Presidential candidate and former National Security adviser Norberto Gonzales (PNA photo by Robert Alfiler)
MANILA – If alleged threats from the camp of Vice President Leni Robredo were true to sow “possible terrorist action” in the event Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wins in the May 9 elections, then communist elements may have infiltrated the campaign of the country’s No. 2 official.
Presidential aspirant and former Defense secretary Norberto Gonzales said Sunday he is still verifying if the threat indeed came from the Robredo group.
“Ang tinitingnan ko talaga kung talagang nanggaling sa Vice President iyan. Hindi niya talaga pinaniniwalaan ang resulta ng survey kaya naghahanap na sila ng other options, possibilities dito sa sinasabing possible terrorist action (What I'm really looking at is if those really came from the Vice President’s camp. She doesn't really believe in the results of surveys so they are now searching for other options and possibilities here, on that alleged possible terrorist action),” Gonzales, also a former National Security adviser, said during a press conference at The Peninsula Manila Hotel in Makati City with fellow candidates Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso.
“Hindi ko masasabi na walang communist element sa grupo ni (I can’t say that there’s no communist elements within the group of) Vice President. I can say, yeah, there are, there are,” he added.
He said there’s still time to verify the legitimacy of the alleged planned violence.
“Pero depende sa strategy na pinag-uusapan. Pero kung ang Vice President ay dyan nagbibigay at magsabi ng certain options, ang eksperto dyan ay ‘yung mga komunista. Hindi ko alam kung how deep ‘yung understanding pero ang komunista, iyan ang laging hinahanap niya ay ganyang klase ng operation kasi mas sanay sila dyan eh. Tingnan natin, may mga ilang weeks pa naman (But it depends on their strategy. But if the Vice President is providing and will say certain options, the experts in that field are the communists. I don’t know how deep their understanding is but the communists are always looking for that kind of operation because they are used to it. That’s why, but I don’t know. Let’s see, there’s still how many weeks),” Gonzales said.
This is not the first time that Robredo was linked to communist terrorist groups but she had repeatedly dismissed the so-called coalition.
National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict spokesperson for Sectoral Concerns, Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Marie Badoy, previously lashed at the Robredo camp as the alleged endorsement of Communist Party of the Philippines founder, Jose Maria Sison, “is proof positive that this marriage made in the bowels of hell has been consummated”. (PNA)
