EDITORIAL | Acquittals are not absolution

The recent acquittals and dismissals of cases against Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army figures, such as Adelberto Silva, Renante Gamara, Myrna Cruz-Abraham, and Tirso Alcantara, are being celebrated by their supporters as "victories of justice."

"Activists on rare winning streak," screamed one headline. Former rebels shake their heads in frustration, decrying the careless use of the word “activist” or "peasant or union organizers." Never mind that these labels suggest civilian innocence while obscuring the reality that these personalities are seasoned CPP-NPA operatives. From time to time, a criminal may volunteer at a clean-up drive in the light of day, but that does not erase the crimes he or she masterminded at night.

What these decisions really show is how often our courts struggle when confronted with old cases, thin evidence, and technical loopholes. A cleared charge is not the same as a cleared conscience.

Yes, the rulings cite insufficient evidence. Gamara and his co-accused walked free from a 2007 kidnap-murder case. Silva beat an illegal firearms charge. Cruz-Abraham, widow of a top CPP commander, was acquitted of an ambush plot. Alcantara’s one case fell apart as well. But let’s not pretend these are ordinary citizens mistakenly dragged into court. They are veteran cadres and longtime party operatives. They built and sustained an insurgency that stunted the development of villages, recruited children, and left thousands dead.

The label of “activist” or “consultant” is part of a well-worn CPP playbook. As former rebels attest, cadres are trained to deny, deflect, and hide behind legal cover and organizations. Peace negotiations have been used in the same way. Less than a decade's history showed that once “consultants” are freed, many go back to the underground. Eduardo Genelsa, Porferio Tuna, Jr., Loida Magpatoc all jumped bail and returned to the NPA units or guerrilla zones. The Ben and Wilma Tiamzon re-emerged in the field after talks collapsed, only to meet their end in Samar. Others, like Ariel Arbitrario, Concha Araneta, resurfaced as operatives until death caught up with them. Time and again, release has been less a gesture of peace than a ticket back to war.

That is why these acquittals and dismissals trouble not only the government but also the people who once fought alongside them. Buklod Kapayapaan, the national federation of former rebels, raised the concern that “[t]he release of known cadres casts a shadow over the sacrifices made by thousands of former rebels who walked away from the underground, faced legal consequences, and embraced reintegration.”

More bluntly, the federation expressed the troubling reality that continues to confront former rebels. "The painful reality is that many of us who have long laid down our arms and surrendered to the government remain burdened by legal cases, while our unrepentant former leaders are the ones who are walking free."

In the end, acquittals on paper cannot erase the graves of civilians killed, the communities displaced, the young lives wasted. Technicalities can dismiss charges, but they cannot absolve responsibility. True peace requires, at the very least, accountability, truth, and justice for the sake of the victims whose voices never made it to court.