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Psywar in the Philippines
By Nick Grace
January 31, 2004
With the eyes of the world on the southern Philippines an armed guerilla group is quietly waging a strategic psywar campaign in the archipelago's main island in an effort to consolidate its support among the local populace and weaken the pro-American and democratic government in Manila. Its latest venture, they claim, is setting the region "ablaze" in advance of local and national elections set for May 10. The government, however, calls it an intimidation tactic.
Well known for targeted assassinations against local politicians and expatriates the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) announced in late December the existence of Radyo Gil-ayab. The station, which means "Radio Blaze" in the Ilocano language, marks a dramatic turn in strategy as its programs coincide with increased tactical offensives and operations against the infrastructure on Luzon island and the democratic political process.
The CPP, which the U.S. Department of State designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization in order to shut down their fundraising activities in Europe and the U.S., is no stranger to propaganda. Its Radyo Gil-ayab, thought by many outside of the Philippines to be the group's first covert radio station, is but the latest in a long history of subversive campaigns over the airwaves. Shortly after the founding of the CPP in the 1970's radio was used as a strategic psywar weapon against individual military officers attempting to track them down. Reports also indicate that broadcasts in the 1980's identified and 'outed' alleged human rights violators and members of local gambling rings.
Radyo Gil-ayab, a source within the CPP told Clandestine Radio Watch (CRW), has broadcast intermittently on FM with a low-powered transmitter capable of reaching villages around Baggao in Cagayan Valley, which is the CPP's main stronghold in North Luzon. The remote location of the transmitter, while protecting the group's propaganda capabilities from capture, comes at a cost, however.
"Because of the rough and mountainous terrain of the Philippine countryside," the source said by e-mail "the government armed forces are not able to easily pinpoint and move to the location of such transmissions. However, although small, such mobile transmitters are still not easily moved from one place to another; thus, making regular broadcasts difficult to carry out."
That said, CRW has learned that Radyo Gil-ayab has attempted to broadcast at least on two occasions. Its first program was aired in October during "Peasant Week" with communiques and official declarations of party honchos as well as a news round-up called "War Trumpet." The second program was broadcast in late December with a radio drama and interview program.
The CPP propaganda mouthpiece, Ang Bayan, described the production process behind the programs in a feature story on the station published in December. Three people are said to be involved in the operation balancing their "mass work in between their radio work." Sound editing, the piece claims, is done with Sound Forge 5.0 and the final production is mixed with Adobe Premiere. By the time a program is finalized for broadcast weeks have already passed.
While the announcement of Radyo Gil-ayab went unnoticed by the international press the Ang Bayan story was widely reported throughout the Philippines. Left unsaid in these reports, however, is whether anyone actually heard the station's programs.
Nevertheless, the CPP is clearly following a well-planned strategy to rattle Manila to the bone. It has aggressivley increased its imposition of "permit-to-campaign" fees on politicians seeking to campaign in rebel strongholds, which in 2001 garnered an estimated P50 million (US$847,000) for the group.
Its military arm, the New People's Army (NPA), has also targeted the region's infrastructure with attacks. Guerillas burned a cell phone transmission site in early January and nearly shut down a major power plant that serves metro Manila, which would have caused widespread blackouts throughout the capitol had it been successful.
Such tactical ops are classic guerilla psywar strategies.
In addition, the Armed Forces of the Philippines suspects that a newly licensed community MW station in Baggao, Radyo Cagayano, will be used as a pulpit for the CPP. The station was launched by Bayan Muna, a Left-leaning political party that analysts say is sympathetic to and quite possibly a front organization for the CPP. Its president, Satur Ocampo, was, in fact, a peace negotiator for the CPP's political wing, the National Democratic Front.
"It wouldn't be a shock if (Radyo Cagayano) becomes a venue of their propaganda," the military stated on November 13, 2003. "It is most likely to be utilized by the CPP/NPA in its efforts to ridicule the government and drum beat militarization in the area. It also seen that it will be used by the CPP/NPA as an avenue to implement agrarian revolution through propaganda..."
Residents of Baggao are equally as concerned by the existence of Radyo Cagayano and have voiced their objections in the pages of local newspapers. One letter in September 2003 to the daily Malaya stated "I'm afraid that the radio station would be fully utilized to the advantage of left-leaning organizations and their members as their main propaganda tool in their 'anti-government and revolutionary stand.' It would also provide an edge to the CPP/NPA activities by advancing their cause and use the radio station as their cloak masquerading as a legitimate party... (The government) should make a stand on this issue because Bayan Muna members in the countryside are now closely associated with NPA rebels."
To date Bayan Muna is exempt from the CPP's "permit-to-campaign" bribes. The party holds three congressional seats that are up for reelection in the May elections.
There is also increasing evidence of cooperation between the CPP and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a group with ties to Jemaah Islamiyah, Abu Sayaaf and al Qaeda, that operates in the southern islands. Membership is extremely fluid between the groups, analysts say, and they share certain members and even certain terrorist cells. The MILF is known to run Camp Abubakar, a terrorist training camp on Mindanao island that has hosted Jemaah Islamiyah operatives, and is also the NPA's main arms supplier.
The government is taking Radyo Gil-ayab and the CPP seriously. The station merely shows "their usual double talk out-and-out lying and intimidation using the airwaves," Lt. Gen. Romeo Dominguez, commanding general of the Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command, said in a January 12 armed forces press release. "But the people know that the end terrorism is a reality."
While it remains to be seen whether Radyo Gil-ayab has captured an audience or if Radyo Cagayano becomes a propaganda mouthpiece for the movement, the clandestine radio station has already landed the CPP one strategic victory. That the group could indeed pull off clandestine broadcasts suggests weakness on the part of the government in its northern front. And with Manila and Washington focused on Abu Sayaaf and its allies in the south the CPP clearly intends to chip away at the government from behind and deepen the crisis as the election nears.
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INTEL SNAPSHOT |
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| Radyo Gil-ayab | | | | | Launched in 2003 this station represents the Communist Party of the Philippines, which through its military wing, the New People's Army, is fighting a guerilla war against the government. | | |
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