(Note: This is the Second Part of the Red Army in the Philippines post. Red Army in the Philippines refers to the New People's Army and the different leftist activist groups such as Bayan Muna, Kabataan Party, Gabriela, ANAKPAWIS, ANAKBAYAN, League of Filipino Students, etc. This is my personal reflection, being a 'former pseudo activist' from one of these groups.)
Somebody had replied to first post (Red Army in the Philippines?) via my Multiply account. The commenter was a former colleague from one of the activists groups in the school. If I'm not mistaken, I've met (or seen) him once. He is one of the most 'active' activists who really have the heart for his chosen cause. Well, here's what he had to say:
"A little information is a dangerous thing.
- if you'll read news from the 90s, you'll see that those who were behind the "purges" were actually expelled from the Movement. like Popoy Lagman and Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara.
- the NPA is not the only armed group in the Phil. countryside. there is also the RHB (in Central Luzon), and RPA (in the Visayas). why am i telling you this? it is because these groups have a tendency to pose as the NPAs while committing nefarious activities. for example, there are reports that NPAs ask for money ("tax collections") from ordinary people. but the NPA's money on such policies is that they only take money from "class enemies" meaning landlords and big corporations. so, most of the time, these are actually bandit groups using another group's color to lend legitimacy. after all, many businesses in the countryside pay up despite admonitions from the military not to.
in fact, the NPA is highly hated by huge mining companies and illegal loggers. you could try looking for "Green Warrior", a 1996 documentary that showed the NPA's policy of protecting natural resources wherever they have a presence. and I guess its in the news that not a week passes without some mining or logging company getting their equipment burnt (take note, no employees were harmed, right?).
now, i will speak from personal experience. while it is true that BM and all the progressive partylist groups endorsed Recto, it is wrong to assume that it was a decision enforced in a monolithic way. matindi ung debate namin nun, lalo na sa mga partylist supporters sa youth, at lalo na sa UP. kung nagmukha man na solidly namin sinuportahan si Recto, it is quite the opposite. nirespeto ang aming opinion that he doesn't deserve support pero at the same time, hindi kami compelled na ibigay ung mga campaign materials nya. kahit nga si Kiko Pangilinan, di rin namin sinunod yung pag-support sa kanya.
bottom line is, you can't affect the "getting there" of "where you want to got" unless you are part of it. sniping from a bystander's distance will only provide more ammunition for those who want to crush the peoples' movement."
Anyway, I have my response in my Multiply account so go see it there.
I have always thought about this topic. Their behavior.
First, on cigarettes and mess.
Why do they keep on using cigarettes? Isn't it a bad influence to the youth? I think they should be the 'role models' if they want to attract more youth to join their ranks. Oh, maybe it might be as well used to attract more youth because they would be joining a 'cool group.' I don't know.
And at that certain point wherein they somehow criticized the "No Smoking Policy" here in our school, I want to ask them, why? Is it 'bad to ban something bad?' We all know that cigarettes do nothing good to our health and well-being. Yet, why do they tolerate that? And why do they 'criticize' such 'good policy'? It isn't a repression of 'their right to smoke.' But I think, it violates 'our right to breathe clean air.' I may be misinformed or know 'little' again on this issue but that's as far I could remember reading from a paper.
Isn't it a sign that they too are "irresponsible people'? What kind of leadership can we expect from them? This too coincides with the fact that after their rallies, they always leave that place with lots of litter and garbage. Why don't they clean it up after all it is them who used it for their democratic exercise? Isn't it a violation of 'our right to a clean environment?'
And speaking of environmental issues, they too are active in campaigning for the closure of abusive mining companies that exploits our mountains and forests. Well, that's good. But how can you even talk like that when yourselves cannot clean up the mess that you have caused? Is it right to say that 'you practice what you preach?' If they can't do such simple thing as cleaning up their mess after a rally, how can we be sure that they can 'clean up' our rotten society as well?
More on cigarettes on my next post. But you can find it here: josedenniolim.multiply.com because for the next few days, I'll be on 'Filipino language' mode in celebration of the Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa (National Language Month) here in the Philippines. Still, I'd be updating you on whether I have a new post most specially on this 'hot' topic.
Like this post? Subscribe in a reader
1 komento:
Be amongst the many interns who have benefited themselves from our intenships and believe that it's impossible to pinpoint the highlights of their internship
Experience. Our internshipsnot only provide
thrilling experiences but also open doors for the best job opportunities. Come visit us at internzoo.com and let us introduce you to an all-new world of internships. Choose the internship you have been looking for, from our internship programs like, paid summer internship, fashion internhip, college internship, high school internship, business internship, accounting internship. Its not even the half of what we offer you at internzoo. So come and look for yourself, it is the only effort you need to make and we'll take care of your future in the best possible way.
Mag-post ng isang Puna