Key Philippine Military and Insurgency-Related Events: Opinion: Lawfare: CPP using its allies to silence detractors

Sunday, March 7, 2021

Opinion: Lawfare: CPP using its allies to silence detractors

Opinion piece posted to the Manila Times (Mar 6, 2021): Lawfare: CPP using its allies to silence detractors (By Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr.)

Last of 2 parts

WHILE the Senate committee report on red-tagging was explicit about red-tagging being a nonissue as far as making it a criminal act is concerned and then asking the Makabayan bloc to denounce the violence of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), Sen. Risa Hontiveros, on the other hand, is adamant in ventilating that red-tagging creates a chilling effect on dissenters.

Really, madam senator? Would you feel the same effect if you were a legit activist or dissenter? What you are failing to recognize is the chilling effect that you want government officials, especially the security sector, to feel every time you threaten them with sanctions, including the threat of nonconfirmation at the Commission on Appointments. We see this and feel this every time your underground friends are unmasked by vocal members of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac). May we know if you are part of the Senate committee that challenged the Makabayan bloc to denounce the violence of the CPP-NPA-NDF? If not, may we ask you to condemn them too? Remember that this is the same CPP-NPA-NDF that has been killing and threatening Akbayan members, who chose to sever their relations with the Reaffirmist group of Joma. This is the same CPP-NPA-NDF that killed rejectionists Filemon “Ka Popoy” Lagman, Leopoldo “Ka Hector” Mabilangan and Romulo Kintanar.

Does the good senator acknowledge the chilling effect her friends from the other side, the Kamatayan bloc, bring every time they speak out against government officials, the military, judges, lay workers, teachers, faculty, who just must realize they are being called out by people backed by the dreaded Special Partisan Unit (Sparu) of the NPA? Think about that, Madam Senator.

And in case you miss it, it is the CPP-NPA-Sparu that kills even legitimate activists, if only to blame the government. Remember the revelations of confessed Sparu James Durimon @Jurros? He too was in that Senate hearing and he mentioned killing at least seven peasants in Negros, on orders of his CPP boss, Charity Amacan, in order to pin down the government for extrajudicial killings during the visit of UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard, in 2017.

For 50 years the majority of the Filipino people kept mum about the CPP-NPA underground because of the dangers of doing otherwise. Even active military and police officers were scared of the repercussions. As a wife of a former police official, Senator Hontiveros should know this. When these communists won some seats, suddenly we see them aboveground, but still, we know of them participating in underground work. Think Satur Ocampo, Teddy Casiño, Carlos Zarate, Sarah Elago, France Castro, Ferdinand Gaite etc. Do you really believe they are legitimate dissenters? How come they cannot denounce the CPP-NPA’s violence?

Who then are these legit dissenters you are trying to defend, Madam Senator? If it is the media, fine, anyway we are not after them. We simply want them to be fair in their reporting. Or is it the organizers of the SOS movement? Sister Patricia Fox and her rural missionaries? Chad Booc of Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development (Alcadev), Tribal Filipino Program of Surigao del Sur (Trifpps), and Salugpungan? Take a pick and we will tell the people why they are dangerous threats to our society, especially our children, particularly this Chad Booc.

If it is Booc, think about these, Madam. Chad Booc is not an activist. Neither are Alexa Pacalda, Glendhyl Malabanan, Honey Mae Suazo, and many more who are with the NPA by now. Chad was dangerously lurking underground to do work for the CPP-NPA — the terrorist organization declared by the Philippine government as terrorists on Dec. 5, 2017 through Presidential Proclamation 374 — until his capture in Cebu. He works with Alcadev but is not the volunteer teacher that you think he is, but an illegal recruiter. Sure, he has friends who know him otherwise, but let me tell you about this school he worked for and tell us if this would have a chilling effect on peace-loving readers. To those who were in some way involved with this organization in the past, as a donor, partner agency, collaborator, I am sure there would be a chilling effect on them.

Alcadev, just like the Salugpungan, Trifpss, Program for Mamanwa Integrated Services and Development or PMISD, and Center for Lumad Advocacy and Services or Clans are creations of the CPP-NPA-NDF in order to teach young IP children the 4 R’s: reading, writing, arithmetic and arming. Yes, they are also trained to disassemble and assemble arms, do maneuvers, become spies, detonate bombs. They are also taught the other 2R’s: running errands. Yes, but not for their parents because many of them are taken away from unsuspecting parents, but for the CPP-NPA formations, while they are too young to bear arms themselves at 12 to 14 years old. The final R is taught to them as soon as they are 15, being a full-time rebel. Did I invent these things? No, Madam Senator, some of them are in the transcript of your Senate committee hearing, revealed by our resource persons, if only you cared to listen.

So, why Chad for Alcadev? Because we don’t expect law-abiding teachers of DepEd to teach these things to their wards. You have to keep these activities closely guarded. That is the reason why they carefully choose the staff to supervise the school. One such staff is or was because recently she was too sick to continue with her work, Mica Caspe. She is the party wife of the late rebel leader Fr. Frank Navarro. Also known as @Daday, she was tasked by Myrna Sularte@Malaya, the wife of Jorge Madlos @Oris, secretary of the northeastern Mindanao regional party committee, to manage Alcadev, as well as the other CPP schools mentioned earlier. She is also connected with the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP). Her main task though was to establish alliances with various sectoral groups, nongovernment organizations and even some government agencies, particularly to generate funding for their recruitment schools.

There goes the chilling effect that knowledgeable donors, partner organizations, and agencies are feeling now. This information is out, and they have been mentioned many times earlier but without concrete action, until the enactment of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. These people who are guilty of support, are now trying to convince Senator Hontiveros to silence me to no end.

But let us assure our people this: If you are not guilty to all, chill ka lang. You will be safe and the government will keep you protected.

We can fact-check everything, I wrote Senator Risa.

And yes, dear readers, there is the other R.