Benito Tiamzon

Benito Tiamzon
Benito Tiamzon during a meeting with Rodrigo Duterte in 2016
Born(1951-03-20)March 20, 1951[1]
Marikina, Rizal, Philippines
DiedAugust 22, 2022(2022-08-22) (aged 71)
Catbalogan, Samar, Philippines
Cause of deathExplosion
NationalityFilipino
Alma materUniversity of the Philippines Diliman
Years active1968–2022
Known forleadership of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army
Political partyCommunist Party of the Philippines
SpouseWilma Tiamzon
Military career
Allegiance New People's Army

Benito Tiamzon (March 20, 1951 – August 22, 2022) was a Filipino political organizer and until his arrest in March 2014 by Philippine security forces, was believed to be the Chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA).[2][3]

Born and raised in Marikina, Tiamzon attended the University of the Philippines Diliman beginning in 1969, where he wrote for the Philippine Collegian.[4] Joining the Samahang Demokratiko ng Kabataan (Association of Democratic Youth; SDK) as a student, he would eventually become a member of the CPP, in which he helped organize labor unions in Marikina and Caloocan.

Tiamzon secretly married his fellow activist Wilma Austria in early 1973, but was later arrested and detained in Fort Bonifacio by July during martial law.[5] A year later, he was released and soon after would move with Wilma to the island of Samar in the Eastern Visayas region.[4][5] In later years, Tiamzon would be credited with transforming Eastern Visayas into a solid base for the NPA in its insurgency movement.[4] During a brief power struggle in the CPP, Tiamzon reportedly became the leader of the party upon successively acquiring the positions of chairman and secretary general in 1986 and 1987 respectively.[4]

In March 2014, Tiamzon and Wilma were captured by both the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Carcar, Cebu, but they were eventually released from detention in 2016 by President Rodrigo Duterte to participate in peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front. After peace talks fell through, the couple evaded an order for their rearrest and transferred back to Samar. A boat explosion off the coast of Samar during an AFP Joint Task Force operation on August 22, 2022, is speculated to have resulted in the deaths of Tiamzon and Wilma,[6] but the military refrained from confirming this due to lack of evidence.[7]

  1. ^ Marcelo, Elizabeth (March 25, 2014). "Armed Forces factsheet chronicles Tiamzons rise to top of CPP-NPA". GMA News. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  2. ^ "CPP chief, wife nabbed in Cebu – military". Rappler. March 22, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  3. ^ "Top NPA Leaders Arrested for 15 Counts of Murder". Armed Forces of the Philippines. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d "Tiamzon, moderate, UP scholar, still head of communist party". Manila Standard. Standard Publications, Inc. July 5, 1987. p. 2. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Vergara, Alex Y. (November 6, 2016). "The most dangerous couple in the Philippines". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016.
  6. ^ Rappler.com (October 20, 2022). "Newsbreak Chats: AFP's 8-month rebel chase in Samar". Rappler. Manila, Philippines: Rappler Inc. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  7. ^ Meniano, Sarwell (August 23, 2022). "Army: No proof of NPA leaders' death in Samar sea blast". Tacloban City. PNA. Retrieved October 20, 2022.