In last week's look at the insurgency I ended with the fact that the CHED Chairman's sister was arrested for being a high ranking member of the NPA. I asked the following question:
How long until he is red-tagged by the authorities?
https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2022/08/insurgency-crush-insurgency-within.html
Turns out not long at all!
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1182522 |
Senator Francis Tolentino on Tuesday said it may be time to require a full disclosure of relatives of government employees who, in one way or another, are connected with terrorist groups or criminal syndicates.
In his privilege speech on Tuesday, Tolentino said amendments must be introduced to the filing of Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN) to expand queries on relatives and family relations.
“I think it is right that when one enters the government to perhaps declare that you have a relative who is a member of a terrorist organization or criminal syndicate up to the fourth degree of consanguinity,” he said.
The senator's speech was in reaction to the involvement with communists of an elder sister of Prospero de Vera III, chair of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
Adora Faye de Vera was arrested by the police in Teacher’s Village East, Quezon City on August 24.
She is wanted for multiple murder (with the use of explosives) and multiple frustrated murder charges filed at the Iloilo City Regional Trial Court Branch 22. She also has a separate criminal case for rebellion.
“I have not seen her and I have not spoken to her for more than 25 years since she decided to rejoin the underground movement. I do not share her views nor support her actions,” the CHED chief said, but added she wished her sister is safe and in good condition while in detention.
The sister, according to Tolentino, is accused of masterminding the killing of military and police personnel in the Visayas and is a ranking officer of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA).
“In the other branches of the government, appointed or elected, there are still some in power who have siblings connected with the CPP-NPA or a kidnap-for-ransom gang, Abu Sayyaf Group or any terrorist organization,” Tolentino said.
Senator Ronald Dela Rosa supported Tolentino's proposal not to pressure government officials but for the law enforcement groups to know how to manage information.
"Like for example, a Cabinet member is given the highest level of security clearance. But then again, ‘pag malaman ng security community na may kapatid pala ito na nasa kabila (if the security community finds out that the Cabinet member has a sibling on the other side), then they know how to treat [the person]," Dela Rosa said in his manifestation of support.
Dela Rosa, who headed the Philippine National Police during the Duterte administration, said a government official may also "unknowingly" share top secret information to a relative belonging to a terror group and which can be used against the government.
He said he knows of a high-ranking officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines whose sibling is an NPA member.
"It's beyond his control. Pero (But) at least, alam ng security community na meron siyang (the security community knows that he has a) brother na nasa kabila (on the other side)," he said.
Dela Rosa was referring to Brig. Gen. Jim Zumel, who was a superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy during the Marcos Sr. administration, while his journalist brother, Tony, was the first chair of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and later became its senior adviser.
Tony died in Utrecht, the Netherlands in 2001 and Jim in 2019 shortly after coming home from the United States.
There are two things to notice here. Number one despite Prospero de Vera disavowing his sister's activities this man is being connected to those activities because of his blood relation. Second of all who does the vetting process for these people? Are we to believe that the NBI or the CA or whoever is tasked with investigating political appointees have no idea what the relatives of appointees are up to? That is appalling and just goes to show how inept the government really is.
It reminds of the fact that even the NICA, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, says there are 300,000 to 400,000 known and named CPP-NPA-NDF members or allies working for the government!
“We know who they are, that they are even party members, supporters of the CPP [Communist Party of the Philippines]. But pinapaalam din natin sa kanila na alam natin. Alam nila na alam namin, alam ng security forces, alam ng gobyerno kung sino sila at binabantayan natin sila (We have informed them that we know. They know that we know, the security forces know, the government knows them, and we are watching them),” Monteagudo said.
As per NICA’s latest estimate, there are about 300,000 to 400,000 who are allies of different CPP-NPA-NDF front organizations.
https://philippinefails.blogspot.com/2021/02/insurgency-military-should-learn-from.html
If these people pose a threat then stop watching and remove them from office! The intelligence apparatus of the Philippines is so fraught with holes it is incredible. From having prior knowledge of the Marawi siege and doing nothing to prevent it to not properly vetting political appointees the holes are big and because no one wants to investigate and fix the problem they have no doubt gotten bigger over the years.
The AFP and Department of Education has signed an agreement to prevent CPP-NPA infiltration in schools. This is an initiative VP Sara Duterte says she welcomes.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1182616 |
The Department of Education (DepEd)-Schools Division Office (SDO) of Aurora and the Army’s 91st Infantry Battalion (91IB) have teamed up for an information awareness campaign against the recruitment and infiltration of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army among students in the province.
The target of the campaign are the students in Grades 9, 10, and senior high schools.
The memorandum of agreement was signed Tuesday at the SDO-Aurora in Barangay Bacong, San Luis town between Schools Division Superintendent of Aurora Dr. Catalina Paez and 91IB commander Lt. Col. Julito Recto Jr., and witnessed by DepEd–Aurora and 91IB officials.
Paez said on Wednesday the DepEd family is fortunate for having a partnership with the Philippine Army.
“There is a saying that it takes a village to take a child. Our department is looking for partners who will provide and help us. We are continuing to negotiate with our partners with a good heart that will help our youth and the community. Every centavo, time and efforts that our partners gave are important to our department,” she said in an interview.
Under the partnership, the DepEd will support the efforts of the 91IB in lawfully reaching out to students who shall receive education from the DepEd about ending local communist armed conflict.
The DepEd will allow the youth information awareness campaign in the vicinity of pre-identified schools provided that the plan of instruction (POI), consisting of the subject/topic of the education campaigns, the medium/methodology of instruction, duration of instruction, shall have been evaluated and approved by the regional task force.
Meanwhile, the 91IB will commit to implementing a youth information awareness campaign, giving due consideration to gender-sensitive, child-friendly, and safe environments in the schools.
The 91IB will also maintain coordinative linkage with the DepEd by providing the department and the head of the school with information on where the program shall be held, with the proposal of the program and the plan of instruction before its conduct.
“Our objective is to communicate with the students on matters about the local communist armed conflict through the implementation of the program youth information awareness campaign wherein it is part of the DepEd’s vision of producing Filipinos who passionately love their country and whose values and competencies enable them to realize their full potential and contribute meaningfully to building the nation,” Recto said.
That is a whole lot of nothing. How exactly is the CPP-NPA infiltrating grade 9, 10, and 11 students? They don't say. How will such infiltration be stopped? Through a youth information awareness campaign? That is very broad. As should be well known by now the AFP has red tagged all the alleged CPP fronts so they should come out and say they will be teaching students to stay away from those groups but they don't even say that.
In fact one member of the House wants to revive the subversion law and make membership in the CPP-NPA-NDF or one of their front organizations a criminal offense.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1182724 |
A party-list lawmaker on Thursday filed a measure proposing to outlaw the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) and all other organizations supporting them in their recruitment, operations, and financial transactions.
Duterte Youth Party-List Representative Drixie Mae Cardema filed House Bill 4324, which seeks to declare the CPP-NPA-NDF and all organizations supporting them as "illegal" and "outlawed".
"For the defense of our Republic and protection of the Filipino youth from being recruited as terrorist fighters, it is imperative that we provide this strong legal measure to support our government, our government troops, and the millions of peace-loving Filipinos in securing our society from the said terrorist activities," Cardema said.
The bill states that anyone who becomes or remains a member of the CPP-NPA-NDF or any organization supporting them shall be punished by the penalty of prision mayor and shall be disqualified permanently from holding any public office, appointive or elective, and his/her real and personal properties shall be confiscated.
In case of a second conviction, the principal penalty shall be reclusion temporal, and in all subsequent convictions, the penalty of reclusion perpetua shall be imposed.
This bill is similar to and likely is the same bill Cardema filed in December 2020. That would be House Bill 8231.
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| https://hrep-website.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/legisdocs/basic_18/HB08231.pdf |
Neither bill 8231 or 4324 define which groups are front groups or support groups of the CPP-NPA-NDF. Such an omission is crucial as it is an admission that despite labeling the Makabayan Bloc a front group when it comes down to it they are not sure enough to put it into law. Without that definition this bill is dangerous and would transform innocent people into criminals.
Human rights workers are routinely accused of being CPP fronts. This week one activist claims he was abducted and forced to admit being a Communist.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1655780/activist-forced-to-admit-hes-a-rebel-says-group |
In a statement, CPA said Stephen Tauli, 63, was taken by five men on Aug. 20 and was detained for hours in Tabuk City before he was released a day later.
“We equally expect resolute investigation by the local authorities and the PNP (Philippine National Police) to ascertain truth and accountability on this latest violation against a staunch advocate of IP (indigenous people) and human rights,” CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said in a statement.
Tauli’s abduction happened weeks after CPA petitioned the Court of Appeals to grant them a writ of amparo to protect its members from threats posed by Red-tagging allegedly committed by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac), other law enforcement agencies, and the government intelligence community.
According to CPA, social media posts portrayed their members as “communist terrorists,” which made them easy targets of aggression by elements of the police in the entire region.In the group’s petition for a writ of amparo, CPA counsel Francesca Macli-ing-Claver said these online posts were “repeated, or repackaged with [the same] content, and reposted” within the network of policemen and the military.
Tauli, who is not party to the petition, was buying provisions at a small grocery in Tabuk near the CPA office in the Kalinga provincial capital when five masked men dragged him into a van at 6:45 p.m., according to CPA’s account.
The group said Tauli, brother of former United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues chair Victoria Tauli Corpuz, was beaten up, handcuffed and blindfolded while he was pressing his abductors to reveal their identities or their ranks, believing they were policemen or soldiers.
According to CPA, Tauli later “pleaded that [his abductors] should use legal means by filing a case through the courts, and [had demanded that they] bring him to the police station or military camp instead of bringing him to an unknown location.”Tauli’s abductors responded by talking about the NTF-Elcac “and its objective of stopping the insurgency problem in the country,” CPA said.
It added: “They interrogated him about his work … [and] wanted him to confirm the identities of [individuals] tied to the CPP-NPA (the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed revolutionary wing, the New People’s Army).”
Tauli was reportedly transferred to another vehicle and taken to a secluded house two hours later.
After further interrogation, CPA said the masked men allegedly forced Tauli to “sign a sworn statement admitting the supposed position he was alleged to be holding in the CPP-NPA leadership,” which he was made to read while being recorded.
Tauli was released on the night of Aug. 21 and was found dazed and in shock by CPA members who had been searching for him.
If it was government officials who abducted this man that is appalling. It is appalling either way. It would not be surprising if it were AFP or PNP agents who abducted Tauli seeing as the government has been doing its level best to pin his sister as a being a rebel.
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| https://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-rights-un-idUSKCN1GM0HO |
The Philippine justice ministry last month filed a petition in a Manila court seeking the declaration of more than 600 alleged communist guerrillas as “terrorists”, according to the document seen by Reuters.
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the U.N. special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, was listed as a member of the Maoist rebel group. She has denied the allegations.
“The charges are entirely baseless and malicious,” Tauli-Corpuz told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a telephone interview.
“The government sees this as an opportunity to pursue people they don’t like. I am worried for my safety and the safety of others on the list, including several rights activists.”
Hounding innocent people is not the way to win the fight against the insurgency. But that seems to be the path the Philippines has chosen.
Senator Loren Legarda says peace talks should resume.
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| https://www.esquiremag.ph/politics/news/loren-legarda-defends-cpp-ndf-ideologies-a00203-20220831 |
Legarda, likewise, expressed concern over the attacks on ideologies that deviate from the mainstream. These comments come during an epidemic of "red-tagging" and the banning of "subversive" books in the country.
"Believing in an ideology which may be different from the majority, in layman's term believing in philosophies that may left-center so to speak, does not make anyone subversive... I hope that the peace talks can be revived so that we... can work together towards peace, equity, and authentic, real reforms in the countryside," she said.
Legarda then declared: ''All I can say is that having celebrated National Heroes' Day yesterday, there are many heroes in our midst whom we see and who we do not see and know. Even heroes who may be associated with the CPP. I declare that I have worked with the NDF, and I am not ashamed of it.''
She also explained that there isn't any law or pronouncement from the government that has stated that the "CPP or similar organizations, movements, beliefs, associations" are enemies of the state. "If we see and study what they actually believe and want, it is social justice," she emphasized.
The four-time senator added: "I would not pass judgement and label certain organizations whose beliefs may be different from the general majority... When we look at it, we bear similar objectives, visions, dreams for our people.''
Legarda has been a long-time advocate of peace talks. In 1999, Legarda helped facilitate the safe releases of late General Victor Obillo, then Captain Eduardo Montealto, and then Sergeant Alpio Lozada, among others, who were then held captive by rebel groups.
CPP members can be heroes? Legarda has gotten a lot of flack for these statements but it should never be forgotten that Duterte said the same things while he was Mayor of Davao.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/704460/duterte-defends-allowing-heros-burial-for-slain-npa-leader |
Anti-communist leader Pastor Alcover even wrote on his Facebook page that Duterte should be condemned.
“Parago is dead. Death is permanent. But to me when the person is dead it is all even,” Duterte retorted.
He said while Parago was a communist leader, he should be respected for his ideology.
“After all, that guy is not an ugly guy. He was not a robber. He did not sell drugs. He was there dreaming of a different setup for the Philippines. That is all his sin,” the feisty mayor said.
Duterte said there was nothing wrong in his talks with the NPA either because as a mayor, one of his jobs is to ensure the city was peaceful and free from communist-led violence.
“I cannot seal my door. I need a window to talk to the CPP-NPA,” he said.
Duterte also openly admitted that he was not against the NPA and its ideology of social equality.
“I am not against you. I will not fight against you. We have the same view of the government and politics,” he said.
Duterte said he had "the same view of government and politics" as the NPA and was never condemned by the nation for saying that. Those condemning Legarda are probably so ignorant that they don't even know Duterte uttered such treason.
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