Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. yesterday accused the National Democratic Front-New People’s Army of hampering government‘s delivery of progress to the people whom they want to keep poor and exploited.

“They don’t want people to progress, they exploit them by taxing them. Is that what you call a good organization?” he asked.

“Those who get fat are their officials, it is a business for them,” he said.

The governor said that in developed countries, there are few Communists.

The governor said he supports the national government’s effort to put closure to its peace agreement with the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade.

We need peace, he said.

Meanwhile, Jolibelle Tubayalan, NDF-Negros spokesman, in a statement released to the media on February 29, said Marañon should stop asking for local peace talks since this has already been rejected by the NDF-Negros as nothing more but a divisive move and a cheap political gimmick.

In its statement, the NDF-Negros instead condemned what it called the intensification of militarization under Oplan Bayanihan as demanded by the governor to allegedly secure his pro-big landlord-capitalist programs in the province.

“Instead of implementing land reform that will strategically address the problems of poverty by creating jobs, income and food security for the majority of the Negrosanons,” the NDF statement said, Marañon continues “to beat the drums of war.”

The NDF also criticized what it called Marañon’s continued support for mining, including off-shore dredging of the rich black sand from Pontevedra to Sagay City.*CPG

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