Invidious comparison

I READ with dismay Renato Reyes' statements on why Bayan won't condemn the communist party’s armed struggle to avoid red-tagging. Renato compared the previous armed struggle (the Philippine Revolution) to the current one, saying that Jose Rizal died not supporting the Katipunan, but Spain executed him just the same. First of all, based on history, the Katipunan's primary goal was to gain independence from Spain through a revolution. It means that they fought for the freedom of our country against the invaders.

The Katipunan did not commit any terroristic acts against our countrymen. They never did atrocities, killings of civilians, and extortion like what the communist party’s armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), is continuously doing. We may see the difference between the two. Reyes does not have the right to compare the true patriots’ deeds before to what the communist terrorists are doing until now. The NPA keeps on committing atrocities against the civilian population whom it vowed to protect from some abusive politicians. Its role as villain in our history is shameless.