As one listens to the song “Di Pangkaraniwan” (Extraordinary), Wilma and Benny come to mind.
Wilma’s voice and laughter. You would know it was Wilma speaking because she had this unique husky deep voice. Benny was a serious ‘no nonsense’ guy. But he has his funny joking moments. Sometimes, he can really be a comic.
Stories have been told about their excellent revolutionary work in Eastern Visayas especially in applying the correct theories and revolutionary principles, in exercising correct leadership and in arousing, organizing, and mobilizing the masses and their army for people’s war.
They were also among those who pushed for the publication and propagation of materials for Party and mass education. For them, the power of the revolutionary theory of society and the Philippine revolution in awakening all the motive forces of revolution on a mass and widespread basis is incalculable. And indeed, it should and must be the starting point and stepping stone for understanding other specific conditions and issues among classes and sectors.
For Wilma, her two-year experience in the Manila-Rizal movement provided invaluable lessons and wisdom that served as a long-term foundation for carrying out work in the countryside and at broader levels. For Benny, happiness is in the revolution. He could not think of any other life. There is no other way. For him the revolution is not a burden nor an obligation he performed with a heavy heart. For him revolution came out naturally.
Talking peace with the enemy
One shall never forget the encouragement and guidance Wilma and Benny gave during the early stages of the peace negotiations. How the NDFP peace delegation would receive short messages that contained words that seemed like a pat on the back, sometimes a tap on the wrist or just a word “Galing!” (Very good).
And I often returned the praise to Wilma and Benny especially when they surfaced in 2017 and served as NDFP peace consultant and negotiator, “Ang galing nila!” They carried the interest of the people and the movement with steadfastness, upholding the principles laid down by the organization with regard to the issue of peace, and facing the enemy across the negotiating table with confidence.
Both Benny and Wilma made important contributions to the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations. They were deeply involved in the drafting of the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER), ensuring that the demands and aspirations of the people were translated into concrete provisions. Their combined sharpness, discipline, and grasp of the masses’ needs made them instrumental in shaping the document, particularly in areas concerning land reform, rural development, and national industrialization. Through their tireless work, they upheld the revolutionary perspective within the peace talks, showing how genuine social and economic reforms were inseparable from the people’s struggle for national liberation and democracy.
Approachable, warm and caring
Benny and Wilma were both very approachable, warm and caring. They will take time to listen to you as you unburden your problems and anxieties. I remember talking to them about leaving the underground and transferring to legal work due to the pressure of family problems, after just having a baby and a minor case of postpartum depression. This was compounded by the feeling of disappointment for not further developing my ideological, political and organizational capabilities.
But Benny had this ingenious way of contextualizing your problem in relation to the problem of the Filipino people. He would then propose ways of overcoming the problems with practical solutions that are doable and which makes one feel that nothing is insurmountable.
Wilma, on the other hand, was the kind of comrade whose persuasiveness made it impossible to turn away from an assigned task. She had a tireless way of explaining why the work was necessary and how it advanced the revolution, inspiring others to take it on wholeheartedly. She would lay down the request and enumerate why it was important for you to fulfill the task. No, not with flattery or making you feel you are the only one who can do the work. She would explain how important it was to undertake the task. So even if I was satisfied and happy with the sectoral organizing work which I myself requested, in the end I accepted the task being assigned to me.
I remember the time when I had just given birth, and I told them how admirable they were for their sacrifice of being separated from their children in order to take up countryside tasks. When I told Wilma I did not think I could do the same, Wilma replied: “When the time comes you will make the decision you feel is right for you and for your child.”
When my husband passed away, I received a beautiful letter from Wilma and Benny which not only warmed my heart but also somehow eased the pain of loss for a great man.
Wilma and Benny’s was a beautiful love story that started when they were classmates in high school and which developed deeper as their love for the people and the revolution flourished. They were a romantic couple as much as they were great leaders of the Philippine revolution. One kasama would jokingly tell them their theme song should be Natalie Cole’s “Inseparable” because they truly were inseparable.
At the time of their murder, Benny, 71, was the Chairperson of the CPP Executive Committee, while Wilma, 70, was the CPP’s Secretary General. They were travelling with Ka Divino (Joel Arceo), a subregional secretary in Eastern Visayas, along with Ka Yen, Ka Jaja, Ka Matt, Ka Ash, Ka Delfin, Ka Lupe, Ka Butig (Catbalogan 10), who all belonged to the guerrilla force of the central headquarters.
They were murdered by the fascist butchers of the US-Marcos regime in August 2022. Captured, brutally tortured to death, their bodies thrown on a motorboat full of explosives and detonated in the waters of Catbalogan City, Samar in order to hide all evidence of the brutal crime of the fascist regime.
Wilma Austria and Benito Tiamzon are true heroes of the Filipino people’s revolution. They stood firm to the very end.
Maraming, maraming salamat Wilma and Benny! Tunay na di kayo pangkaraniwan!