This discrimination is among the driving force of many NPA fighters returning to the folds of the law.

While ordinary fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA) wounded in the battlefield are deprived of hospitalization, top leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) live a luxurious lifestyle and seek treatment at posh medical institutions.

Maj. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) deputy chief of staff for civil military operations and spokesman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), cited the case of Jaime Padilla, a member of the CPP-Central Committee.

Padilla, alias Diego, was arrested while seeking medical attention at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan on Monday night.

Parlade said Padilla’s arrest at the high-end hospital is another proof of the prevailing discrimination in the CPP-NPA, contrary to the supposed equality that they are fighting for.

“While the ordinary wounded NPA cannot even be brought to a hospital, Jaime Padilla, spokesman of the Southern Tagalog Region and member of the Central Committee, can afford checkups and hospitalization in exclusive and private hospitals,” Parlade said.

This discrimination, he said, is among the driving force of many NPA fighters returning to the folds of the law.

In addition, he cited the persistent orders from exiled CPP founding chairman Jose Maria Sison for NPA fighters to press the armed revolutionary struggle against the government without ample support.

“Many more NPA and cadres are actually raising their hands. Former rebels have complained that Joma (Sison) has been pushing them to their limits, but they are not being supported properly,” Parlade claimed.

Citing documents seized during military operation in Mindoro, Parlade said an NPA platoon subsists on monthly P45,000 allowance from the party.

Maj. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., commander of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, echoed Parlade’s pronouncements.

Burgos said while top CPP-NPA leaders enjoy the fruits of NPA extortion, ordinary fighters are left to mend for themselves.

“This accomplishment (Padilla’s arrest) shows us the disheartening reality that while ordinary rebels whom they deceived to take up arms against the government are deprived of decent medical attention, NPA leaders are enjoying premium health care using money out of their extortion activities,” Burgos said.

He branded Padilla’s capture as a huge setback on the part of the CPP-NPA.

“(It) is a decisive blow to the communist terrorists for it will result to further demoralization among their ranks brought about by a leadership vacuum, thus, further pushing them on the brink of collapse,” he stressed.

According to the military, they were able to dismantle the NPA unit operating in Batangas and Cavite after the 2018 campaign and are now on track to defeat the “few remaining terrorists operating in Rizal, Laguna and Quezon provinces.”