Kidapawan Massacre is Ruling Class Failure

April 5, 2016 Blog

                Rina Jimenez David writing in the Inquirer follows the line of the Philippine National Police (PNP), has pointed out the possibility of the NPA organizing the farmers in the protest march that ended in several farmers being shot and killed by the PNP.

                Habito’s evidence for possible NPA support for the protest march are: the professionally prepared placards, placards calling for the removal of the military from NPA areas and lifting of operations against the NPA. These are reasonable observations.

                It is very likely that the NPA indeed have been supporting these farmers and such tactics to create controversy and catharsis through violence and bloodshed absorbed by pitiful poor farmers should not be a surprise anymore – we have seen too much of this in the history of political struggles.

                The use of violence and gory blood displays is a most effective generator of public outrage and sympathy. I remember reading an anti-communist propaganda pamphlet about this entitled “How the Reds create a riot” that end in innocent, sincere participants being bloodied, angry and pushed to join the struggle against the powers that is perceived to commit such oppression.

                Kidapawan, Cotabato, is such a faraway place, so far away from the national eye and media focus that any other protest action not accompanied by such dramatic violence and display of naked oppression can hardly hope to catch national attention. But with visible blood and tears the national media can’t help but headline it.

                If the NPA did indeed have a hand in engineering the bloody scene for media to cast its frenzied feeding for a sensational news story it is still no excuse for the National Government to shoo away the observation of many Filipinos that the incident reflects the massive failure of governance and government’s commitment to service those among its citizens most in need.

                The government failure is not only during this administration of BS Aquino, it traces back to the Cory Aquino years and the Yellow movement’s responsibility for redirecting national and public policy away from State-led national, social, agro-industrial development to private sector-led profit seeking corporate privatization and opening to unfettered globalist predation of the economy.

                Philippine government policy in the era of the Edsa I globalization caused agro-industrial development policy to be swept aside in favor of import dependency from rice, onions and garlic to fish sauce and even fish; irrigation projects that were prioritized during the national development oriented government of the State-centered Marcos government were shelved, agricultural credit programs curtailed, ad nausea. In anytime of El Niño the situation created by the lack of irrigation infrastructure in agricultural areas will decidedly be devastating.

                The government in the particular case also failed to anticipate the tactics and strategies of the insurgency, if indeed they were involved in organizing, agitating and provoking an incident, which is actually very plain to understand and prepare for to ensure no spectacular violence can be exploited. Riot control and management is a very common skill set for police and military riot control commanders and forces already.

                If the NPA indeed were involved in the Kidapawan farmers’ protest and were successful in creating the tragic incident that has been utterly damaging for the government and the nation, one can say that the government of the Yellow movement, that is the Ruling Class behind the government, has been guilty of abetting the crisis and crimes therein. ###