NPA hors de combat Juanito Magbanua killed

Ka Juanito Magbanua, spokesperson of the New People’s Army Apolinario Gatmaitan Command in Negros Island was killed by elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines 94th Infantry Battalion on 10 October. Ka Juanito, whose real name is Romeo Nanta, was suffering from hypertension and arthritis and was staying in the village of Carabalan, Himamaylan City in Negros Island. The AFP captured Ka Juanito alive and subsequently murdered him.

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Philippine journalist, Marcos critic shot dead

Radio commentator and veteran journalist Percy Mabasa, also known as Percy Lapid, was shot dead in his vehicle in Las Piñas City, near the capital Manila, on the evening of 3 October. The Philippine National Police reported that unidentified motorcycle-riding men shot Mabasa twice while the victim was on his way to his online broadcast.

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Anti-imperialist International People's Front launched

A new international united front against imperialism was launched in Phuket, Thailand on 28 September. Uniting under the themes “Fight and build an international front of the peoples of the world against imperialism and all reaction!” and “Call for an International People’s Front,” more than 40 delegates from North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia and Asia Pacific regions agreed to establish the International People’s Front.

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ICC rejects Manila government request to stop investigations

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan rejected on 22 September the request of the government of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr, to stop the resumption of the court’s investigation on crimes against humanity allegedly perpetrated by the past Rodrigo Duterte regime. In a 21-page statement, Khan rejected as “having no merit” the arguments of the Marcos II regime that cite lack of jurisdiction, admissibility and complimentarity.

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Protests mark 50th Martial Law Anniversary

Thousands of people joined protest actions in various parts of the Philippines and around the world on 21 September, marking the 50th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law in 1972 by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Sr.. Protesters in Australia, Thailand, Hongkong, the Netherlands, USA and in the Philippines, decried the Marcoses’ return to power, condemning the historical revisionism and whitewashing of the atrocities committed during the dictatorship.

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Manila court dismisses terrorist tag against CPP, NPA

Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar dismissed on 21 September the petition of the Department of Justice to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army as terrorist groups. The court stated that the Manila government failed to establish any basis for their petition, classifying the struggle being waged by the CPP and NPA as “rebellion” and not terrorism.

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NPA launches 4 consecutive armed offensives in Sorsogon, Negros and Agusan

The New People’s Army launched four consecutive armed offensives against security forces of the Manila government in the provinces of Sorsogon and Agusan del Sur, and in Negros Island in the period between 5 to 14 September.

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