Madalas ay kinakamusta ko na lang sa pinsan ko tuwing tumatawag ako sa kanila kung ano na ang kalagayan ng bukid doon. Pero sabi niya, “Wala nang bukid. Dagat na.”

When the government does not engage international bodies, it is accused of avoiding scrutiny. When it presents its evidence to the same institutions, it is accused of exploiting them. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

The forum occurs against the backdrop of a sharply diminished communist insurgency. According to government data, NPA strength has fallen to around 780 fighters nationwide—down from a peak of about 25,000 in the 1980s. From January to early August 2026 alone, the AFP reported neutralizing roughly 970 NPA members and supporters (862 of whom surrendered). Localized peace efforts have reintegrated tens of thousands of former rebels through programs such as E-CLIP and the governm

Habang nagpapatuloy ang mga operasyong panseguridad, nananatiling bukas ang mas mahalagang tanong para sa mga nasa loob pa ng kilusan: maghihintay ba silang maging susunod na pangalan sa listahan ng mga “martir,” o pipiliing umuwi habang may pagkakataon pa? Gaya ng sinabi ni Ri Chard sa kanyang mga dating kasama: “May iba pang kaparaanan upang magsilbi sa mamamayan.”

People still ask me, sometimes with curiosity and sometimes with judgment, why I left the armed movement. The truth is more complicated than a single word.

Muling sinusubukan ng mga grupong kaugnay ng National Democratic movement na buhayin ang usapin ng tinaguriang “Talaingod 13.” Noong Hulyo 16, pinangunahan ng Save Our Schools Network ang isang kumperensiyang pinamagatang “Annual State of Justice in Mindanao Conference: Justice for Talaingod 13 and Beyond.” Sa naturang pagtitipon, muling iniharap ang naratibong ang estado umano ang nang-api sa mga tinawag nilang “human rights advocates” na nagsagawa ng rescue mission para sa

Sa huli, ang totoong motibo ng NPA ay hindi ang pagprotekta sa kalikasan kundi ang pagkolekta ng “revolutionary tax.” Kapag tumangging magbayad ang isang kumpanya, doon sila nagiging target — hindi dahil sa kanilang pinsala sa kapaligiran, kundi dahil sa kanilang pagtanggi na sustentuhan ang armadong kilusan. Ito ang mapait na katotohanang kailangang malaman ng publiko upang hindi na sila malinlang ng magandang pakinggan pero huwad na propaganda. Ang tunay na pagtatanggol sa

Kapag matagal kang namuhay sa isang mundong hiwalay sa lipunan, unti-unting lumiliit ang mundong ginagalawan mo. Dahil sa mahabang panahon ng pagkabukod sa kabundukan, marami ang nawawalan ng tiwala na kaya pa nilang bumuo ng normal na buhay sa ibaba. Ang organisasyon na lamang ang tanging nagiging mundo nila. Ang tinatawag naming "rev family"—ang mga kasama—ang nagiging tanging pamilyang kinikilala nila. Sa bawat paglipas ng panahon, unti-unting natatakot ang mga hukbo na mu

Ngayon, nakabalik na ako sa lungsod at nakakabalita na sa mga nakilala ko at nakasama ko sa lungsod, at pakikibakang parlyamentaryo, hindi ko maiwasan mapansin ang agwat namin. Yung mga naging instruktor ko sa BKP* ay mga instruktor na ngayon sa iba’t ibang kulehiyo sa UP. May mga parangal, may mga posisyon, may mga katungkulan. Yung mga nakasama ko sa mga Cultural Night upang pataasin ang kapasyahang tumungo sa kanayunan ay nagpopost ng stories na nasa gym na may mamahali

For years, I believed that genuine change in the Philippines could only come through armed revolution. Like many idealistic young people, I was drawn to the promise of a nation free from injustice, inequality, and corruption. I sincerely believed that taking up arms was not merely an option; it was the only path. I was wrong.

One line from Atom Araullo's graduation speech at UP Baguio this week hit me harder than I expected. "You don't have to kill your dreams in the name of service. Just make sure your dreams don't require you to kill your conscience."

Inside the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA), she was "Ka Kira" - an organizer, recruiter, cadre, and believer in the revolution. Today, however, she is simply Mara: a daughter, a partner, a peace advocate, and a former rebel determined to help others find the path she once struggled to take. Her story did not begin in the mountains. It began when she was only fourteen years old. Growing up in a family with relatives working overseas, Mar

In the third quarter of 1998, Elena received a Party assignment. As a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), she was designated as a cadre tasked with helping lead an NGO operating in Western Mindanao. On paper, the organization focused on disaster preparedness, disaster management education, and measures designed to reduce the impact of natural and human-induced disasters. Its programs targeted remote communities in the region's hinterlands, areas often expo

To them, the ruling does not mean that former rebel witnesses were lying. It does not mean that the support networks they described never existed.