NDF: Facebook also a tool to support revolution*
By Ira Pedrasa, abs-cbnNEWS.com
04/12/2011 3:43 PM
MANILA, Philippines - The Internet has become the venue of the educated youth to step up revolutionary theories and practices, said National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) spokesman Fidel Agcaoili.
In a statement, he lambasted the chief of the negotiating panel Alexander Padilla, who supposedly earlier said that the emergence of Facebook and the likes on the Internet have “pushed Filipino rebels into oblivion.”
“Alex seems to be suffering from the same arrogant sickness as some of those who left the national democratic movement to join the GPH [Philippine government] bureaucracy. Like them, he thinks that the movement has stopped growing and recruiting from the ranks of the educated youth since he left 25 years ago,”
In a phone interview, Padilla said he was taken out of context on that regard. He said he was merely talking of the dwindling relevance of communism in the time of Internet, such as what has been happening abroad.
Agcaoili said “25 years is such a long time for Alex to make speculations about the movement's current strength or weaknesses. But having been with the movement for a time, he should have learned that the main issues before the peace negotiations now are genuine land reform and national industrialization and not communism.”
He said Facebook accounts, web blogs and different sites are being used by the educated youth to “bring the call for a genuine social change in the country. The efficient use of the internet and Facebook by the Philippine revolutionary movement as a means to propagate the national democratic revolution has even been reported on by local and international media.”
“Alex and Noynoy may not be as old as some members of the NDFP Negotiating Panel but the two GPH officials represent the old and reactionary semi-colonial and semi-feudal social system that is ruled by the few big landlords and comprador capitalists with the full support of foreign monopoly capitalists, especially the US,” Agcaoili added.
Both parties reached an agreement in February as to how the peace talks would take its course.
“Should the peace negotiations not end within his given time frame of 3 years, Alex should be asking his principal, Noynoy Aquino, why Hacienda Luisita can’t be subjected to genuine land reform instead of putting the blame on the NDF,” Agcaoili said.
Padilla insisted, however, that both parties agreed to the time frame given. He remained confident that agreements would be arrived at.
He also dismissed talks he will be resigning from the negotiating panel.
* Url:http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/04/12/11/ndf-facebook-also-tool-support-revolution
