Title: SAVING CIELO (A Story of Dreams, Deception and Abuses)

Author: Dr. Phil Fortuno

Publisher: MindSpark Publishing
Date of Publication: November 14, 2020
Nr of Pages: 282 pages
Reviewed By: PLT VON ISAAC S LAGMAY
Office: Provincial Intelligence Team Samar (PIT Samar)

I. BOOK SUMMARY

This book, SAVING CIELO: A Story of Dreams, Deception and Abuses, presents how a goal-oriented
out-of-a school youth was recruited and exploited by the local communist organization.

Cielo was born in December 1996 in Sitio Matablong, Barangay Balbalungao in Lupao town, Nueva
Ecija. She is the third of six children to parents who were seasonal farmers who worked only during
planting and harvesting seasons, but most of the time they were fish vendors, and had a mini junkshop.
Her parents’ daily earnings could only suffice a day’s needs. Cielo’s minimal and arduous life has no
difference with the life of many poor Filipino families who live in mediocrity.

On February 2011 she was approached by Gerald Salonga or “Ka Matt/Ka Jerry”, who introduced
himself as a member of Anakbayan. Cielo was really interested in the discussions and asked a lot of
questions and that they thought she was keen on learning and has been marked as a potential recruit.
Matt discussed the right to education and explained why the out-of-a school youths were being deprived
of such rights and they said education was a privilege because the public school was not completely
free. The issues rang true to Cielo. Right then and there, she was recruited as a member of Anakbayan
even she didn’t know what Anakbayan was or what the word activism meant.

They used Cielo’s economic background for recruitment. As she came from rural poor that eventually
became an urban poor family. At her young age, Cielo has experienced more than her fair share of
trauma- injury, physically, mentally and emotionally that led her to join the CPP-NPA-NDF, because she
believed that she is safer and more protected to the said organization.

From March to April 2011, when Cielo was slowly being organized into the party, her recruiters
visited their house frequently and conducted a series of discussions with Cielo’s group. The first in the
series was Maikling Kurso sa Lipunan at Rebolusyong Pilipino (MKLRP) which discusses the history of
the Philippine Left (Palatino 2015). The meetings and discussions became customary until she was fully
persuaded to join the organization. During her times in Anakbayan she became an organizer and started
different chapters in different schools and universities in Region 3 particularly in Pampanga province.

In October 2011, merely 5 months after she was recruited as a member of Anakbayan, Cielo was
already sworn in as a candidate member of CPP, and a young cadre of the youth sector.
On December 25, 2014, Cielo went to Nueva Vizcaya for her tour of duty with the NPA. She was only
about to conduct her tour of duty (TOD) for three months, or until March 2015 due to the plenty of works
with her collective in the White Area. She wanted to go full-time but she was tied up to her tasks in the
legal front with her collective. At 18 years old she was mentally and emotionally pressured to go full-time
with the NPA because of three factors.
 First, she was given a deadline to decide. Second, there was Sining, Cielo’s sweet-talking recruiter
who was in the same unit. Lastly, she was indirectly, but essentially, pressured by another youth in her
unit who was the son of an NPA member, Jeffrey or “Ka Ryan”. At the same month after her integration
was supposed to finished, Cielo had decided to go full time. Not knowing that it was the beginning of her
worst nightmare.

Cielo spent nearly four years as an armed fighter in the New People’s Army from December 2014 to
April 2018. In that span of time, she was molested, raped and sexually slaved by at least three
commanders of her unit.

It was summer of 2016, when a nineteen-year old Cielo was first raped by Jayvee (also known as
Ram).She was doing a semi-legal work with farmers in Nueva Ecija, and was assigned as partner of the
three man (known as Ram, Benjie and Blas/Uno) and older NPA insurgent. The sexual abuse happened
when their team spent a few days in a civilian supporter’s house. Jayvee covered her mouth and raped
her. She did nothing but cried and he told her not to tell anyone about what happened.

In 2017, Cielo had her second sexual abuse from another NPA member named “ka Bunso”, vice
squad leader who kept on teasing her using malicious words. He said he was in love with her. The vice
squad leader faced disciplinary actions (DA). He was demoted to a regular armed member and were
killed in a military operation together with Jonas, Cielo’s boyfriend.

After a few months Cielo experienced her third sexual abuse from “Joko” one night in a temporary
camp. The sexual abuse happened many times, and couldn’t recall anymore how many times it
happened.

What prevented Cielo from telling her unit’s leaders was Joko’s reputation. He had a good record
of working with women, and was a rising star in NPA.

Joko’s abuse of Cielo did not end with rape. Eventually, he forced the nineteen-year-old to go into
a relationship with him. By that time, he was no longer the unit’s commanding officer. Their comrades
found out that Cielo and Joko were keeping a relationship, this time they turned against her. They
accused her of being a sex addict, and of having a serious mental illness. Her unit, with whom she spent
almost 4 years of her life, treated her as someone who was mentally unstable.

Almost 8 years after she entered the CPP, Cielo was more isolated and helpless than ever. The party
took advantage of her youth and her remarkable abilities; It took advantage of her helplessness and led
her to a life of desolation. She lost Jonas, her lover and confidante of four years, and eventually her
honor, too. She lost herself to an organization that she committed her life to. Tragically, she was rubbed
of her dignity.

Cielo was sent home, she stayed at her sister’s place so she could undergo proper mental and medical
care as the organization’s promised. But she didn’t receive any treatment that was supposed to be
arranged by her comrades in the Party. Cielo couldn’t wait any longer, she went home to her father’s
house in Angeles. A few days Cielo went back to her father’s house in August, she notices that some
men were regularly observing their home.
On August 16, 2018, Cielo’s father went to his Shift as a barangay tanod. He came home looking for her
at 12 midnight. From his face, Cielo sense his father was bothered. He then told her that their barangay
chairman wanted to see her that moment. Allegedly, the barangay chairman saw her applying for
barangay I.D, so he wanted to talk to her. When she arrived at the barangay chairman’s house she saw
three men wearing black at the back. She knew then that it was the end of her communist life. The
military men talked to her and shows some photos of herself in the communist organization. Cielo
continuously denied being a member of the CPP, but admitted to being an activist when shown photos
of herself in a protest. But in the afternoon same day, she was caught on her own lies. She had no
choice but to surrender for the sake of her family. What followed were three days voluntarily, but
extensive, interview wherein Cielo was asked about details of her experienced in the NPA. Because she
did not trust the military yet, Cielo initially give false information. She was still hoping that somehow the
party would come to her rescue. But she was betrayed by her Party and was solely blamed for being
caught by the military. She coordinates and cooperates to the military. Cielo is set to experience more
hardships as she adjusts back to civilian life.

After Cielo surrendered to the government authorities, she worked as golf caddie from October 2018 to
January 2019. Cielo did not have any worries because she was assured by her military and police
contacts that she was safe. All potential court cases and other legal changes against her were cleared
accordingly. She was hopeful for a better future with her family, specially now that the government was
helping her get back on her feet and start a life anew.

In February 2019, Cielo partner got her pregnant. She then stopped working as a golf caddie and used
her meager allowance as a beneficiary of government programs for former rebels to start a small
business. She allotted some of her allowance in addition to earnings from her business- for the birth of
her baby. She was able to pay her PhilHealth contribution and even bought some clothes for her baby.
Everything appeared to be looking up for Cielo. For the first time she felt a sense of value as a person
and citizens. But most importantly, Cielo knew that she has now access to recourse mechanism should
she experience abuses again.

II. Background
a. Origin of the Trade

A twenty-three-year-old Cielo, out of school youth who performs well during her grade
school-she is always a part of the honor students but due to the death of her mother the responsibility
passed on to her and the poverty that she experienced pushed her to the stop studying and helped her
father to raise her siblings. At the age of fourteen in 2011 she was recruited as a member of
Anakbayan, who took advantage of her situation and at same time she already sworn as a candidate
member of the CPP, a young cadre of the Youth Sector. Cielo became full-time member of CPP-NPA
after her tour of duty at the hinterlands, where she experienced and suffer trauma and injury, physically,
mentally and emotionally, worst of all she had been raped multiple times by her former comrades that
resulted her tormenting nightmares.

b. Modus Operandi

CPP-NPA-NDF uses psychological strategies in the recruitment of the young. One of

which is ideological mooring, that provides psychological stability for new recruits. The recruiters visit
the house and conduct series of discussions about societal issues and lectures on Marxism and other
topics to challenge the youth’s mental well-being, to ensure that the communist ideologies penetrated in
the minds of the young recruit. Another is remolding or the act of shaping the recruited youth to fit within
the different sectors they are working in vis a vis the integration of youth and student movements (the
peasants and worker’s movement and struggle as Joma Sison believed. As stated by Fortunato, this act
changes the mindset, framework, point of view and class standpoint to embrace the class interests of
the farmers and workers.
Additionally, the CPP-NPA-NDF also uses persuasive slogans to sustain the interest of youth.
Patria mentioned three ideologies: Serve the People “call to nation-building”, Sistemang Komite
(Committee System) an individual submits fully to the CPP and does not question the organization,
Criticsm Self-Critism (CSC) allows the members point out the strength and weaknesses of each other
and group’s political work.
CPP-NPA-NDF also uses Social Recruitment Strategies. First the recruiters build personal
relationship to gain the trust of the youths which could be done by helping the household chores, make
a living and befriended the family. Then the recruiter isolate the potential member by allowing the
potential member join the movement and giving her more tasks connected to the movement than doing
her responsibilities at home. CPP-NPA recruiters are sweet talkers (recruiters are eloquent and
convincing) relatable, (recruiters help with chores and overly nice to others) smart, ( recruiters know
their doctrines and ideologies by heart and have the ability to engage with people from different walks of
life) encouraging, (recruiters encourage the potential member to leave his/her family and join the
movement)the deceptive and duplicitous, (recruiters offer the needs and rights of the potential
member, but turns out to be a false hope).

c. Threat/Adversary:
The story of Cielo opens the mind of the Filipino people, especially the youth. The psychological
burdens she experienced as the effect of the recruitment. Cielo’s struggles while she was in the
movement threatens her mental health. Poverty, lack of education, series of sexual abuse, injustice are
sum of the factors that affect Cielo’s youth and while she was in the organization. These factors lead her
to joined CPP-NPA thinking that she will be treated properly or equally, not knowing that it will be the
nightmare of her life. Cielo did not totally get the justice that she wanted to be happen although she
gives his all life in the organization but it didn’t matter.

d. Strengths
Saving Cielo is a high-quality reading material to be read by individual not only the
youth but also the people who has a great role in molding the minds of the young. The
book reveals the root of all devilish things that happen in the underground movement. It
divulged the secret of the movement in the recruitment stage and what would happen. It is
the cause why most and effect of treat of the CPP-NPA-NDF in their recruitment.

e. Weaknesses:
The recruiters look into the needs of an individual and they make them feel the sense
of belongingness. Cielo’s ambition to help her family was one of the factors that pushed
her to join the movement. The “sweet talks” of the recruiters made her feel that she
belonged to and to fell Cielo’s the since of comfortability.

f. Social Environment
The social environment plays a great impact on the vulnerability of a youth to be a
prospect recruit of the CPP-NPA-NDF. The socio-economic status of the recruit’s family
provoke an individual to join the movement.
III. ANALYSIS
a. Related Philippine Vulnerability
It is observed that the primary factor that pushed Cielo to join the movement is
poverty. As mentioned by Fortuno, Cielo lived in poverty and had to stop schooling to help
her parents do the household chores and take care her younger siblings. Holden (2013) as
cited by Fortuno mentioned “poverty” as the immense factor why insurgency in Samar is
rampant. “The island of Samar has always been a hotspot for communist insurgency in the
Philippines”. Holden stated that, the island of Samar consistently ranks as the poorest
province in the country. With this statistics, it’s not far behind to the case of Cielo. Poverty
impelled Cielo to join the movement which her recruiter took as an advantage to persuade
her easily.
The story also portrayed that the youth are considered the extremely susceptible to
join the movement most especially those who are experiencing “not privilege” in terms of
education and employment. According to Fortuno, the youth comprises a large percentage
of nation’s population, and plays an important role in the society. (SOT-WA, 2006) This is
the reason why the CPP-NPA-NDF centers their recruitment on the youth believing that the
youths are impulsive, dreamer, self-motivated, observant, probing and judgmental.

b. Lesson that the Philippine Law Enforcement Agencies can learn from the book
The book ‘Saving Cielo’ taught the Philippine Law Enforcement Agency (PLEA)
about the deepest secret of CPP-NPA-NDF ways of recruitment which can also be done in
the same way as to make these recruited youths turn back to the government. Cielo’s
testimonies about her struggles (mentally and physically) while she was in the movement
opens the mind of the members of PLEA to act in order to save other “Cielos” who need to
feel that they are valued, secured. The story explicitly tells the PLEA to implement
programs that caters the youth especially in the urban-poor community to look into the
silver lining the government can provide to save the youth from falling into the wrong facet
of their lives just because they feel that they are not valued.

b. Recommendation Course of Action for the PNP and other law enforcement agencies

As stated by the Fortuno, the problem on insurgency in the Philippines can be lessen in
terms of: Bring the government to the people – make action plans on how to eradicate
insurgency in the country focusing on the government’s significant programs prioritizing the
needs of the masses. Make priorities in developing rapport to the community enable to
bring back the thrust to the government specially to the law enforcement agencies.

IV. MOST POWERFUL LINE THAT SUMMARIZES THE BOOK (Cite page number, not more
than 25 words.
It’s not easy to become what one is, no person should cease striving a brighter future.
Each has right to live in peace with dignity. (Saving Cielo, page 243)