Visayas Command commander Lt. Gen. Robert Dauz. (Photo courtesy of ThePhilippine Army Transformation Roadmap FB)
CEBU CITY – The Visayas Command (Viscom) on Tuesday said it strongly supports the resolution of the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) designating 16 organizations with links to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) as “terrorists”.
Lt. Gen. Robert Dauz, Viscom commander, said the military in the Visayas welcomes ATC Resolution No. 28 which was issued on January 26 but made public on February 22, identifying the groups allied with the CPP’s New People’s Army-National Democratic Front.
The resolution was signed by the National Security Adviser and ATC vice chair, Secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr.
“This development is a major step towards the elimination of communist terrorist groups, as it will empower the government force to take steps under the rule of law, which will best enhance our efforts to protect benefit our people here in the region,” Dauz said in a statement written in Cebuano.
The resolution declared as terrorist groups the 16 underground organizations of the CPP-NPA-NDF identified by its founding chair, Jose Maria ”Joma” Sison, as their allies in an April 24, 2021 video released on the occasion of NDF’s 48th anniversary.
The ATC identified these groups as Revolutionary Council of Trade Unions (RCTU), Katipunan ng mga Samahang Manggagawa (KASAMA) o Federation of Labor Organizations, and Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Magbubukid (PKM) or National Association of Peasants.
Included in the said resolution are Independent Movement of New Women (MAKIBAKA) or Patriotic Movement of New Women, Kabataang Makabayan (KM) or Patriotic Youth, Katipunan ng Gurong Makabayan (KAGUMA) or Association of Patriotic Teachers, Makabayang Samahang Pangkalusugan (MASAPA) or Patriotic Health Association, League of Science for the People (LAB) or League of Scientists for the People, and Lupon ng mga Manananggol para sa Bayan (LUMABAN) or Committee of Lawyers for the People.
The other groups designated as “terrorists” are Artista at Manunulat ng Sambayanan (ARMAS) or Artista and Writers for the People, Makabayang Kawaning Pilipino (MKP) or Patriotic Government Employees, Revolutionary Organization of Overseas Filipinos and their Families (COMPATRIOTS), Christians for National Liberation (CNL), Cordillera People's Democratic Front (CPDF), Moro Resistance Liberation Organization (MRLO), and the Revolutionary Organization of Lumads (ROL).
In addition to Sison’s video message, the documented evidence and testimonies of former rebels provided the ATC with sufficient basis in passing the resolution.
Likewise, the former members of these organizations, particularly the RCTU, KM, and the MAKIBAKA allegedly expressed knowledge of and direct involvement in the illegal activities of the said organizations.
The Viscom statement said illegal activities include inciting, organizing, mobilizing the masses, creating financial, material, and technical support for the armed operations of the communist terrorist group, as well as recruitment and training for cadres and sectoral mass organizations under the umbrella of the NDF.
Under the Anti-Terrorism Law, the ATC has the authority to classify individuals or groups of individuals, organizations, and associations as terrorists even without a court hearing.
With the declaration as the basis, the Anti-Money Laundering Council may take measures to prevent the misappropriation of the finances and other assets of these individuals, organizations, and associations classified as terrorists.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
The NDF has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973. (PNA)
