MANILA — Wearing masks, members of Makabayang Kilusan ng Bagong Kababaihan (Makibaka), an allied organization of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), staged a lightning rally, March 25 at downtown Carriedo.
Makibaka condemned the arrest of alleged top communist leaders Wilma Austria, Benito Tiamzon and five others and called for the immediate release of the two. Austria, Tiamzon and five others were arrested by state security forces on Saturday in Carcar, Cebu and are now detained at Camp Crame.
In a statement, Malaya Libertad, spokeswoman of Makibaka, described Austria as the “epitome of a revolutionary woman and cadre who should be exalted and not be incarcerated like an ordinary criminal.”
The underground women’s organization also marked the 43rd anniversary of Makibaka and the 45th anniversary of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
Libertad called on women to join the revolution, which the group said, is “the only solution to the systemic crisis of the country.”
Photos by BOY BAGWIS
