“To Suffer Thy Comrades” is a brutally honest, meticulously researched, and brilliantly written account of one of the CPP-NPA internal anti-infiltration operations—the infamous Oplan Missing Link—written by a former cadre himself who, like his comrades and other purge victims and survivors, seeks healing and justice while striving to move on from the tragedy.
To Suffer Thy Comrades describes in detail Bobby Garcia’s life as a New People’s Army guerrilla based in Southern Tagalog, particularly his experience – together with many others – of interrogation and torture during the anti-infiltration purges of the 1980s. The book won the Manila Critics Circle National Book Award (Social Science category) in 2001 and reached #8 on National Bookstore’s bestseller list in late 2002. The subject of much current debate, it is now in its second printing.
Garcia is one of the convenors of PATH (Peace Advocates for Truth, Justice and Healing), a network of NGOs, survivors and their families, peace and human rights groups, and academics. PATH calls on the Philippine Left to undertake a serious process of self-reflection, works to document the purges and assist the victims, and advocates a Truth Commission in the Philippines to objectively investigate human rights violations committed by state and movement alike. He currently works as programme officer of ASPBAE (Asia-South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education).
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