Fidel V. Agcaoili ( – ), also known as Ka Fidel, was a Filipino activist and revolutionary. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines' Central Committee, along with Jose Maria Sison and Luis Jalandoni during the Marcos dictatorship. In 1974, he was arrested and became the longest detained political prisoner under Marcos, being imprisoned for 11 years. On his release, Agcaoili founded the Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainee Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA), a prisoners' rights organization.
From 1989 until his death, Agcaoili was involved in peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. Most notably, he was instrumental in signing the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) in 1998. Agcaoili continued to serve in the peace panel, becoming co-chair of the GRP-NDFP Joint Monitoring Committee in 2004, and eventually succeeding Jalandoni as chief negotiator in 2017.
Early life and activism
Agcaoili was born to an "upper class family" and "could have easily attained an endless series of high positions in the ruling system. His father had an insurance company and was an established lawyer, and was a classmate and friend of Ferdinand Marcos in the UP College of Law. His family lived in Philamlife Homes.
Agcaoili first became a student at the University of the Philippines Diliman in the early 1960s, taking up Political Science. As a freshman, he was first exposed to activism when he became a member of the Student Cultural Association of the University of the Philippines (SCAUP). As a member of SCAUP, he encouraged his friends and neighbors in Philamlife Homes to join in mass actions organized by SCAUP. He also joined a fraternity in UP, encouraging his fraternity brods to be politically active.
Norberto Basilio, who would eventually become the Philippine ambassador to Greece and Bangladesh introduced Agcaoili to Jose Maria Sison and Julie de Lima. Agcaoili joined a Marxist study organized by Sison, which took place in the private residence of ambassador Emilio Bejasa. His son, Emilio, Jr. was also a member of SCAUP, and his father had a collection of Marxist works. Basilio, Bejasa, Jr., and Agcaoili would continue to maintain close contact during the Martial Law years as members of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
In 1963, his father sent him to study in California, fearing that he was "straying too far into revolutionary activism." While in the United States, he became a part of the protests against the Vietnam War. He returned a year later, in time to participate in the founding of Kabataang Makabayan in 1964. It was also during this time when he met, eloped, and married his wife, Rosario.
At some point, Agcaoili became a high-ranking officer in his father's insurance company. He also became a member of the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas-1930 during this time, which was undergoing a split between the old Lava faction and the younger faction led by Sison. He organized studies, produced publications, and entered negotiations with other local and foreign parties, and eventually contributed to the reorganization brought about by the First Great Rectification Movement.
Marcos dictatorship and Martial Law
In 1970, Agcaoili became part of the Central Committee of the CPP. He also became the chair of the CPP's Finance Committee. Agcaoili was involved in "discreet" action as part of the CPP. Although he did not take an active part, he was present in the Battle of Mediola on January 30, 1970. Agcaoili and Satur Ocampo were also involved in aiding Victor Corpus' defection to the New People's Army, assisting in the 1970 raid of the Philippine Military Academy raid in Baguio.
Agcaoili, Rosario, and their two children went underground before the imposition of Martial Law in September 1972. State forces interrogated his family in a bid to know their whereabouts.
While underground, Agcaoili became instrumental in founding the National Democratic Front of the Philippines on April 23, 1973. He was also reportedly involved in the purchase of the M/V Karagatan, which was used by the New People's Army in an attempt to land arms in Palanan, Isabela, and the M/V Doña Andrea II in a similar attempt in 1974.
Arrest and detention
Agcaoili and his family were eventually arrested on May 12, 1974, in Balicon Subdivision, Calasiao, Pangasinan. A military tribunal charged with rebellion related to the M/V Karagatan incident. Agcaoili was incarcerated in various detention centers while contesting the charges, such as Camp Crame, Bilibid, and lastly in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig.