3 ex-communists link party-lists to CPP-NPA

From the Manila Bulletin (Sep 22, 2020): 3 ex-communists link party-lists to CPP-NPA (By Martin Sadongdong)

Self-proclaimed former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), accused the opposition Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives of alleged ties to the five-decades-old communist rebellion in the country.

MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO

In a virtual briefing Monday, Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), presented Noel Legazpi, alias “Ka Efren”; “Ka Shane,” and “Ka Marge” — three ex-guerillas who narrated their experience supposedly while inside the underground mass movement.

They accused Kabataan partylist Rep. Sarah Elago; Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite and Eufemia Cullamat; ACT Teachers partylist Rep. France Castro; and Gabriela Women’s partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas, of “infiltrating the Congress to spread communist propaganda.”

“Ang CPP-NPA kasama dyan ang Makabayan bloc na ngayon ay nasa Kongreso. Napkadelikado nito dahil nandyan ang resources ng gobyerno na puwedeng sirain o pagandahin ang bansa (The Makabayan bloc in the Congress is part of the CPP-NPA. It is dangerous because the resources of the government is there which they can use to either destroy or improve the country),” Badoy said.

The briefing was held after the House deliberation of the 2021 budget of the Presidential Communications Office (PCOO) was stalled last week by Makabayan lawmakers due to the “persistent red-tagging” of Badoy against progressive groups.

Legazpi was fondly called Ka Efren by his “brothers” in the movement, having been the spokesperson of the National Democrtaic Front (NDF) Far South Mindanao Region for 26 years until he surrendered to the military in 2018.

He claimed that the members of the Makabayan bloc were “personally chosen” by the CPP-NPA leadership to be the representatives of their front organizations.

“Mula 2001 hanggang 2016, anim na eleksyon ang dumaan at sa bawat eleksyon na ito, ang patakaran ng CPP-NPA ay pinag-uusapan at nire-review. Hindi maiiwasan na kami sa loob ay nama-master na rin ang usapin sa eleksyon. Malinaw ang CPP sa usapin ng eleksyon at lahat ng mga nominees ng partylists sa ilalim ng Makabayan bloc ay mga kasapi at cadre nila (From 2001 to 2016, there were six elections that happened where the rules of the CPP-NPA were discussed and reviewed. We, as insiders, couldn’t help but master their rules during the election. The CPP guidelines during the elections are clear, and all the nominees of the partylists under the Makabayan bloc are (CPP) members and cadres),” Legazpi said.

Ka Shane said she used to be the regional spokesperson of Anakbayan and a regular member of the CPP-NPA for seven years.

She claimed that in the 2013 elections, the CPP leadership issued a directive to have former Rep. Terry Ridon to be the first nominee of the Kabataan partylist.

Ka Marge narrated that she was a former combatant of the NPA for nine years. She said she was recruited by the Rehiyunal na Kilusang Kabataan sa Cagayan Valley when she was 16.

”Sa usapin ng eleksyon at pagpasok po ng Makabayan bloc members sa Kongreso, lagi pong may basbas ng CPP. Anuman ang region na kinapapalooban ng bawat cadre at kasapi, sila po ang pumipili ng bawat nominado at mukha ng partylist nila sa Pilipinas (During elections, the entry of Makabayan bloc members in the Congress has always a blessing from the CPP. Whatever region the cadres and members are from, they are the ones selecting the nominees and the representatives of theier partylists in the Philippines),” Ka Marge claimed.

Among the groups tagged by the ex-rebels as allegedly connected to the CPP-NPA include Anakbayan, Kabataan, Bayan Muna, ACT Teachers, Gabriela, National Union of Students in the Philippines (NUSP), and National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) among others.

All three ex-rebels have the same reasons why they left the underground movement: They got “tired” of the promises of the CPP-NPA of a “better life.”

Badoy presented Meane Mariveles, mother of Francis, who went missing after allegedly leaving college when recruited by Anakbayan to be a “full-time activist”; and Anabelle Sabado, mother of Rey Christian, an alleged NPA child combatant who was rescued by the military.

The Makabayan bloc has yet to issue a statement on the allegations hurled against them by the ex-rebels presented by Badoy.

But the lawmakers have repeatedly called out NTF-ELCAC officials, including Badoy, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., who serves as the NTF vice chairperson, and Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, commander of the military’s Southern Luzon Command, due to their “malicious accusations.”

Badoy denied that the presentation of the ex-rebels was another means to red-tag the opposition lawmakers. She insisted that she was just doing her duty to eliminate the 52-year-old communist insurgency problem of the government as a member of the NTF-ELCAC.

“Kailan ba natin ito gusto matapos? Maliwanag ang derektiba ni President Duterte, tapusin na natin ito bago matapos ang kanyang termino. Huwag na natin ito lipasan (When do we want this to end? The directive of President Duterte is clear, let us finish this before his term ends. Let us not sit on this),” she said.

https://mb.com.ph/2020/09/21/3-ex-communists-link-party-lists-to-cpp-npa/