• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Sentrong Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan para sa Bayan (Sambayanan), composed of former rebels in Negros and Panay, condemned the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), for the series of murder of innocent civilians in Negros Island.
The condemnation came after the CPP marked its 57th founding anniversary on Dec. 26.
In a statement, Sambayanan and its allied organizations said they are united in strongly condemning the decades-long pattern of violence, terror, and brutal killings of innocent civilians perpetrated by the CPP-NPA, especially in the peaceful communities of Negros Island.
“As the CPP marks its 57th anniversary, we are once again confronted with the stark reality of an ideology that has, for over half a century, brought nothing but fear, suffering, and bloodshed to the Filipino people,” they said.
Sambayanan added that the recent, documented killings in Negros – where innocent farmers, barangay officials, and community members have been summarily executed after being arbitrarily branded as “military assets” without truth, trial, or humanity – are not acts of resistance, but are crimes against humanity,
“The continued use of ‘spy-tagging’ by the NPA remains a desperate weapon to silence dissent and maintain control through fear in communities that have long rejected their violent agenda,” the group added.
Stressing that silence is complicity, Sambayanan called on various sectors of society, human rights advocates, civil society organizations, and academic institutions to unequivocally denounce these acts of terrorism.
“Refusing to condemn these killings exposes a blatant hypocrisy in the face of true human rights advocacy,” Winefredo Doblizo Jr., coordinator of Sambayanan Panay and Negros, said. | GB
