Kalinaw Southeastern Mindanao

26/11/2025

‘Nakaka-inspire’ – kawani ng gobyerno sa isang seminar kasama ang mga former rebel

Sa totoo, hindi naman unang beses ni Joane A. Pilo, isang kawani ng Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), na makakita ng mga dating miyembro ng New People’s Army. Ngunit noong araw na iyon masasabi nyang unang pagkakataon na makihalo-bilo sya, at hindi nya mawari ang kanyang madarama.

Ika-20 ng Nobyembre nang magbigay si Pilo, business counsellor mula sa DTI, Davao del Norte Provincial Office, ng isang libreng seminar sa mga former rebels (FR) at kasapi ng Kalinaw Southeastern Mindanao, Inc. (Kalinaw SEMR) sa Balay Panaghiusa, isang halfway house ng mga FR sa Asuncion, Davao del Norte. Layunin nitong magbigay kaalaman sa mga kalahok hinggil sa mga batayang konsepto sa pagnenegosyo tulad ng business regulations, consumer rights at entrepreneurial mind setting.

“Ang tingin ko sa mga rebelde noon mga pasaway, barumbado at hindi nakapag-aral,” ani Pilo. “Napaka-negatibo talaga ng pagtingin ko sa kanila noon.”

Nahalata naman ng mga FR ang takot mula ke Pilo sa umpisa ng seminar, bagay na hindi nila minasama bagkus ay ginamit bilang oportunidad upang makipagkilala.

“Hindi naman na bago sa amin ‘yung ganoong reaksyon, ‘yung matakot, kung hindi pa nakakita ng NPA,” ani Ida Marie Lubguban, presidente ng Kalinaw SEMR. “Syempre tungkulin na lang din natin na magpaliwanag kung ano ba kami noon, ano iyong ipinaglalaban namin noon, at kung bakit kami nag-surrender at pumili ng landas ng mapayapang pakikibaka ngayon.”

Nagbahagi ang mga FR ng maikling karanasan at buhay nila. Sa pagtakbo ng seminar, makikita ang unti-unting paggaan ng daloy ng diskusyon at ang pagdalas ng tawanan sa pagitan ni Pilo at ng mga FR.

“Sa pakikinig ko sa mga naging experience nila, nasagot na ‘yung mga katanungan ko at naunawaan ko na kung ba’t sila nasali sa ganoong kilusan,” saysay ni Pilo. “Sa totoo lang nakadama ako ng pagka-proud para sa kanila at na-inspire na rin mula sa mga sakripisyo at katapangan nila.”

Nang matapos ang seminar, binigyan ang 20 kalahok ng mga sertipiko. Tinatayang hindi ito ang magiging huling pagkikita nina Pilo at ng DTI at ng mga FR dahil nagplano rin sila ng susunod na mga aktibidad para sa Kalinaw SEMR.

“Ako bilang empleyado ng DTI ay handang magbigay ng tamang programa at serbisyo sa inyong [mga FR] dahil ang mandato sa DTI ay lahat tayo’y dapat magkaroon ng oportunidad na umunlad at maging successful at walang mapag-iwanan,” pagtatapos ni Pilo.

24/08/2025

𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝

PRESS STATEMENT
August 24, 2025

ASUNCION, DAVAO DEL NORTE—Former rebels under the Kalinaw Southeastern Mindanao Region (Kalinaw SEMR) are compelled to set the record straight on the status of Grace Man-aning, also known to us by her former nom de guerre Ka Love Joy or Ka Jelyn, in light of the recent series of disinformation being propagated by our former comrades in the Communist Party of the Philippines' legal urban mouthpieces.

On August 11, 2025, Love Joy was turned over to the 60th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army following a lawful court order. The decision was made by her family, and with Love Joy's full knowledge and consent. Her husband, Leo Taba, made the initial request for them to be safely reunited. This reunion, which many former rebels yearn for, finally took place, with Love Joy breaking into tears, not of fear or trauma, but of happiness and relief.

Being former members of the CPP-NPA-NDFP, it is not surprising to us that Karapatan-SMR and the so-called Free Agusan 6 Network continue to distort these developments. Like what happened to most of us, they keep ignoring Love Joy's voluntary decision and her family. The claim that she was forcibly taken by the military is a clear malicious fabrication. It is clearly an attempt to salvage their "rescue campaign," more than any sincere concern for Love Joy’s rights or well-being.

Love Joy was not "abducted." She was rescued and safeguarded, under a legal order and at the behest of her family. For Karapatan to suggest otherwise is a gross insult not only to the integrity of the court that issued the order, but to Love Joy's dignity in deciding for herself.

Love Joy’s temporary custody under the 60IB is a matter of security and protection, supported by legal procedure. She does need protection. But not from the military, nor from us, former rebels. She needs protection from serious threats posed by those who wish to silence or manipulate her, because they fear that their lies will unravel and the truth she carries will come to light.

Love Joy was never merely a "civilian activist." She, like the rest of the Jaguar 8, was an NPA fighter. Her involvement in the underground movement is a matter of record, and her decision to leave that life behind deserves respect, not erasure or romanticization.

Kalinaw SEMR urges Karapatan-SMR and the few who still believe them to stop exploiting former rebels like Love Joy to further their tired narratives. If they are truly concerned about her rights and well-being, they should start by respecting her right to speak her truth, her right to live peacefully with her family, and her right to due process.

If this campaign of disinformation persists, we trust that the courts will take due notice. Continuing to spread lies that undermine legal facts and court decisions is not “human rights advocacy.” It is simply disrespect for truth and justice.

05/08/2025

𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐨

NEWS RELEASE
July 31, 2025

DAVAO CITY—Kalinaw Southeastern Mindanao Region (Kalinaw SEMR) received three laptop units from Davao Light and Power Co. (DLPC) and Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. during a simple turn-over ceremony held on July 31, 2025.

The event was attended by representatives from Kalinaw SEMR and its provincial chapters Kalinaw Davao del Norte, Kalinaw Davao de Oro, and Kalinaw Davao del Sur, as well as several executives from DLPC and the Aboitiz Foundation, and the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) - Mindanao. The initiative is part of the ongoing partnership between the private sector and peacebuilders working in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas and community-based organizations.

“This may seem small, but for us, it’s already a big help,” shared Ida Marie Montero, Vice President for External Affairs of Kalinaw SEMR. “As a grassroots organization of former rebels, we can't yet provide this kind of support to our chapters. Dakong tabang gyud ni sa among trabaho.”

The donation is part of DLPC’s corporate commitment to empowering GIDAs and other vulnerable sectors, as stated in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed with Kalinaw SEMR earlier this year. The laptops will be used by chapter officers to improve documentation, conduct peace education sessions, and strengthen coordination among people’s organizations.

Kalinaw SEMR expressed its deep gratitude to DLPC and the Aboitiz Foundation for investing in grassroots peace and development work. “We hope that this will only be the start of our collaboration, of peace and power making a difference in the communities once darkened by conflict,” Montero added.

11/05/2025

Alam nyo na kung sino?

10/05/2025

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐬𝐚 𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐠𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐤𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐚 𝐦𝐠𝐚 𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧

ISANG BUKAS NA LIHAM
Mayo 10, 2025

Ang awareness camapign na pinasimulan ng Kalinaw Southeastern Mindanao Region at mga panlalawigang affiliate nito ay isang karapatan sa malayang pamamahayag na ginagarantiya ng Konstitusyon, at patuloy itong lumalakas. Bilang tugon, kayo, aming dating mga kasamahan, ay pinili ang nakasanayan ng taktika: ang sabay-sabay na maghain ng reklamo sa pinakamapagsimpatyang ahensya kahit ilang araw lang bago ang Mayo 12.

Bilang mga former rebel, malinaw sa amin ang tuso, kung hindi man lantad, na taktikang ito. Hindi ito patunay ng lakas, kundi nagsasalamin ng inyong kahinaan at desperasyon.

Sinasabi ninyong kayo'y biktima dahil pinepresenta ninyo ang inyong sarili bilang mga sibilyan at kasapi ng mga organisasyong protektado ng Konstitusyon. Subalit HINDI nito pinapasubali ang inyong kaugnayan sa Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) o ang inyong papel sa pagrerekrut para sa New People’s Army (NPA). Alam namin ito sapagkat minsan din kaming bahagi ng CPP-NPA-NDFP kasama ninyo, kung saan itinuro sa atin na laging itanggi ang anumang ugnayan at mariing kondenahin ang anumang paratang.

Ipinahihiwatig ninyo sa publiko na sa magkasalungat nating pahayag, isa sa atin ang nagsisinungaling. Ngunit batid nating lahat na hindi ang dating mga rebelde ang naghahabi ng kalahating katotohanan at buong kasinungalingan. Tatlong simpleg mga katotohanan lamang ang sinasabi namin: (1) kayo’y kasapi ng CPP; (2) ang inyong mga organisasyon ay itinatag ng CPP at aktibong sumusuporta sa armadong pakikibaka ng NPA; at (3) nakikilahok kayo sa parlyamentaryong pakikibaka upang muling magpalakas. Tatlong payak na katotohanan, ngunit kitang-kita kung paano ninyo pilit itong ibinabaon.

Pinaparatang ninyo na ang kampanya ng Kalinaw SEMR ay inilalagay ang inyong buhay sa panganib dahil ibinubunyag nito ang inyong mga organisasyon. Ngunit kinakalimutan ninyo na bilang mga kasapi ng Partido, kayo ang kumukumpas sa armadong puwersa ng NPA, bagaman sa ngayon maaaring hindi pa nito kayang isakatuparan ang parusang kamatayan laban sa mga “taksil sa rebolusyon.” Sa pagdadawit ninyo sa aming organisasyon at mga lider sa inyong paratang, kayo mismo ang naglalagay sa aming mga buhay sa peligro. Kapag may dating rebelde na mabibiktima ng karahasang NPA, tiyak ipagdiriwang ninyo ito bilang “rebolusyonaryong hustisya.”

Ugat ng inyong reklamo ang aming patuloy na pagbibigay babala hinggil sa estratehiya ng CPP na gamitin ang parlyamentaryong pakikibaka upang "magtuwid" at "magrekober.” Nababahala kayo na patuloy na nakikinig ang publiko, lalo na ang dati nating mga baseng masa, at nabubunyag ang inyong panlilinlang. Palubog nang palubog ang tsansa ninyong manalo ngayong Mayo 12 at ito ang nagtutulak sa inyo na sirain kami. Batid ninyong ang pagkatalo magpapahina nang husto sa inyong planong muling umugat sa lungsod at kanayunan, lalo na kung wala nang papayong na ligal na organisasyon sa Kongreso sa inyong gawaing rekoberi.

Sabay nating tinahak noon ang landas ng rebolusyon, bunsod ng taimtim na hangaring ipagtanggol ang inaapi. Hindi natin sukat akalaing huhubugin ang ating mga isipan na ituring ang armadong rebolusyon bilang nag-iisang landas tungong pagbabago. Kalaunan, ibinaling na lamang natin o binigyang-katwiran ang karahasan ng CPP-NPA, sa pag-aakalang “ang layunin ay nagbibigay-katarungan sa paraan.”

Hinihikayat namin kayo, mga dating kasamahan na aktibo pa sa Southern Mindanao Regional Committees of Towns and Cities, na pagnilayan kung paano nakakaapekto sa inyong iilang bagong mga rekrut ang inyong walang-humpay na pagtatanggi at pagkukubli, silang hinimok ninyo gamit ang panlipunang adbokasiya at itinulak sa ideolohiya ng armadong tunggalian. Hinuhubog at kinukondisyon ninyo silang tanggapin bilang normal ang karahasan ng armadong rebolusyon.

Isaalang-alang din ninyo ito: kung umusad man ang inyong mga reklamo, uutusan kayo ng Partido, sa ngalan ng demokratikong sentralismo, na harapin kami, kaming mga dati ninyong kasamahan na lubos na nakakakilala sa inyo. Magkasama nating nilakad sa matitirik na mga bundok, umiwas sa mga operasyong militar, at nakangiting nag-selfie bitbit ang ating mga M16 at AK-47. Darating ang panahon na hihilingin ng Partido na magsinungaling kayo sa harap ng mga abogado at hukom, na bubutas sa inyong kasinungalingan at magsasampa ng kaukulang hakbanging ligal. Magagawa ba ninyong titigan kami nang diretso at itanggi ang pagiging komunista, ang inyong ilang-buwang integrasyon sa mga yunit ng NPA, o ang kasaysayan ng inyong mga organisasyon bilang likha ng CPP?

Pagkatapos ng Mayo 12, hihimukin kayo ng Partido na magpultaym sa NPA o mag-akay ng iba kung kayo’y nangingimi pang sumampa. Kapag kayo’y nahuli, ipipinta kayo ng Partido bilang mga di-armadong aktibista at babalewalain ang inyong sakripisyo na sumamp sa “pinakamataas na paglilingkod sa bayan.” Kung kayo’y mapatay, itatanghal ang inyong kabayanihan sa isang engrandeng “luksang parangal,” pagpeperahan sa pamamagitan ng mga donasyong ni singko ay hindi aabot sa inyong pamilya, bago gamitin ang inyong kuwento para humikayat ng panibagong hanay. Paulit-ulit ang marahas na siklo.

Samantala, ang Kalinaw SEMR, kasama ng maraming organisasyon ng mga former rebel sa buong bansa, ay tumatahak ng bagong landas tungo sa makatarungang kapayapaan at sustenableng kaunlaran. Tinalikuran namin ang karahasan ng armadong pakikibaka ngunit hindi ang adhikaing ipaglaban ang naaapi. Bata man ang aming mga organisasyon, matatag ang aming paninindigan, at gagabayan kami ng aming mga karanasan. Kung pipiliin ninyong tahakin ang landas ng kapayapaan, sasalubungin namin kayo nang bukas ang aming mga bisig.

Rooted in the principles of self-reliant, inclusive, and sustainable development, and guided by the core values of harmony, healing and hope, Kalinaw SEMR was founded with a mission to safeguard the rights, interests, and welfare of all Filipinos.

10/05/2025

𝐓𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧'𝐬 𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐬

𝗔𝗡 𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥
𝗠𝗔𝗬 𝟭𝟬, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱

The voter awareness campaign initiated by Kalinaw Southeastern Mindanao Region and its provincial affiliates is a constitutionally protected exercise of free speech, and it is gaining momentum. In response, you, our former comrades, have chosen to retaliate in a manner all too familiar to us: a well-timed barrage of complaints filed in convenient forums just days before the elections.

As former rebels, we see through this calculated, if not obvious, maneuver. It is not a demonstration of strength, but a reflection of weakness and desperation.

You claim to be victims of “red-tagging” because you present yourselves as civilians and members of organizations protected by the Constitution. However, this DOES NOT negate your affiliation with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) or your involvement in recruiting for the New People’s Army (NPA). We know this because we were once part of the CPP-NPA-NDFP, with you, where we were taught to always deny any links to the communist movement and vehemently denounce any insinuation or accusation.

You want the public to believe that, in our differing claims, one of us is lying. But we all know it is not the former rebels who are weaving half-truths and peddling whole lies. We have spoken nothing but simple truths: you are members of the CPP; your organizations and partylists were established by the CPP and actively support the armed struggle of the NPA; and you are engaging in the elections as a means to regain strength. Only three simple truths, yet it is plain to see that you are working tirelessly to bury them.

You allege that Kalinaw SEMR’s campaign endangers your lives by exposing your organizations and partylists. Yet, you forget that, as Party members, you are the ones who wield the armed power of the NPA, even though it may currently be incapable of executing death penalties against "traitors of the revolution." Still, by dragging our organization and leaders into your narratives, you are the ones putting our lives at risk. Should one of the former rebels fall victim to NPA violence, you will undoubtedly celebrate it as “revolutionary justice.”

Your condemnation of our efforts stems from our persistent warning against the CPP’s strategy of exploiting electoral processes for its rectification and recovery efforts. You fear that the public, particularly our former mass bases, continues to listen and are seeing through your deception. The electoral chances of the Makabayan bloc’s partylists are growing dimmer and dimmer by the day, and this drives your attempts to undermine us. You know that losing seats in this election would significantly hinder your plans to re-establish foothold in urban and rural communities, especially without the legislative cover that partylist representation provides.

We once shared the revolutionary path, driven by a sincere desire to champion the marginalized. We never expected that we would be conditioned to see armed revolution as the sole path to genuine change. Eventually, we turned the other cheek and even excused the CPP-NPA's acts of violence, comforted by the thought that "the end justified the means."

We call on you, our former comrades who are still active in Southern Mindanao Regional Committees of Towns and Cities, to reflect on how this perpetual denial and concealment affect your few new recruits, those who start with social advocacy and end up drawn into the armed conflict. You are grooming and conditioning them to accept armed revolution and its violence as a given.

Consider this as well: when your complaints gain traction, the Party will inevitably direct you, in the spirit of democratic centralism to pit yourselves against us, your former comrades who know your backgrounds intimately. We have shared treacherous mountain trails together, evaded military operations together, and happily smiled at selfies with our M16s and AK-47s together. Know that when it is time, you will be asked by the Party to perjure yourself in front of lawyers and judges who will see through your lies and take appropriate legal steps. Will you then be able to look us straight in the eye and deny your communist membership, your months of integration in NPA units, or your partylist's history as being a concoction of the CPP?

After the elections, the Party will urge you to become full-time NPA fighters or convince others to take your place if you hesitate. Should you be arrested, the Party will portray you as unarmed activists and discredit your commitment to the “highest form of service to the people.” Unfortunately, if you are killed, they will briefly celebrate your martyrdom in a grand "luksang parangal," even make a profit out of donation drives that will never get to your family, before exploiting your story to attract new recruits. And the vicious cycle continues.

Meanwhile, Kalinaw SEMR, together with the many former rebels’ organizations nationwide, is forging a new path towards just peace and sustainable development. We have rejected the violence of armed struggle but not the resolve to fight for the marginalized. Our organizations are young, but our commitment is firm, and our experiences will guide us. Should you choose this path of peace, we will welcome you with open arms.

(Bisaya translation in the Comments Section)

09/05/2025

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1249693

12/04/2025

𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐏𝐏 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬!

Joint Statement of the UCCP-Bukidnon Fellowship of Congregational Churches pastors
and Kalinaw SEMR

April 8, 2025

We, the UCCP-Bukidnon Fellowship of Congregational Churches pastors and Kalinaw Southeastern Mindanao, stand in solemn solidarity with "Naida," a Lumad woman and former evacuee in Haran-UCCP, as she formally files a r**e charge today against UCCP Pastor Edgar Ugal. Naida's decision today is not merely a legal action—it is a courageous act of truth-telling, both long overdue and long silenced.

The series of abuse suffered by Naida, who was only 14 years old at the time of the first incident, occurred in the very places that claimed to offer her sanctuary. She was first abused by Pastor Ugal while in the evacuation center in Tagum City and then at the Haran Evacuation Center in Davao City between 2018 to 2019. Pastor Ugal is not only a religious leader but a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). He held a position of authority, trust, and spiritual influence, which he wielded with impunity to exploit a defenseless child rather than protect her.

We assert, with clarity and conviction, that the organization and hierarchy that Pastor Ugal belonged to—the CPP, including some high-ranking members of the UCCP—were fully aware of the crime. Yet they chose to bury the truth. Instead of acting in defense of a child, they chose to protect a predator. They prioritized the reputations of the Ugal, the bishop and pastors managing the Haran evacuation center over the safety and dignity of a Lumad child. This is not just negligence; this is pure complicity.

Pastor Ugal's justification, that his sexual relation with a minor was consensual, is a textbook illustration of a groomer’s alibi. It is a manipulative distortion that desperately tries to shift the blame onto the victim. Naida was just 14, displaced, dependent, and under his spiritual authority. Consent in such a context is impossible. Grooming often involves a calculated build-up of trust, emotional dependence, psychological control, and some degree of physical violence that leaves the victim with no real sense of choice. Pastor Ugal's argument merely serves to strengthen the worrisome power imbalance that he willfully exploited.

We also call attention to the fact that this is not Pastor Ugal’s first encounter with accusations of abuse. He was previously among those indicted in the 2018 Talaingod 18 case, which involved the abuse of Lumad children. Though he was later acquitted, we hope that this r**e charge will finally bring to light the abuse of authority and systematic cover-up that has allowed individuals like Pastor Ugal to operate with impunity. We hope it will serve as a turning point, not only for Naida, but for every survivor still waiting for justice, and that it will compel institutions to reckon with their failures and to ensure that no abuser is ever shielded again under the guise of advocacy, religion, or revolution.

We are calling for justice—not just in the courtroom, but in every church, every community, and every organization that has turned a blind eye to sexual violence and other forms of abuse. We demand accountability from those who shielded Pastor Ugal and fostered a culture of silence that allowed this kind of abuse to continue unabated.

Enough to abuse!
Enough to silence!
Enough to protecting predators under the guise of activism or religion!

31/03/2025

30/03/2025

𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭!

PRESS STATEMENT
March 29, 2025

Across Davao region, and even in many parts of Mindanao, a new movement is rising—not for the violent “people's war” but for the attainment of true and lasting peace and development.

This struggle is being led by former leaders and members of the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army - National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPP-NPA-NDFP), who have firmly rejected armed struggle and chosen the path of peace. Since the inception of the whole-of-nation approach to solving the problem of insurgency, they have fully collaborated with our government and have become instrumental in achieving the insurgency-free status of the entire Davao Region.

However, even as the armed capacity of the NPA in the region has been dismantled, the threat of insurgency resurgence remains. As former rebels, we are all aware of the tactics of the CPP-NPA-NDFP in using elections to recruit, strengthen, and recover. We know, because it had been part of our political work when we were members of the organization. We are living witnesses to how the organs of the CPP-NPA-NDFP gather funds, resources, and support to ensure the victory of our local and national candidates—all Party members—and partylists—all established by the Party. We know that these candidates and partylists, along with other "legal democratic forces," secretly implement the directives of the CPP-NPA-NDFP within the Philippine Congress and other government agencies. Above all, we know that their strategy of infiltrating the democratic arena, like elections, has no other purpose but to strengthen the armed struggle and the NPA.

That is why we have no fear in exposing the truth. Yet again, we are firm in our stand: revealing the truth is not red-tagging. Amid the threats to our lives, we bravely expose the lies and deception of the KOALISYONG MAKABAYAN, which consists of 11 senatorial candidates and 5 partylists currently running in the elections. We firmly reject 59 BAYAN MUNA Partylist, KABATAAN PARTYLIST, 21 ACT Teachers Party-List, Gabriela Women's Party, Alliance of Health Workers - AHW National Partylist!

Without fear, we unmask Liza Maza, Jerome Adonis, Jocelyn Andamo, Ronnel Arambulo, Rep. Arlene Brosas, Rep. France Castro, Mody Floranda, Teddy Casiño, Mimi Doringo, Amirah Lidasan, and Danilo Ramos!

On many occasions, we have been called red-taggers, traitors, and paid hacks. We have indeed turned our backs on the violence of armed struggle and the dictatorship of the CPP-NPA-NDFP, but we have not betrayed the masses.

And who are the real traitors and mercenaries? Who are truly isolated from the masses? Is it we who are striving to return to our communities and continue the struggle to help solve people's problems? Or is it those who claim to be the "advanced detachment" but can no longer set foot in communities because they have been strongly rejected by the masses?

The CPP-NPA-NDFP has no shame in allying with what they once called the "ruling class." This only shows that, first of all, they have become utterly corrupt, as they are now willing to trade their principles for money or personal interest. Secondly, the true state of our former organizations is being laid on display—they are now desperate and extremely weak, to the point where they must compromise their fundamental principles merely to sustain themselves amid the harsh reality of absent mass support.

We are now at a stage where we are rebuilding our lives previously destroyed by our belief that armed struggle was the only solution to society's problems. But we are encouraged by the fact that we have been warmly welcomed back by the communities we once operated in. They see our genuine desire to continue championing their interests. This only means that our lives will not be wasted so long as we continue to struggle for land, livable wages, free education, and other people's rights.

In our return to the fold of the government, we know that much remains to be improved. But we have also directly experienced the benefits of the whole-of-nation approach being implemented today. Because of this, we must constructively criticize the mistakes while continuing to systematically help address the root causes of the people's unrest. We must deprive the CPP-NPA-NDFP of the material bases for their deception and recruitment. We carry decades of knowledge, skills, and experience in mobilizing the masses to achieve their interests, and we must now use these within the framework of the law and our democratic rights.

Today, on the 56th anniversary of the New People's Army, we strongly declare:

Reject the violent armed struggle of the CPP-NPA-NDFP!

Reject the deception of the Makabayan bloc and CPP-NPA-NDFP to use the elections for armed struggle!

Unite and forge a new path of struggle—the new path toward achieving lasting and true peace and development!

Long live the Filipino people!