Leadership crisis affecting CPP, NPA

TACLOBAN CITY — Maj. Gen. Romeo Dominguez, 8th Infantry Division Commanding General of the Philippine Army, recently said that the leadership crisis of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) in the national level is now greatly affecting the NPA units in the Eastern Visayas region. This has been observed with the deterioration of the effectiveness of their units which resulted to significant setbacks in their encounters with government troops.

This observation of Dominguez came when an insider of the CPP revealed that The Netherlands-based CPP has appointed some pro-Jose Maria Sison elements to control the central committee, which aggravated the rift between the loyalists of Sison and Benito Tiamzon. Dominguez said the group of Tiamzon claimed that the elevation of the pro-Sison group to the central committee from the Visayas and Mindanao without the approval of the committee has triggered the accusation of Sison’s group perpetrating dictatorship in the party that aims to dislodge Tiamzon and his allies from power.

He said that Sison supporters now practically control all bureaus and committees, enjoying the majority in the central committee of the CPP/NPA.

Records of the 8th ID showed that CPP/NPA cadres from the Visayas and Mindanao who were elevated to the central committee were identified by the Army’s intelligence officers as Tina Maglaya, designated as deputy of the national inter-organ conference previously known as the United Front Commission; Ka Boyet, deputy of the education and propaganda committee; Antonio Cabanatan, newly-promoted member of the political committee (Politburo) and the organizing committee; Jorge Madlos, second deputy of the national military commission; Joji Parra Porquia, deputy for finance; Wilson Balingit, liaison officer to the Visayas Commission; Ka Janice, second deputy of the Medic; Ma. Concepcion Araneta-Bocala, promoted as a regular member of the Politburo and senior consultant to the peace process. — Maria Gracia Desacada