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MANILA, Philippines – The Communist Party of the Philippines, which is celebrating its 52nd anniversary on Saturday (December 26), has no reason to celebrate and should instead be ashamed of itself, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.
Since it was founded more than five decades ago by José María Sison, the group has never been close to achieving its goal of replacing a democratic government with a socialist leadership through its armed wing, the New Popular Army, Lorenzana said in a statement on Friday (December 25).
“It is a total failure. Rather, it left a trail of death and destruction across the country that continues to this day, ”he said.
Lorenzana blamed the group for the killings of innocent civilians and government troops, the recruitment of children to fight the government, the destruction of property, and the massive extortion of businesses across the country.
“They have no reason to celebrate. In fact, they should be ashamed of what they have done to the Filipino people, ”he said.
The defense secretary renewed his call for the guerrillas to abandon their armed struggle, saying that “they will never succeed” as Filipinos do not like to believe in communist propaganda and rhetoric.
Instead, he urged the communist rebels to work with the government. He also asked the Filipinos to denounce the CPP and the NPA.
In a statement earlier in the day, CPP said it will mark its anniversary with “simple but joyful” programs. He claimed that he had already carried out a series of activities “under the nose” of the security forces.
Armed Forces spokesman Major General Edgard Arévalo said the army will continue its relentless operations to end the insurgency before the end of President Rodrigo Duterte’s term in 2022.
“The large number of central committee members and CPP sympathizers who surrendered, arrested or killed when they fired with the security forces should have given them clear signals that there is nothing to celebrate,” he said.
TSB
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