Filipino Communists Are Nothing But Extortionists

For all their idealism and abstract notions of a perfect classless society for the country’s poor and oppressed, the Philippine communist rebels have become a rogue group of criminals and terrorists, engaged in exacting “revolutionary taxes” from businesses and politicians who are afraid of them. Putting aside the launch of their communist revolution for the moment, they are now in the business of selling protection, mafia-style. In a report compiled by the Armed Forces of the Philippines,

the NPA (New People’s Army – the armed revolutionary wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines) extorted the most from logging concessionaires, around P8.166 million as of May. Agribusiness and fishpond owners gave P6.345 million while mining companies shelled out P5.437 million. Commercial establishments, on the other hand, contributed P4.844 million.

The NPA also extorted money from the transportation sector (P3.277 million), construction companies (P2.824 million), private individuals (P2.189 million), politicians (P1.792 million), telecommunications firms (P1.59 million), contribution from allies of insurgents (P560,000), the internal revenue allotment of local governments (P34, 600), and quarry operators (P27,000).

Collecting P70 million pesos last year, revolutionary taxation has not only become a source of sustenance for the life of the insurgency, it has become a lucrative business for them as well!

But how could they get away with murder? So when money changes hands, no one reports it? No security forces lurking around, hidden in some bushes in some jungles in some provinces in the Philippines to spy on ongoing transactions? Can’t the Philippine military stop this? Can’t local law enforcement agencies act as immediate responders? Are there no community programs in place using neighborhood watches and cellphones to report suspicious activities to the authorities?

This is absurd. Why this is even taking place staggers the imagination. No wonder, the communist problem in the Philippines has dragged on for decades, and crushing the movement has remained an elusive goal.