that rely on coercion for their continued existence. That way, they will not be indebted to those politicians, government agencies, and can praise or criticize when it is due.

* See also: China Watch 8: World's Largest Economies in 2010, August 16, 2010