Treading the path of the armed revolution means to live a life committed to defending the exploited and oppressed masses. It is beyond doubt that the late Romeo ‘Ka Juanito Magbanua’ Nanta, or ‘Ka Juaning’, former spokesperson of the Apolinario Gatmaitan Command (AGC-NPA) in Negros Island, lived such an exemplary life as a Red commander and Party cadre.
He was arrested and brutally murdered by the 94th IB in Sitio Medel, Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental three years ago. Ka Juaning was not afforded his basic human rights as a hors de combat, as he was on medical leave due to his arthritis, hypertension, and hernia. Instead, AFP fascists presented their crime like they always do, as a trophy and a “huge blow to the revolution in Negros” to cover for their embarrassment after a foiled attack against an NPA unit in the area a few days before.
While mercenary butchers and their comprador-landlord bosses celebrated, the peopl fondly remembered Ka Juaning’s countless contributions to the revolution in the island. Overall, he dedicated over 28 years of his life to the revolution up until his last breath at the hands of the enemy.
Ka Juaning was recruited to the Kabataang Makabayan in his hometown in Barangay Tabaw, Valladolid, Negros Occidental during his teenage years. He was active in protests at the height of the anti-Marcos sentiments in the 1970s. Not long after, he was recruited to the Communist Party on 1983, and became part of an Urban Partisan Unit. He then responded to the call of the Party to commit full-time as a Red fighter on 1994.
From then on, he became a commanding officer in various guerilla fronts starting from the 2000s, leading successful tactical offensives such as the raid against the RPA and ambush against CAFGU elements in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental. Not long after, he became part of the Regional Military Staff and in-charge of ordnance and training. On 2010, he was appointed to be the spokesperson of the AGC-NPA.
As spokesperson, Ka Juaning maintained a keen and sharp attitude especially against black propaganda of the AFP, PNP, and later on the NTF-Elcac. He would always make sure to answer and correct fake news, and consistently foster revolutionary propaganda not only in media outlets but also in peasant communities.
’Juaning’, as the masses fondly recalled him, was not only remembered as a Red commander and spokesperson. Masses from various areas would reminisce the times when he went house-to-house to talk about their lives and livelihoods, which includes humorous and corny jokes combined with his high-pitched laughter. This, alongside his cultural presentations of revolutionary songs when equipped with a guitar, remain to be precious memories with the people.
Ka Juaning’s death albeit grieved, did not diminish the revolutionary zeal of revolutionary forces and the masses in the island. Like all revolutionary martyrs and heroes, he became an inspiration that further ignited the flames of the people to also follow in his footsteps. His famous call to action, ‘Mabuhi ang masang pigos’ or ‘Long live the oppressed masses’, continues to resound not only in the island but the entire country, as a call to dismantle the rotten system ruled by imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat capitalism.
There will be folds more of Ka Juanings. Day by day, more are enticed to become fighters and voices of the oppressed. The current systemic cancer recently underscored by large-scale corruption only reaffirmed the inevitability and necessity of the armed revolution. Honoring Ka Juaning’s legacy means to go beyond remembering, and to take up arms and collectively fight against exploitation and oppression through joining the New People’s Army.
