61 more Anakpawis members sever ties with Reds

MANILA – A total of 61 members of Anakpawis, a sectoral front organization of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), severed ties with the communist group and voluntarily surrendered to the government.

According to the report of the Cagayan Provincial Police Office (PPO), the 61 members of the Anakpawis claimed they were recruited by Randy Batara and Marilou Atendido under the leadership of Isabelo Adviento.

“They were deceived by the promises of Isabelo Adviento in helping them with their problems and air their grievances against the government forces,” the Cagayan PPO said

Some of them participated in rallies in different places in Cagayan and during anniversaries of the CPP-NPA.

The Anakpawis members aid they joined in “pulong-pulong” of NPA under Henry Abraham command alias Bobby Javier/Dominador Javier.

The voluntary surrender of Anakpawis members has been attributed to the persistent efforts of Alcala Police Station in doing community-related activities.

They said they voluntarily surrendered to support the programs of the government, stemming from the series of Lingkod Bayanihan’s successful consultations and meetings relative to Executive Order No. 7 or National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) activities and the religious conduct of “Bisita ni PD and COP sa barangay” winning the hearts and minds of the people in the community.

Declining strength

The Cagayan PPO under Col. Ariel N. Quilang said the voluntary surrender of the 61 Anakpawis members also proved the declining strength of the CPP-NPA.

“Currently, their organization were renamed to ANAK TI MANNALON Dalaoig/Agani chapter Dalauig making them as partners and registering them as members of the advocacy group,” it added.

The surrender was facilitated by elements of the Provincial Community Affairs and Development Division, Provincial Intelligence Unit, and Alcala Police Station.

Philippine National Police Chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, and Provincial Regional Office (PRO-2) Director Brig. Gen. Crizaldo Nieves, commended Cagayan PPO and Quilang for a job well done.

Anakpwis, a party-list of marginalized sectors of workers, peasants, fisherfolk, national minorities, urban and rural poor, is reportedly an electoral wing of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) and the peasant group Kilusang Mangbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP).

KMU and KMP, along with Bayan, Gabriela, Alliance of Concerned Teachers, League of Filipino Students, and KADENA were earlier named by CPP founding chairman Jose Maria Sison as part of the CPP-NPA’s democratic forces in advancing their Philippine revolution.

Anakpawis Partylist, a party-list of the marginalized sectors of workers, peasants, fisherfolk, national minorities, urban and rural poor.

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)