Former Rebels and Peacemakers Dismayed over Acquittal of CPP Cadres

The Taguig City Regional Trial Court acquitted five senior cadres of the Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army–National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) of kidnapping with murder and frustrated murder. The accused—Tirso Alcantara, Dionisio Almonte, Diony Borre, Renante Gamara, and Raul Razo—were freed on the grounds of reasonable doubt, citing lack of solid evidence in securing their convictions.

Buklod Kapayapaan, the national federation of former rebels, voiced its concern. “Their release is troubling for us former rebels because we know their roles in the armed movement, and for the broader public that expects our justice system to uphold accountability in cases involving organized violence,” the group declared.

The group stressed that Alcantara and Gamara, as senior CPP leaders, bear command responsibility for atrocities such as 578 cases of child recruitment and 343 willful killings, many targeting civilians.

The statement lamented that while many rank-and-file rebels who surrendered still face legal cases, their former leaders now walk free. “Peace without justice and accountability is fragile and will, ultimately, be unsustainable,” they concluded.

Former CPP cadre Joy Saguino warned that the acquittal exposes dangerous weaknesses in the government’s own justice system—gaps the CPP has learned to exploit as a legal victory. “It is a warning flare and a glaring example of how our justice system, riddled with procedural lapses and legal naivety, is being weaponized by the most deceptive insurgent network this country has ever faced,” Saguino said.

She argued that the cadres were not innocent activists or consultants, but integral operators in the CPP’s urban network that supports NPA guerrilla fronts. She warned that without urgent reforms in case-building and evidence handling, the CPP-NPA-NDF will continue to exploit legal loopholes as recruitment and fundraising opportunities.

NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Ernesto Torres Jr. accused the CPP operatives of employing lawfare, referring to the misuse of the judicial process to achieve political ends. He reaffirmed that the acquittal, while a setback, does not derail the state’s broader counterinsurgency mission.

Meanwhile, the Legal Cooperation Cluster (LCC) of the NTF-ELCAC also issued a press statement expressing profound dismay over the verdict. “Acquittal based on reasonable doubt does not mean that a crime was not committed. It only means that the prosecution did not meet the quantum of proof required in criminal cases,” the LCC emphasized.

The LCC pointed out that the court disregarded the testimony of eyewitness Erwin Rosales, who personally witnessed the killings and positively identified both Almonte and Borre in open court. Rosales also testified that these individuals were the very operatives who recruited him into the CPP-NPA-NDF. “Their acquittal, thus, leaves the factual milieu unresolved,” the LCC stressed, while affirming its commitment to exhaust all available legal remedies to ensure accountability and justice.

The acquittal of former CPP leaders has placed the government’s peace efforts under close scrutiny. Yet while these gaps in the system have been exposed, both former rebels and government institutions engaged in peacebuilding have reaffirmed their resolve to address the lapses and move forward with greater precision and accountability. With the recent declaration that the NPA no longer maintains active guerrilla fronts, the CPP is shifting its fight to the legal battleground, hoping to turn the tide there instead.