From books to guns (first of four)

College girl turned rebel

“I stopped schooling and left my life behind me for nothing.” With a remorseful tone, Maricris recollected how she rested her books and clutched a gun.

Her journey as a state rebel started out with the curiosity to attend educational discussions (ED) in UP. Issues regarding the ineffectiveness of the government, poverty, human rights violations, corruption, and other soci0-economic concerns were tackled. It pierced through her.

Armed with an open mind and idealism, she was an easy target for the underground recruitment.

After several educational discussions, she became a member of a militant group in just a very short time. At the age of 17, she was already leading some underground movements in UP during her sophomore year in the university.

Her progress in the underground movement was fast but not in her academics. She went to school but not in her classes. To her, street education is far better than classroom learning.

Soon enough, she passed on what she learned in EDs to recruit other students. But her work inside the campus is limited to enticing the youth and mobilizing rallies against the government. She knew she could do a lot more.  

The time came when she was nominated to be part of the ‘party’ or the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) with more than twenty other underground rebels from UP. Eleven of them went to Aurora to further study the core principles of CPP-New People’s Army (NPA).

From UP, they headed to Aurora taking a longer and different route for safety purposes. When they reached the site, she saw an actual red army in an actual NPA camp with lots of guns for the first time. It fueled her. The revolution that was ingrained to her as the only solution to free this country is almost tangible, and so she thought of joining that solution.

Nevertheless, she was also hesitant. No matter how tough she thinks she is, she was wary to face the life of an armed rebel.

She thought of her family and the Christmases she would miss. She thought of her boyfriend and making amends because they had a petite fight. But at that time she also knew that armed struggle is the ultimate form of fighting. She’s done with shouting and protesting in the streets and so she integrated with the depths of Sierra Madre.

With her frail body, she held a gun as if her life depended on it.