The declaration of Matuguinao, Samar as under “stable internal peace and security condition” (SIPSC) is as pretentious as the tears shed by mayor, notorious warlord, and member of the Intelligence Service of the AFP Aran Boller at the ceremony held last June 8. He weeps for “decades of lost progress” but not for the many innocent people he summarily killed through his goons Dose Pares and Hapa-hapa, whose recent victims include peasant and traditional healer Veronico “Tatay Birong” Anterio.
Even before his current term as reactionary mayor the people’s court had long found him guilty of several counts of murder, thus the attempt by the New People’s Army (NPA) to mete the capital punishment upon him in November 2018. Some of his victims include:
Matuguinao Mayor Carlos de la Cruz (before the 2010 elections)
Boboy Cagumoc
Barangay Chairman Otot Obiado
Bodoc Coretche
Otoy Micol and Janito “Janing” Micol
ABC President Yurbit Diaz
Alfredo “Idag” Diaz
Vicente “Beti” Sorio
Janito “Toranay” Diaz
Isaac Durian
Mario Floquencio and child
Miguel Bartolo
And even before the Municipal Task Force-Elcac, he was already a member of the ISAFP and active in forcing civilians to surrender. He enjoys the protection of the 8[th] Infantry Division, 803[rd] Infantry Brigade because for many years he has diligently implemented the fascist state’s counter-insurgency program. No amount of ceremonial doves can whitewash this bloody record, which only form part of his crimes against the people.
Matuguinao’s development has been stunted due to his own doing. As mayor of the reactionary government he is responsible for implementing policies that worsen the suffering of the peasant masses such as continuing land monopoly, lack of agricultural support, brutal crackdown on genuine peasant organizations, and reliance on stop-gap measures. He is vehemently anti-progress; his murder victims included political opponents who often advocated for political reforms useful to the people.
The NPA and the revolutionary movement refuse to be scapegoat to his arrogant, inept and backwards governance. He is quite dull not to realize that “insurgency-free” declarations are as temporary as his current hold on power, and that butchers such as him are why the masses shall support the NPA so that in their name it can attain revolutionary justice against their oppressors.
