A cleared charge is not the same as a cleared conscience.

For the Maoists in the Philippines, myth-making has always been central to sustaining their half-century insurgency.

“Kung mayroon mang may kasalanan sa pagkamatay ng dalawa, iyon ay mga kasama nila mismo. Iniwan nila sina Ka Mutya at Ka Jonnel sa gitna ng barilan nang walang suporta mula sa main body. Bukod pa rito, hindi ninakaw ng mga sundalo ang bangkay—bagkus ay ginawa nila ang responsibilidad na pangasiwaan ito bilang pagkilala sa kaaway, isang bagay na madalas ay hindi kayang gawin ng NPA,”

The change is being led by two men who once fought the government: one used to carry placards in rallies from Davao to Manila; the other, an M16.

The CPP-NPA-NDF keeps calling captured NPA fighters “civilians” to manipulate public opinion, but their own members are now breaking ranks.

We are reprinting the Letter to the Editor by former rebels Job David and Alia Encela to The Visayan Daily Star, August 2.

Kalaunan, napagtanto ni Ka Star na ang mga pangako ng kilusan ay pawang bingwit lamang upang makapagparami ng hukbo.

Ayon sa opisyal na dokumento mula sa Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm na ibinahagi ng Kadre-Mimaropa sa Kontra Kwento, si Sumilhig ay nahatulang guilty sa double murder at double frustrated murder taong 2006, tumakas sa kulungan noong 2012 kasama ang dalawang bilanggo.

Paano nakakatulong — at saan pa puwedeng humusay — ang livelihood support para sa mga dating rebelde

Sa pagdiriwang ng ikatlong anibersaryo ng pagiging insurgency-free ng Davao del Norte na ginanap sa Davao del Norte Sports Complex nitong ika-26 ng Hulyo, binigyang-diin ni Governor Edwin I. Jubahib ang kahalagahan ng patuloy na paghahatid ng serbisyo tulad ng pabahay, kalsada, eskwelahan at mga pangkalusugang pasilidad upang mapanatili ang kapayapaan at hindi na manumbalik pa ang insurhensya.

DAVAO DEL NORTE—Mula sa mahigit isang dekadang pakikibaka sa kabundukan tungo sa silid-aralan — ito ang makabuluhang landas na tinahak ni Bernabe Cañon, dating deputy secretary ng Regional Ordnance Group (ROG) sa ilalim ng Southern Mindanao Regional Committee (SMRC) ng CPP-NPA-NDF.

But herein lies the truth: former rebels are being called traitors not because we abandoned the people’s cause, but because we stopped obeying the CPP. What we “handed over” was not allegiance to the masses, but the power the Party once had over our lives. And for that, they mark us with the word "traitor" like a scarlet letter, in a desperate attempt to erase our agency, delegitimize our choices, and scare others from following the same path.

OCCIDENTAL MINDORO-- “Bago pa man inilunsad ang programa, buo na ang aking loob at nagbago na ang aking pananaw.”  Ito ang wika ni Ka...

“They claim they rescued our children. But we ask—rescued from whom?” the council asked. “Our children were not rescued. They were used, exposed to danger, and removed without our knowledge or consent. That is exploitation dressed as solidarity.”

“I believed the people's war would succeed,” he said. “For nearly two decades, I trained myself and others, enduring hardship and sacrifice for the cause.” But the deeper Felix got into the movement, the more disillusioned he became. From 1996 to 2004, he witnessed firsthand the stark inequality within the leadership of the CPP-NPA. While preaching about justice, some high-ranking cadres lived in luxury, refused accountability, and mirrored the very oppressive systems they

Former rebels from Region 4B formally launched the Kapatiran ng mga Dating Rebelde (KADRE) - MIMAROPA on July 12 at the Oriental Mindoro Provincial Capitol. In a historic and heartfelt gathering on July 12, 2025, the Brotherhood of Former Rebels – MIMAROPA (KADRE-MIMAROPA) was officially launched at the Tamaraw Hall of the Oriental Mindoro Provincial Capitol. Anchored on the theme “Reconciliations and New Beginnings,” the event marked a new chapter of unity, peace, and renewe

“Not all dissent is terrorism,” dagdag pa niya. “However, if the intent and conduct go beyond criticism and directly promote armed rebellion or destabilization, it can be legally scrutinized under the ATA.”

Rurelyn Bay-ao still remembers life in the Haran Bakwit center, where hundreds of families from the indigenous people’s communities across Southern Mindanao were housed, allegedly for their protection against militarization.

This is the Achilles’ heel of the CPP’s analysis: it summarily rejects all forms of peace except its own version of violent upheaval.

BUTUAN CITY—Zulah, a former rebel from Surigao del Sur in Region 13, considers the safe conduct pass (SCP) she now holds in her hands as...