NPA Gears for U.S. ‘War of Aggression’

As the Marxist New People’s Army (NPA) marks its 35^th anniversary on March 29, its political command – the Communist Party of the Philippines – has called on revolutionary forces to prepare for a possible U.S. “war of aggression.” The CPP also broached the idea of a possible alliance with the Philippine government qualifying however that it should be based on a “common patriotic stand.”

By Bulatlat.com

The New People’s Army (NPA) is gearing for a possible U.S. counter-insurgency operations against its revolutionary forces.

The “U.S. war of aggression,” the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) said in a statement emailed to the press this weekend, “can occur at any time when the U.S. unilaterally believes that it can easily wipe out the NPA or decides that the puppet armed forces are no longer capable of keeping the local ruling system.”

The CPP, through its Central Committee, issued the statement in connection with the 35^th anniversary of the NPA which falls March 29.

Right now, the CPP said, the United States is strengthening its military presence in the country and laying the ground for reestablishing its military bases through training exercises, wars on terrorism, civic action, humanitarian mission and other pretexts.

Reactivated since the ratification in 1999 of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) signed between the Philippines and the United States, war exercises have coincided with the declaration in October 2001 by the Bush government of the Philippines as the “second front” of its “war on terror.” As U.S. military presence in the Philippines and war exercises were stepped up, both U.S. and Philippine military officers began to re-tool their defense cooperation to counter-insurgency operations.

“U.S. combat troops are being deployed in the battlefield and are asking for a fight with the NPA,” the CPP said. It warned the United States “to cease and desist from fielding US military forces and violating the national sovereignty of the Filipino people and territorial integrity of the Philippines.” Under international law, the character of the war between the government and the people's army is a civil war even as the government depends heavily on U.S. aid, training and equipment, it added.

Armed strength

The call for armed resistance against a possible U.S. military intervention was issued by the CPP even as it revealed that the NPA’s armed strength has increased. In recent months, the CPP acknowledged it has built 128 guerrilla fronts all over the country involving millions of people and covering significant portions of most provinces and municipalities. It also acknowledged that the highest center of gravity that the NPA has formed since its rectification campaign in the mid-1990s has been the platoon but that, in major tactical operations, platoons could be formed into companies.

In its latest statement, the CPP said that the NPA “is in the process of developing armed units at the regional level.” The regional army unit, it said, can serve as the regional center of gravity.

Noting the resumption of formal talks between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and government, the CPP said both parties can move toward an “alliance and truce.”  This is possible, the Party said, if the government can join the NDFP “in a common patriotic stand against the interventionism and interferences of U.S. imperialism… and if the prospective comprehensive agreements on social and economic reforms and political and constitutional reforms can stop U.S. economic and political domination over the Philippines.” Bulatlat.com

Back to top

We want to know what you think of this article.