Magtanggol also disclosed that Paduano, Tabara and Sabandar were expelled because they committed serious violations of the party’s unity, program, discipline and integrity.
Magtanggol said that Paduano and his clique have long engaged in atrocities, killings and gangsterism.
He also said that they have served as private goons of big planters and big business. “In the last elections, they became campaigners and protectors of Rep. Ignacio ‘Jose Pidal’ Arroyo, and several other politicians and big planters in Negros,” he said.
“The central committee has long been aware of the complaints and charges from the provinces against (Paduano) and his clique, but every time they are discussed (Paduano) would downplay them and instead brand them as propaganda of the CPP-NPA,” he added.
He charged that these acts of Paduano only proved that he has “abandoned the political line of the party,” and has “subverted the party’s class bias for the workers, farmers, urban poor and other exploited classes.”
“(Paduano) is obviously no longer a revolutionary because he no longer fights and advances the class interest of the masses, but acts as the kingmaker, operator of the politicians and trapos (traditional politicians) in exchange for millions of money,” Magtanggol charged.
Magtanggol dismissed allegations that De la Cruz and other leaders were behind the slay try on businessman Go Teng Kok, the slay try of Sanchez, the killing of a businessman Umali, the burning of ABS-CBN van as Paduano’s “concoctions to cover up his own crimes.”
Corruption
Magtanggol also said that Tabara and Sabandar were expelled because of finance opportunism. He cited, in particular, cases of corruption involving the “stashing” of some P10 million ($216,872.70 based on a $1:P46.11 exchange rate as of May 25) in project funds from peace agreement intended for some communities, including the support of P25,000 ($542.18) each for the RPM-P’s political prisoners, and the P250,000 ($5,421.82) in projects for two RPM-P beneficiary villages in Mindanao; “diversion and juggling” of party funds; and a few other activities involving funds without collective discussion and approval by party leadership.
Shady history
The RPM-P and its military arm RPA-ABB were formed sometime in the early 1990s following the split of their key leaders led by Arturo Tabara and De la Cruz from the CPP-NPA. Earlier reports show that the reason for their split was their refusal to uphold the call of the CPP to “rectify the party’s gross errors in urban insurrectionism and military adventurism, and reaffirm its basic principles, strategy and programs.”
In 1993, the Negros CPP Regional Committee, then under the Party’s Visayas Commission headed by Tabara, declared its autonomy from the central leadership.
The following year, Tabara along with other members of his faction were arrested by the Military Intelligence Group (MIG) under Maj. Pedro Cabuay, in an apartment in Bacolod. Tabara and the others were subsequently released shortly under mysterious circumstances.
Sometime between 1997 and 1998, Tabara and De la Cruz formed the RPM-P with the RPA-ABB as its armed unit. Others who had joined them, like Noel Etabag and a certain Geanga, left the new formation because of disputes over alleged racket money, and formed their own party, the Partido ng Manggagawang Pilipino (PMP or Filipino Workers’ Party).
Since then, there have been frequent media reports in Negros about joint military operations by the RPM-P/RPA-ABB and military and police against the CPP-NPA, particularly in the hinterland villages of Sipalay-Hinobaan, Cauayan-Ilog-Candoni-Kabankalan, Isabela-Binalbagan in southern Negros, Canlaon-Guihulnga-Don Salvador Bendicto in central Negros, Silay-Talisay-EB Magalona, Cadiz-Sagay-Escalante-Toboso in north Negros, and Sta.Catalina-Bayawan in Negros Oriental.
Fr. Frank Fernandez , leader of the CPP-NPA-NDF (National Democratic Front) in Negros, said in 2003 that Tabara was also hired as a security adviser of magnate Eduardo Danding Cojuangco Jr.. Tabara was allegedly responsible for the sell-out of RPA-ABB by serving as a private army of Cojuangco in the latter’s land ownership expansion in the cities of Canlaon, Kabankalan, Sipalay, Bago and La Carlota, and in the towns of Don Salvador Benedicto and La Castellana, all in Negros.
