Part 2
Karapatan, of course, is the supposed human rights defenders organization of tthe Left,almost dedicated to pinning the Army, the police, other State agencies and, recently, the Israeli government,on the issue of human rights.
It is, when compared to war, a fixing force that would divert or pin the attention of government to an imagined battle the outcome of which, whether a loss or win for the Left, would always be a victory for the Communist insurgents.
So what is human rights to the Left?
The theory and praxis, based on the discussion paper of Armando Liwanag during its so called Second Great Rectification Movement, the time which I vokunteered to become a Communist, takes off from the diarrhea-ridden idea that it is only the State and its functionaries, agents, and deputies who can violate human rights as provided for in international instruments.
It is important to take note that this notion bssically binds the State as the sole actor in the Philippines in teems of rights violations particularly in the most sacred inherent one, the right to life.
In practice, particularly in propaganda, the Left is oriented to “bind the arms” of the State by using its own laws against it.
Gamiton ang ila nga kasuguan nga daw bato agud ipukpok sa ila ulo (We should use their own laws like a rock to strike their heads), now imprisoned former priest Frank Fernandez once told us during a plenum in 2002 deep in the mountains of Sipalay.
It does this through a planned and sustained propaganda campaign through the news media.
I know so because organizing propaganda teams and setting the line/handling and machineries for this campaign was a task that fell on me.
The formula is simple: the propagandist is given a “line” around which to spin his yarn.
Example: in an encounter, the Communist propagandist is trained to hype alleged abuses of civilians, highlight violations of international rights instruments, nitpick and beat the issue to death.
On the ground, fact finding teams are immediately sent in to do a para legal investigation on the extent of abuse by the Army to supplement their propaganda.
That same fact finding is also used as a cover to bring in food and nedicines to the rebel unit in the area although not all members of that team, some well meaning albeit naive, volunteers, know about this.
Perhaps Bishop Gerry and some well meaning Churchpeople who advocate defense of human rights may not know it that the CPP operates on at the highest level of deception, preying on the fears of people and coopting the sincere intentions of those truly desirous of peace but not the bloody and graveyard kind they seek to achieve.
They may not know it thst there are Communists among them, some brilliant, charming, articulate, seemingly sincere in helping people.
Some have risen to important positions in their churches, organized systematically through the Christians for National Liberation underground organization.
The sad truth, however, lest Bishop Gerry is unaware, is that Churchpeople are used for a twofold purpose: to blunt the Army’s successes against the New People’s Army, especially when these are defeated in combat and, second, to gain essy access and funds from Church-linked non profits.
In short, as we used to joke, bala sa kanyon kag bulig sa papay naton (to be used as cannon fodder and to help us make money).
Think of a group of criminals laughing at Bishop Gerry for doing what they want.
It is my fervent hope this May, the month when I took my first Communion and embraced the principles of the Roman Catholic Church more than 30 years ago, that Negrenses can come to terms on the intertwined issues of peace and development and reject the juvenile solution offered by the terrorists to all social ills: armed revolution.
It would also be instructive for all of us that the NPA have either admitted to some or are suspected in the killing of at least 24 civilians in the towns of Don Salvador Benedicto, Toboso, and Calatrava, and in Escalante City since late 2021 to this year.
There, too, are the other cases of murder they have admitted to have committed, including the slay of Myrna Belando, a resort worker it has accused of being a State agent.
There, too, is the massacre of the Fausto famiky in Kangkiling, an upland community in the village of Buenavista in Himamaylan City.
This gory murder of Rolly and Emelda and their two sons, both minors, has largely been forgotten, swept under the rug after the Army admitted that Rolly was indeed one of their assets.
Perhaps these cases of killing could be given a bit of attention to (I know we at DNX do) even if these people, mostly civilians struggling to live, like most of us do, do not belong to the Left, shaking their fists and angry at government.
Perhaps this is the summer for us to look at ourselves in the mirror if we truly want a changed world as the terrorists advocate, the path to which is littered with corpses and paid for in blood.
There are those who want rant and rail against the terrorism of Israel yet conveniently forget that a Negrense, Loreta Alacre from Cadiz City was killed in the Hamas attack.
There, too were the children and the elderly who were slaughtered by Hamas aside from women and girls who were abducted, some reportedly tortured.
No rights advocate took to the streets in righteous indignation to demand justice for Loreta and these victims.
The great journalist Ed Murrow once said: we cannot defend democracy abroad by abandoning it at home.
