3rd ID’s awarding of troops, actually a ceremony for honoring fascism
No honor amongst thieves – last April 25, the 3rd ID, led by its commanding officer Maj. Gen. Benedict Arevalo distributed medals to 20 AFP troops for their so-called ‘successful encounter’ in Barangay Sandayao, Guihulngan City last April 21. This act is nothing more but a farce and an attempt to recover the mercenaries’ lost morale after Red fighters foiled their attack and managed to be on the offensive.
It can be remembered that the encounter resulted to 5 casualties in the side of the AFP’s combined troops of the 62nd IB and the 33rd DRC. As a cover-up for their loss, the enemy immediately planted fake evidences of ‘recovered arms and other paraphernalia’, while also systematically blocking statements of the NPA to reach the media and the public. What happened was not a victorious operation for the AFP, but a proof of the NPA’s mastery of guerilla warfare that can tactically gain an advantage against a more advanced and numerous foe.
Moreover, awarding troops of the 62nd IB is awarding an AFP unit with a bloody track record for murdering civilians. The 3rd ID is not awarding bravery or victory, but in truth a propagation of the culture of impunity, to inculcate into the minds of its personnel that the institution honors brutality. The AFP bestows cash grants and medals to elements and military units who have committed grave human rights violations, as if it is a notch on the belt to be uphold the mercenary and fascist tradition.
The 3rd ID scurried to raise the esprit de corps of their troops as successive encounters in Central Negros and even other guerilla fronts have effectively dismantled their propaganda of a weakening armed revolution. They are now even desperate enough to campaign for plunderers and murderers like Marcos and Duterte, showing their despair and fear for a growing united front against tyranny and oppression. Although, it is not at all surprising for birds of the same feather to flock together.
Ultimately, what needs to be honored is not the troops who have consistently executed atrocious crimes against the Negrosanons, but the masses and their revolutionary organizations, together with the NPA and led by the CPP who are collectively resisting through the protracted people’s war, to establish a society that respects their rights for land, jobs, social services, and genuine peace. The reward is not a measly medal, but a liberated society free from exploitation. ###