CPP orders NPA to intensify offensives amid Mindanao martial law

The Communist Party of the Philippines on Wednesday called on its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA), to conduct more offensives as their way of resisting the martial law declaration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

"The Party calls on the NPA to plan and carry out more tactical offensives across Mindanao and the entire archiepelago [sic]," the CPP said in a press statement.

"In the face of the Duterte regime’s martial law declaration in Mindanao, the necessity of waging revolutionary armed struggle becomes ever clearer," it added, as it also urged the NPA to accelerate its recruitment of new fighters.

Duterte put the entire Mindanao under martial law Tuesday night following the attacks of the ISIS-inspired Maute Group on Marawi City, resulting in clashes with the military and police that have killed five and wounded 31 other government troops.

The CPP denounced Duterte's declaration, and said waging an armed resistance is the "most effective way" of resisting martial law which it said it has proven during the regime of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

"As proven under Marcos, waging revolutionary armed resistance is the most effective way of resisting martial law, defending the people’s democratic rights and inspiring them to wage ever greater struggles," it said.

"Intensify mass actions"

Meanwhile, the CPP also urged Filipinos to decry the 60-day martial rule and demand its immediate lifting.

"The CPP calls on the Filipino people to vigorously oppose Duterte’s martial law declaration in Mindanao and demand its immediate lifting," it said.

"They must carry out and intensify protest mass actions nationwide, banner the demand to end martial law, assert civilian rule and respect for civil and political rights as well highlight the basic demands of the workers and peasants and other democratic sectors," the CPP added.

The CPP said Duterte's basis was made on the "narrow pretext" of the armed clashes "in the vain hope of justifying the martial law declaration."

The group also said Duterte only positioned himself as a military ruler and strongman when he vowed to be harsh against the Maute Group, which it claimed only emboldened the military in committing human rights abuses.  

"In doing so, Duterte has practically ordered the AFP soldiers to impose its rule and carry out more abuses with extreme impunity," it added.

The CPP also warned that Duterte may declare martial law in the whole country in his plight to fight criminality.

"If Duterte succeeds in securing congressional support for martial law in Mindanao, he will surely be emboldened to impose martial law on the entire country. He can easily come up with more pretexts such as 'fighting criminality' and so on," it said. —Joseph Tristan Roxas/KBK, GMA News