Bernabe Buscayno

"Kumander Dante" redirects here. For the 1988 Filipino film, seeKumander Dante (film).

Bernabe Buscayno
Personal details
Born	1943 or 1944 (age 80–81) Capas, Tarlac
Political party	Communist Party of the Philippines
Other political affiliations	Partido ng Bayan(1987)
Nickname	Kumander Dante
Military service
Allegiance	New People's Army(1969–1976)
Years of service	1960–1976
Battles/wars	New People's Army rebellion

Bernabe Buscayno,also calledKumander Dante,is the founder of theNew People's Army,the military wing of theCommunist Party of the Philippines.

Early life

Bernabe Buscayno was one of eight children born to impoverished tenant farmers under a local landlord named Jose Ramos in Sitio Mangga, Talimundoc,Capas, Tarlac.In the late 1960s, after Buscayno's mother died of tuberculosis and his seven-year-old sister died of meningitis, his father, unable to support his remaining children, put them up for adoption. Ramos, the landlord, became the patron to the Buscayno family and "when Bernabe was old enough to begin his schooling, he and his brother Jose were sent to the landowner’s house inQuezon City."Buscayno finished grade school at Burgos Elementary School and high school at Roosevelt High School inCubao,before moving toAngeles,Pampanga,to live with their aunt. He became a canecutter, earning 18 pesos for a six-day week. At his age, he led a small uprising to force the landowner to increase their wages. Another farmer, a former member of theHuks,recruited him into theCommunist Party of the Philippinesat age 17,where he was given the code name "Dante".

Revolutionary career

On 28 December 1963,MagalangMayor Benedicto Tapnio Dayrit was assassinated by the alleged men of Huk Commander Sumulong (Buscayno).

Historical marker

At age 21,Kumander Dantewas already a full-time revolutionary. At 23, he became district commander in the outfit of Faustino del Mundo, and was also called "Kumander Sumulong"after the Sumulong outfit. Eventually dissatisfied with the latter,Kumander Danterecruited some fighters and joined forces withJose Maria Sison,who founded theCommunist Party of the Philippineson December 26, 1968. Buscayno's group officially became theNew People's Army(NPA) on March 29, 1969.

From a group composed of about 35 members with only 10 rifles among them, the NPA grew up to about 26,000 members in its peak in the 1980s and spread throughout the Philippines, challenging theMarcosregime during theMartial Lawyears.Buscayno was finally captured in September 1976 at age 32 during what was called "Operation Scorpio". He had been a revolutionary for about 16 years.

On November 25, 1977, Military Commission No. 2 found him along with his two co-accused,Ninoy Aquinoand Lt.Victor Corpus,guilty of subversion, murder, and illegal possession of firearms, and sentenced them to death by firing squad. Marcos later commuted their sentencedue to international pressure over his government's human rights track record.Throughout the trial, Aquino had said that the military tribunal had no authority over their cases.

Post-revolutionary years

After the 1986EDSA Revolution,almost ten years after Buscayno's arrest, PresidentCorazon Aquinoordered the release of hundreds of political detainees. Buscayno was one of those released. In 1987, Buscayno, together with a few other leftist leaders, formed thePartido ng Bayan(PnB). Buscayno ran forsenatorbut did not win. In that same year, he survived an attempt on his life when he escaped getting shot when two men opened fire at his car, but was injured by shrapnel from a grenade. Two of his companions died while the other two were wounded; Buscayno himself still has three pieces of shrapnel in his back. Buscayno leftManilaand returned to Capas, where he turned to farming, setting up the People's Livelihood Foundation-Tarlac Integrated Livelihood Cooperative (PILF-TILCO) in 1988. The cooperative was intended to help end the poverty of the peasants. However,Mount Pinatuboerupted in 1991, severely ruining vast tracts of land in Luzon includingTarlac,and contributing to the demise of the cooperative in 1994.

On February 6, 1998, Buscayno's 30-year-old son Reynaldo accidentally shot himself while playing with his gun during a drinking session with his brother Red in Capas.In 1999, theDepartment of Agrarian Reformawarded Buscayno and his family certificates of ownership for their own land. In 2000, Buscayno set up another cooperative, the Tarlac Integrated Agricultural Modernization Cooperative (TIAMC) which seeks to promote the mechanization of farm work, from sowing the seeds to harvest.

In popular culture

In 1988, Buscayno's life as a rebel was adapted into a film calledKumander Dante,where he is portrayed byPhillip Salvador.

External links

• Bernabe BuscaynoatIMDb