Major General Antonio Parlade, Jr., Armed Forces of the Philippines Deputy Chief-of-Staff for Civil-Military Operations (PNA File photo)
MANILA – Rather than looking into the actions of a Quezon City Regional Trial Court judge who issued a search warrants for the offices and homes of activists in Bacolod and Escalante cities, a ranking official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) appealed to the Supreme Court (SC) to instead investigate judges who have been dismissing cases against communist terrorists.
This, according to Major General Antonio Parlade, Jr., in response to militant Bayan Muna's call to review the action of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Cecilyn Burgos-Villavert who issued seven warrants to allow police to conduct searches on the offices of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), Kilusang Mayo Uno, Anakpawis, Gabriela, and National Federation of Sugar Workers, and the house of Kadamay members in Manila last week.
"These communist front groups have been harassing and threatening not only judges of the courts but also fiscals and state prosecutors in the past. These Kamatayan (Makabayan) bloc uses their armed goons, the NPA (New People's Army) to threaten the families of fiscals and judges with death if only to force them to decide in favor of arrested CTGs (communist terrorist groups). This is why they are called terrorists for terrorizing people who stand in their way,” he said in a statement to the Philippine News Agency Sunday. “They label these uncooperative magistrates as 'counter-revolutionary'."
Parlade, however, said these bullying and intimidation tactics of the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), is now a thing of the past as the government is using "the rule of law" to neutralize the perpetrators of such tactics.
"That bullying strategy is over. The rule of law is here to catch with you. So Bayan Muna should start respecting the decisions of the magistrate. Their bullying will not work this time when people already understand their duplicitous and deceptive nature. Let us refresh these hypocrites and liars of what their own NDFP (National Democratic Front of the Philippine)-Panay spokesperson (Concha Araneta) said on their 46th NDFP Anniversary last 24 April 2019," said Parlade, who is also Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Deputy Chief-of-Staff for Civil-Military Operations.
She herself admitted that all these organizations under the NDF umbrella are all one and the same with the CPP-NPA in the armed revolution, he added.
"Araneta proudly proclaimed the 46 years of NDFP's contributions as they 'celebrate with heads high the indispensable role in advancing the Philippine revolution' including 'inflicting casualties of not less than 50 enemies' in Panay. Indeed, she said ‘"the NDFP have continually filled the ranks of the NPA-CPP' through the years’," he said.
He said Araneta also claimed that members of the Kabataang Makabayan (KM), Makibaka, PKM (Pambansang Kaisahan ng Magbubukid), Revolutionary Council of Trade Unions, and other allied organizations of the NDF immersed themselves with the masses in the countryside and cities while others perform underground work in urban areas.
Equipped with guns, explosives
"This is exactly what these personalities were doing in the urban areas (White Area) when they were legally arrested. How will the Kamatayan (Makabayan) bloc explain this to the courts? By the nature of their work as terrorists, they have to equip themselves with arms and explosives. There is no need for the government to plant these pieces of evidence contrary to their complaints," he said.
Parlade said some NDF-allied organizations include Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Anakbayan, Migrante, Gabriela, Karapatan, Kadamay, National Union of Peoples Lawyers and the BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN) – the group Anne Villasica Krueger is affiliated with.
Krueger, he earlier said, is also known as "Em-Em" and Deputy Secretary for "Cultural Propaganda" of the "Komiteng Rehiyon-Negros Cebu Bohol Siquijor" aside from being a former political instructor of the NPA "Sandatahang Yunit sa Platun" (SYP) Southern Luzon Regional Political Committee.
"The National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) is another group identified by Concha. In fact, the other terrorist captured in Bacolod last week was Danny Tabora alias 'Dino', the Regional Chair of NFSW. Progressive? No, he is another dangerous personality the leftists claim as activist. He was a former political instructor, Sentro de Grabidad (SDG) of Central Negros Party Committee CPP-NPA,” he said.
Also arrested was alias 'Rabo', a medical officer of the CPP-NPA, whose job is the same as the Morong 43 'health workers', released by (then Justice) Secretary (Leila) De Lima in 2012. Many of those released ended up dead in encounters with government forces after they returned to their NPA units.
Parlade recalled that the last known casualties of the "Morong 43" were: Lilibeth Donasco alias "Mok" -- medical officer of the CPP-NPA's Platoon Guerilla, SRMA 4D, who was killed in an encounter in Bulalacao, Mindoro last March 2017: and Edwin Dematera alias "Dupax", Deputy Secretary of "Larangan 2, Kumite Probinsya 3" operating in Sorsogon.
Dematera was killed after he resisted security forces who were supposed to arrest him for murder and frustrated murder last June 12 in Barangay Incariyan, Magallanes, Sorsogon.
Duplicity
"So are they simple progressive critiques of the government? Are they merely invoking their constitutional right for redress from their 'fascist' PRRD government? Then maybe (Bayan Muna representative) Atty. Carlos Zarate, (NUPL President) Atty. Neri Colmenares, and Atty. Edre Olalia (NUPL Secretary) can explain to the people this duplicity of their cohorts? They can start by reconciling their perceived grievances, their anti-fascist, anti-dictator, and pro-people stand with what they all swore-in in the CPP Constitution to "adhere to the principles of proletarian dictatorship" (Article 3 Section 7 CPP Constitution and Programs May 2016),” he said, adding that they took their oath in a ritual with the CPP sickle and hammer, along with an M-16 bullet, to signify that they fully embrace the armed and violent struggle.
The NPA, which has been waging a five-decade armed struggle against the government, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
“You are all lawyers, the best human rights defenders that you claim to be. Maybe you can simplify what you are asking the magistrates to do, like going 'slow with you to protect your rights' and never mind that of others," he said.
To debunk communist rebels claims that AFP personnel are human rights violators, Parlade cited the case of a wounded NPA fighter who was aided by government troops after being down by gunfire during an encounter in Barangay San Isidro, Santiago, Agusan Del Norte in the morning of November 2.
"By the way, the human right violators in the AFP again saved the young wounded NPA combatant during an encounter that transpired in Barangay San Isidro, Santiago, Agusan del Norte around 10 a.m. of November 2, 2019. The wounded NPA youth was identified as alias 'Kent', who is a member of the NPA organization for around two years,” he said.
He said alias Kent, who was only 17 years old when he was tricked to join the senseless armed struggle of NPA terrorists, was immediately provided first aid by the operating troops of 29th Infantry Battalion and sent to the nearest hospital later for further medication to save his life.
"Explain that to the judges too. Why soldiers take care of your wounded NPAs, while you slit the necks of policemen in Negros and elsewhere," Parlade said. (PNA)
