The Anti-Terror Act of 2020 was passed in a bid to strengthen the fight against the insurgency. Not long after it's passing the CPP-NPA-NDFP were declared to be terrorist organizations and their assets were frozen. One of the many groups protesting the ATA was the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines or RMP. Now 16 members of the RMP have been charged with financing terrorism.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/08/15/2202821/doj-indicts-members-church-based-org-allegedly-financing-terrorism |
The Department of Justice has indicted 16 persons, including members of national church-based organization Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, on alleged terrorist financing—a non-bailable case.
In a briefer sent to reporters on Monday, the DOJ said there was probable cause to indict 16 persons, including nuns and supposedl communist rebels, "for making funds available to the [Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army]."
They are facing chages in violation of Section 8 of Republic Act 10168 or the The Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 that has punishment of reclusion perpetua or 40 years imprisonment, and a fine from P500,000 to P1,000,000.
No bail is recommended for this case filed before the regional trial court of Iligan City.
According to Frontline Defenders, the RMP is comprised of priests and lay persons; empowers farmers, fisher-folk and indigenous peoples; and educates them on their rights.
The complaint stemmed from a financial investigation of the Anti-Money Laundering Council that supposedly found that the indicted persons provided financial support to the CPP-NPA, both of which the government has designated as terrorist organizations.
The money-laundering watchdog investigated the bank accounts of Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP)/RMP-Northern Mindanao Region with Bank of Philippine Islands based on sworn statements of two government witnesses who were said to be former communist rebels, the DOJ said.
The DOJ briefer did not name the two former members of the CPP-NPA. It only stated that one witness is a former member of the communist rebels and a finance officer of various CPP-NPA NGO fronts.
Lawyer Mico Clavano of the Office of the Justice Secretary said the respondents "failed to submit their respective counter-affidavits during the preliminary investigation."
"Thus, no defense on the respondents were received by the prosecuting panel," he added.
The DOJ has yet to respond to questions on whether respondents were furnished with subpoenas or whether they were able to participate in the preliminary probe.
The RMP, a religious organization, is one of the petitioners against the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.
They told the court then that there is danger that their advocacies to uplift marginalized sectors such as indigenous peoples will be tagged as “constitute financing terrorism.”
They stressed: "Petitioners come before the Honorable Court not only with the possibility, but the actuality of incurring grave and irreparable damages."
"In the present factual milieu, many of those who dare voice out against the government or even just on social issues are vilified in public. Right now, the ATA can be a masterful weapon that can be wielded against them," they added.
The RMP's fears have now become true as the DOJ has accused them of financing terrorist organizations. The government run PNA has more and specific details about the charges.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1181372 |
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday announced the filing of criminal charges against 16 individuals who were part of a conspiracy to divert money from foreign sources to local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) used as fronts by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) and its allied groups.
The DOJ said it found probable cause to indict Emma Teresita Cupin, Susan Dejolde, Ma. Fatima Napoles Somogod, Augustina Juntilla, Maryjane Caspillo, Melissa Comiso, Czarina Golda Selim Musni, Maridel Solomon Fano, Jhona Ignilan Stokes, Hanelyn Caibigan Cespedes, Angelie Magdua, Emilio Gabales, Mary Louise Dumas, Aileen Villarosa, Evelyn Naguio and Aldeen Yañez for “making available funds to the CPP-NPA.”
In a statement, the DOJ said Musni, Fano, Dumas, and Villarosa are members of the CPP-NPA and were made payees in several checks issued under the name of Rural Missionaries of the Philippines and Rural Missionaries of the Philippines - Northern Mindanao Region (RMP-NMR).
The DOJ said that on the basis of the sworn statements of two former members of the CPP-NPA, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) inquired into RMP/RMP-NMR’s bank accounts.
One of the two witnesses used to be the finance officer of various CPP-NPA NGO fronts, including RMP.
According to the witness, the RMP sends project proposals to foreign funders. Once approved, the money will be diverted to communist terrorist groups.
Cespedes and Magdua, acting as cashiers and upon orders of Gabales, distributed funds; Cespedes provided 60 percent to Fano by issuing checks; and in turn, Fano sent funds to Yañez, who is a CPP-NPA officer.
Cupin, Dejolde, Comiso, Caspillo, and Juntilla are members of the RMP board of trustees and hold general supervision and control over the group’s operations, the DOJ said.
The AMLC earlier directed the bank to freeze the RMP accounts for 20 days, which the Court of Appeals extended to six months.
Czarina Golda Selim Munsi is a member of the National Union of People's Lawyers. The NUPL issued a statement calling these charges baseless and defending Munsi.
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| https://twitter.com/mikenavallo/status/1559830548301762561/photo/1 |
3. The projects of the RMP-NMR went through the rigors process of selection, monitoring and auditing by its respective donors, such as the European Union, the United Nations, and many others.
4. Atty. Czarina Golda Salim Musni is our Secretary - General and has been a member of the UPLM-CDO since her law school days. As officer of the UPLM, she has figured prominently in various projects in partnership with RMP-NMR Chapter in providing legal assistance to the lumad communities.
5. These engagements have strengthened the indigenous peoples’ movement in the assertion of their rights as a people.
6. Ironically, these developments triggered the government and earned its ire. Anyone who dares to run counter to the policies of this government faces the wrath of red-tagging, and worse, the marking as a terrorist and an enemy of the state.
7. Thus ore the cases against the RMP/RMP-NMR and its officers and staff, including our very own Sec-Gen, Czarina Golda S. Musni. With particular respect to the European Union, the bloc has explicitly stated, through its then Ambassador to the Philippines Mr. Franz Jessen, the no funds form the Union have been used to support the armed rebellion.
8. To indict these individuals merely on the basis of unvetted or still to be clarified statements, without strong documentary or object proof, is to act on rumors. No less than the Department of Justice is expected to heed the principles of justice, truth and fairness in the conduct of its duty to the public which it has sworn to serve.
The NUPL claims that all RMP projects were thoroughly vetted by the EU, UN, and other donors while the government says two unnamed former CPP members claim the RMP is a communist front. This unnamed person also aims to have been the finance officer of the RMP so it should not be hard for him to be identified. Munis is also alleged to be a member of the CPP which would mean that perhaps the NUJP is a Communist front. The proofs are not given as the DOJ has refused to release their resolution has been deemed "a private matter for parties of the case only."
It is odd that only now these people are being charged with crimes when the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) froze the RMP's bank accounts in 2019.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/08/18/2203527/rural-missionary-work-affected-terrorist-financing-raps-group-says |
In a statement issued Thursday afternoon, RMP said that its missionary work with peasants, indigenous peoples and other rural poor has been "seriously hampered" because of what they said were relentless state attacks.
This comes after the DOJ indicted 16 people on terrorist financing raps. Most of the respondents are members of the group, including nuns. Terrorist financing is a non-bailable charge.
"All RMP projects are well-documented, reported and accounted for. It has complied with requirements in securing funds for their projects, including audits," RMP said as it expressed concern for the safety of those charged.
It said that the charges follow "the same playbook" as the Duterte administration in discrediting legal organizations that provide much-needed services to communities.
RMP in its statement also pointed out that the DOJ's charges were based on the testimonies of two supposed surrenderees with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army.
In 2019, the Anti-Money Laundering Council also froze three of the RMP's bank accounts which was later expanded to other accounts in 2020.
The group questioned the circumstances behind the testimony, saying that the unnamed surrenderee was made to "execute a spurious statement" accusing the group of communist links in exchange for the release of her mother who was also in custody.
How can the RMP be financing anything if their bank accounts have been frozen since 2019? This makes no sense at all. If they financed terrorism before 2019 why are they only being charged now? Again it makes no sense at all.
That last sentence is quite intriguing and suggests that the RMP knows exactly who has accused them of being a communist front. We the public can only gawk at this sideshow and wait to see how it will play out in court. With the government's track record of having cases tossed out against alleged reds because of faulty warrants and with RMP projects being thoroughly vetted it might be that none of these charges will stand the light of day.
Samar Island is a hotbed of the insurgency. However, the AFP has gradually whittled the NPA down and now peace is just ahead. What is needed is a peace and development plan for the whole island.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1181606 |
The three provincial governments in Samar Island will come up with a multi-year peace and development plan, as agreed upon by their governors during a forum on Wednesday.
Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan said it would be more realistic if Samar Island would have its own plan instead of incorporating its proposals into the regional peace and prosperity roadmap.
Samar is located in the Eastern Visayas region.
“We have the same problem and same advocacy. We understand our needs. We are hoping that Samar will be noticed, and Samar will also be considered as one of the most developing areas under the new administration,” Tan said during the forum held in Catbalogan City, Samar.
During the gathering, Tan, Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan, and Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone committed to convening a technical working group to harmonize and consolidate the plans for Samar Island to address its peace and development challenges.
In his presentation, Ongchuan proposed the construction of more roads leading to rebel-infested communities, such as Las Navas, Northern Samar.
“The construction of more road networks in the heart of Samar Island will deter the operations of communist terrorist group in these areas. More importantly, road interconnectivity addresses interrelated primary and secondary issues, such as delivery of basic social services, transportation, and increased agricultural productivity,” he added.
Evardone said he would convene key officials of different sectors in his province to list down priority projects for possible inclusion in the plan.
During his speech, he highlighted Eastern Samar’s new program “Isang Propesiyunal, Isang Pamilya” as part of their commitment to the regional peace and prosperity roadmap by providing support to families in remote communities and enabling these families to produce college graduate.
“If these families from remote communities are able to produce graduates and hopefully, these graduates find employment, this will certainly help them improve their economic status and in the long term help their communities enjoy peace and security,” Evardone added.
Tan said they would consolidate all proposals and complete the draft within the year.
This is not the first time we have heard that building roads will defeat the insurgency. But would not roads allow the NPA to move more freely? The graduate program is likewise head scratching. What it means is that the one who graduates from college will get a job and send all his money back home! Is that really a plan? Will encouraging freeloaders really defeat the NPA? Who knew that defeating the NPA was as easy as a family's son or daughter graduating from college, getting a job in the big city, and sending all the money back home!
This band-aid ignores the real issues about the insurgency. Alleged issues anyway. It reduces the insurgency and the family to an economic transaction which is what Marx explicitly wrote against!
The bourgeoisie has torn away from the family its sentimental veil, and has reduced the family relation to a mere money relation.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/Manifesto.pdf
Imagine thinking the way to defeat the insurgency is by turning the family relation into "a mere money relation." Incredible!
Of course all this week the AFP has engaged the NPA killing some and capturing others but that is commonplace news. The real fight against the insurgency lies in the word war between VP Sara Duterte and the Makabayan Bloc.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2022/08/11/round-3-makabayan-solon-calls-vp-sara-new-red-tagging-queen-duterte-camp-responds/ |
The word war between Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte and the Makabayan bloc continued to rage on Thursday, Aug. 11, after one of the militant lawmakers referred to Duterte as the new “red-tagging queen”.
Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel lambasted the Vice President during a presser for alleged role in red-tagging activists and progressive groups.
“(She is now the) primary figure head (because Lorraine Badoy is now unemployed and she replaced her as the) red-tagging queen (in our country),” the lawmaker said, referring to former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson Lorraine Badoy, who had become infamous for red-tagging even celebrities and volunteer workers.
Lawyer Reynold Munsayac, Duterte’s spokesman, maintained that the Vice President was merely saying the truth about the Makabayan bloc, who the latter had linked to the Communist Party in the Philippines, National Democratic Front, and New People’s Army (CPP-NDF-NPA) in a previous statement.
“(Like what was said by) Vice President Inday Sara Duterte, (telling the truth is not) red-tagging,” he said in a statement.
‘(Also, she will always have the time to tell the truth about the) Makabayan bloc (to finally end their deception of the public, especially the youth sector),” Munsayac added.
Manuel questioned the supposed miscommunication between government agencies since National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos stated the government does not condone red-tagging while Duterte does the opposite.
“(I want to ask our) government officials (do they discuss about having a) united (stand) against red-tagging (because we shouldn’t allow this) brazen stance (of a commission of the government),” the rookie lawmaker said.
He claimed that the Vice President leads the way in red-tagging operations, which include distributing posters and tarpaulins.
In what appears to be a now deleted post Lorraine Badoy jumped into this fray with her own hot take.
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| https://twitter.com/GiboTeodoroJr/status/1559855208796422144 |
He called our beloved VP, redtagging Queen. Pwes, let’s call him the NPA Recruitment Queen. Doon lang tayo sa tutoo!
Is Sara telly "beloved?" To add to the nonsense Badoy, who really is the red-tagging queen, has changed her profile picture to show her cosplaying as an Indigenous Person just like Sara!
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| https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10159999886414834&set=a.452607139833 |
This is no way to fight the insurgency but it sure is entertaining!
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