KIMAY, GINAMIT NG NPA SA KANILANG PROPAGANDA

Ayon sa pambansang bayani na si Jose Rizal, ang kabataan ay pag-asa ng bayan. Ang mga katagang ito ay nagsisilbing inspirasyon sa karamihan lalo na sa mga kabataan dahil tumatatak sa kanilang isipan na sila ang magsisilbing gabay upang magkaroon ng malawakang pagbabago sa pamamalakad sa bansa. Kung kaya, malimit na nakikita ang mga kabataan at estudayante na nagtitipon-tipon sa kalsada upang marinig ng gobyerno ang mga hinaing nila sa isyung kinahaharap ng bansa ngayon. Ngunit alam ba nila talaga kung ano ang kanilang pinaglalaban? O nauto na lamang sila ng mga tao o grupong sadyang sumasalungat sa gobyerno?

Ang pagkamatay ni Kemberly “Kimay” Jul Luna na isa sa mga kabaatang miyembro ng New People’s Army (NPA) ay binigyang parangal ng Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) dahil sa kanyang pakikibaka sa murang edad. Bago pa man masali sa NPA, si Kimay ay kabilang sa “iskolar ng bayan” at nag-aaral sa Mindano State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT). Ngunit nasayang ang ibinigay sa kanyang pagkakataon na makatapos sana ng pag-aaral dahil sa kanyang pagtalikod sa pag-aaral at pag-anib sa Partidong Komunista. Marahil, sa tamis ng pananalita at mga huwad na pangako ng mga taong nagrekruta ay nabulag si Kimay sa ideolohiya ng partido kung kaya hindi na niya kinailangan ang edukasyon.

Ang pangyayaring ito ay lubusang inabuso ng CPP dahil nagbigay daan ito upang makahikayat ng mga kabataan na umanib sa kanilang samahan. Ang pagkawala ni Kimay ay walang nagawang mabuti sa kanyang sarili at pamilya niya mismo. Ang NPA lamang ang nakinabang sa pagkamatay ni Kimay dahil ginamit nila ito bilang isang propaganda upang madagdagan ang kanilang puwersa sa pamamagitan ng paghihikayat sa iba pang kabataan para umanib sa kanilang kilusan.

Tama ba ang isinusulong na ideya ng CPP at NPA? Inaatasan nila ang mga kabataan, estudyante at propesyunal na sumali sa kanila upang mabigyan ng hustisya ang nangyari kay Kimay. Humihina na nga ba ang kanilang puwersa kung kaya ginagamit pa nila ang kamatayan ni Kimay para sa kanilang pansariling interes? Wala naman sanang masama sa kanilang pinaglalaban ngunit patuloy naman ang kanilang armadong pakikibaka na nagdudulot ng kapahamakan hindi lamang sa buhay ng mga rebelde at sundalo kundi pati na rin sa mga inosenteng mamamayan nakapaligid sa kanila. Ito ba talaga ang gusto nating kahinatnan ng mga kabataang pag-asa ng ating bayan?

KIMAY, ANOTHER VICTIM OF DECEPTION

This much was proven by the death of a young beauteous 21 year old student from Mindanao State University (MSU) called Kemberly Jul Luna or Kimay to her closest friends on that fateful day of December 15, 2009 in Barangay Concepcion in Valencia City, Bukidnon. No one apparently forewarned her of such danger when she was enticed to turn her back on her family and her future by going AWOL from her classes and thereafter joined the local New People’s Army (NPA) in Bukidnon. Just like any idealistic youngster, Kimay was lured by the rebels to supposedly serve the poor but failed to tell her that she would have to yield a gun and clash with much battle-experienced soldiers.

The recent death of a very young student only proves the debauchery behind the ideology espoused by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) since they quite literally snuffed Kimay’s future from her hands and even cruelly left her dead body to rot deep in the forest where the encounter took place. They led her to believe that what she was doing was for the people and after taking advantage of her idealism, her so-called comrades only left her to rot, not even minding to return her body to her family to be grieved upon. Is this how NPA rebels repay her “sacrifice”?

Even former NPA members have confirmed that the only way out for most of those who were persuaded to join the movement is through a bloody bullet, such as that experienced by Kimay and which most of their young members will most positively and eventually face in countryside battlefields. Even renowned columnist Herman Tiu Laurel of The Daily Tribune has questioned the validity of the CPP dogma and has condemned how the movement has caused a long line of fallen young warriors during its 50 years of failed existence. According to Laurel, “is this still the right way to fight for national liberation?” A good question that we - whether you have a high school or college son/daughter or not - should ponder lest our children also fall prey to the slick tongue and charms of the NPA rebels who usually hound schools and universities to specifically seek out able-bodied, bright and highly idealistic students.

No words of honor to Kimay from the CPP or even from militant organizations under which she previously belonged will make a difference to her parents who are now grieving the death of their daughter. Sadly, they never realized that the very place they thought their child would be safe and educated has now been infiltrated by unscrupulous rebels pretending to be protectors of the people.