From Philippines guerrilla ‘posting’ to hospital life, Vanessa’s journey of courage

Former New People's Army guerrilla Vanessa Delos Reyes talks to the author,
Cameron Walker, in hospital. Image: Cameron Walker/PMC

AT FIRST it was difficult to adapt to life as a guerrilla. Living in the mountains brings its own set of challenges. New recruits must get used to building temporary shelter, known as "postings". Now Vanessa Delos Reyes is grappling with life in support of detainees after a crippling spinal wound.

By Cameron Walker

At the Southern Medical Centre of the Philippines in Davao City, I visited Vanessa Delos Reyes, a 27-year-old former guerrilla of the New People’s Army (NPA).

Vanessa is undergoing physical therapy to restore movement to her lower body after suffering a bullet wound to the spine while carrying an injured colleague to safety during an attack by the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Scout Rangers in 2011.

She had been a member of the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, since 2006.

Before arriving at the hospital, I had been told to expect to be searched by armed guards.  Instead, I was greeted with warm smiles and handshakes by Vanessa’s parents and a Catholic nun who is in charge of the hospital ward.

Sison walks free after court order

Filipino political dissident Jose Ma. Sison is out of jail and the Malacañang is far from happy. Dutch authorities set Sison free after a court ordered his release because the case accusing him of involvement in political murders of former colleagues in the Philippines had apparently collapsed. He is another political leader turned into a scapegoat by the US-led "war on terror". But, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing the New People's Army (NPA), isn't off the hook yet.
The District Court of The Hague reportedly hasn't precluded him from being prosecuted on murder charges. Spokesperson Wim de Bruin of the national prosecutor's office told the Inquirer: "The charges are not being dropped. The investigation will continue." The Malacañang is still hoping that the case against the communist leader will proceed.

• Sison supporters accuse Dutch authorities
• CPP leader Joma Sison arrested in shock move

CPP leader Joma Sison arrested in shock move

The globalised war on terror is striking at any progressive forces on a variety of pretexts. This from Karapatan on the "political" arrest of exiled Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in his "safe haven" in the Netherlands.

>>> Video newsfeed

Sison lawyer, Dutch authorities confirm CPP founder's arrest

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez, Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 09:14pm (Mla time) 08/28/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 2) A lawyer of Jose Ma. Sison in The Netherlands and Dutch authorities have confirmed the arrest of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Tuesday.

"The communist leader was suspected of giving orders, from the
Netherlands, to murder his former political associates in the
Philippines, Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara," the Dutch national
prosecutor's office said in a statement quoted in an Agence
France-Presse report.

Kintanar and Tabara led a faction of the CPP that broke away from the
party in the early 1990s. They were subsequently assassinated by the
New People's Army, the CPP's armed wing.

Lawyer Jose Jalandoni, son of National Democratic Front (NDF) chief
peace negotiator Luis Jalandoni, said he was on his way to see his
client but could not confirm if the arrest of Sison was related to the
murder charges filed against the CPP founder in the Philippines.

However, Jalandoni said he did not know of any murder charges Sison is facing in The Netherlands, where the CPP founder has been living in exile since 1987.

In a separate phone interview, one of the lawyers helping work for the resumption of peace talks between the government and NDF said a judge and policemen went to Sison's house in the town of Utrecht to interrogate him.

The lawyer then said Sison was brought to The Hague, the Dutch capital.

The negotiations have been stalled for around three years because of
the inclusion of the CPP, NPA and Sison in the terror lists of the
United States, European Union and other countries.

Carl Ala, spokesman of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP,
Peasant Movement of the Philippines) said Sison could be held for
three to as long as 105 days on charges of "multiple murders and for
calling for more murders."

Police also reportedly raided Sison's office in Utrecht and seized all computers, said Ala.

"They are really intensifying the attacks on progressive forces," said
Ala in a text message.

Renato Reyes, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan, New Patriotic
Alliance) secretary general said Sison's arrest showed that the
government was not interested in pushing through with the stalled
peace talks.

"This bodes ill for the peace process. The arrest was most probably
undertaken with the knowledge and prodding of the Arroyo government
who is out to sabotage all hopes for peace talks," said Reyes.

Originally posted at 8:13 pm

• Indymedia
• Joma Sison arrested
• GMANews.TV - VIDEO
• Protests over political arrest