The CPP-NPA-NDF and the “Dead Cat” Strategy

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Word on the Street is Kontra-Kwento’s letter to the editor. Send yours to kontrakwento@gmail.com

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Courtesy of Lope Nagusara

In the midst of a growing public outrage against corruption—where people are finally uniting to demand the jailing of corrupt officials—the CPP-NPA-NDF and its legal fronts have once again resorted to an old trick: distraction. Like tossing a “dead cat” on the table to divert attention, they are now trying to shift the public’s focus away from the real issue—systemic corruption in government—toward the NTF-ELCAC or the Dutertes.

This is the classic “dead cat strategy”: when you’re losing the argument or when the public is waking up to the truth, throw something shocking or controversial into the conversation to hijack attention. And right now, as the cry for accountability grows louder, the CPP-NPA-NDF fronts are playing that game perfectly—redirecting anger and energy the CPP’s favorite target these days, the Dutertes and “Buwagin ang NTF-ELCAC,” instead of the real centers of corruption and power.

It’s not hard to see who benefits. These same fronts have long-standing ties and political alignments with the resigned Speaker of the House, Martin Romualdez, who, by all indications, stands at the center of the country’s corruption controversies. The louder the people shout, “Jail the corrupt!”, the more desperate these groups become to shift the conversation elsewhere. By pointing their fingers toward the Dutertes, they hope to shield their powerful allies and confuse the public once again.

This is manipulation at its finest—and most dangerous. It divides the movement against corruption, weakens the people’s united voice, and turns righteous anger into partisan noise. Instead of standing with the people in demanding accountability from all sides, the CPP-NPA-NDF’s front organizations have chosen to act as political smokescreens.

But the people are no longer easily fooled. The demand is clear and simple: Jail all the corrupt—no exemptions, no distractions. Whether they wear red, yellow, or any other color, whether they sit in Congress or hide behind so-called “progressive” banners—the message is the same.

The public clamor today is not about personalities, it’s about justice. And no amount of “dead cats” thrown into the crowd will change that.

Lope Nagusara