of "strategic stalemate" between its strength and government's within
the next five years as the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)
observes on Saturday its 41st year of founding as a revolutionary
organization.
In its traditional anniversary statement, the CPP's Central Committee
said that if this goal is carried out successfully, "we can look
forward to still greater revolutionary possibilities within the next
ten years…"
The CPP's pronouncement mocks the 2010 deadline set by President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to reduce into insignificance the communist
insurgency in the country.
A yearend statement of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has placed
the current number of New Peoples Army (NPA) rebels on a decline.
"The CPP/NPA's strength in January 2002 was pegged to be around
12,000. Today, their strength is down to 7,100; a reduction of about
5,000," the statement reads.
"With the sustained operational gains and momentum against the
communist terrorists, the AFP is optimistic of the CPP/NPA's eventual
defeat as their political and military influence continues to
dwindle," the statement continued.
But the NPA counters the Arroyo administration "has utterly failed to
realize its pipe dream of destroying or reducing the armed
revolutionary movement of the people to inconsequentiality."
The rebel group also crowed about its ability to prevail over 14 years
of Ferdinand Marcos' strongman rule "and all the succeeding regimes
that have pretended to be liberal democratic…"
The CPP said its "revolutionary optimism" is based on the lingering
crisis affecting "the world capitalist system," referring to the
global economic depression, and its corresponding burden imposed on
"the domestic ruling system."
The CPP also claimed it has "the sufficient strength and critical mass
to carry out the tasks and plans for advancing from the strategic
defensive to the strategic stalemate (of) the people's war within the
next five years."
The CPP leadership emphasized the need to increase its number of NPA
units and guerrilla fronts "from around 120 to 180 in order to cover
the rural congressional districts and gain the ability to deploy armed
city partisan units in the urban congressional districts."
To achieve this, it said the rebel group "must intensify the
recruitment and the politico-military training of the Red fighters" as
well as "intensify our tactical offensives…"
"The weapons for arming new units of the NPA at the levels of the
district, province and region must be obtained mainly from the enemy
through ambuscades, raids and other operations," the CPP anniversary
statement read.
The local communist leadership also pointed out the key role of land
reform campaigns "to win the steadfast support of the poor peasants,
farm workers and lower middle peasants" and so provide it foothold
into the rural communities.
Organized in 1968, the CPP has been waging four-decade warfare against
the government to impose its socialist-oriented economic ideology and
has since engaged in an on-and-off negotiation for a political
settlement.
REPORT BY RYAN ROSAURO, PECOJON