Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo M. Año criticized Thursday the Makabayan bloc for allegedly refusing “to condemn the CPP-NPA-NDF’’ for its supposed terrorist acts.
(PCOO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
In a statement, Año branded the Makabayan blocs’ action as a betrayal of public trust and an insult to the 40,000 victims of Communist terrorism since 1969 “which includes thousands of civilians, soldiers and police officers killed.’’
He expressed dismay by the group’s turning a “blind eye to the thousands of atrocities committed by the atheist communist-terrorist group.’’
“If you cannot even condemn the perpetrators of these horrendous crimes against the people in your capacity as elected public officials, there is definitely something wrong. The refusal of the Makabayan bloc to condemn and distance itself from the CPP-NPA-NDF and their crimes is a clear and indisputable betrayal of public trust,” Año said.
“Ito po ay hayagang pagbubulag-bulagan sa katotohanan (This is an outright refusal to recognize the truth). As elected government officials receiving salary, emoluments and benefits from government, they are morally, ethically and legally required to denounce the communist terrorists whose main objective is to overthrow the government that they are part of,” he added.
The DILG noted that in the recent Senate Committee on National Defense hearing on Red-tagging chaired by Senator Panfilo Lacson, former Bayan Muna Partylist Representative and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Spokesperson Teddy Casiño refused to condemn the CPP-NPA-NDF and said they do not consider them as enemies.
"To simply denounce them as enemies, it closes the door to healthier engagements. We do not consider them as enemies, we consider them as fellow Filipinos na dapat kausapin,’’ Casiño said in the hearing.
Año said that the Makabayan bloc’s statements are clear attempts to wash their hands of the blood of the thousands of victims of CPP-NPA-NDF atrocities through the years.
“Nakakakilabot na tinatawag lamang nila ang walang habas na pagpatay ng mga inosenteng tao, mga pulis at sundalo bilang isang pamamaraan para kanilang tahasang maipahayag ang kanilang agenda (It is terrifying that they only referred the unabated killing of innocent people, policemen and soldiers as a way to air their (CPP-NPA-NDF) agenda),” Año said.
He reminded the Makabayan bloc “that the CPP-NPA-NDF is the biggest violator of human rights in the country.’’
Aside from killing soldiers, police and government officials, Año insisted the party is also “infamous for its internal purges which have killed some 3,000 to 7,000 lives including the Inopacan, Leyte massacre where 67 comrades were summarily executed upon orders of the CPP.’’
He claimed that the communist terrorist groups (CTGs) steal from the poor and extort from politicians and big and small businesses through revolutionary taxes they impose at gunpoint “otherwise they harass or burn businesses, construction equipment, and the like.’’
The DILG said some P600 to P700 million is raised annually by the CTGs through illegal means to finance their reign of terror against the people.
“While the regular cadres live in the mountains and survive by extorting money from the poor, party leaders who live in urban areas send their kids to exclusive schools, sport luxury gadgets, and travel abroad frequently. Why do the children of their leaders live luxurious lives while the children of regular NPA cadres live a life of sacrifice and misery? Why is Sison living the life in Europe while his minions toil in the mountains?,” he asked.
He added “that it is clear that the CPP-NPA-NDF have degenerated into a ragtag group of bandits, extortionists, and murderers who are no longer fighting for the people but for the financial and personal interests of Joma Sison and his cabal in the above ground political struggle. That is why thousands have surrendered under the DILG’s Enhanced Comprehensive Integration Program (ECLIP).’’
Año said that public data showed that from 2010 to 2017 more than P5.2-billion of properties have been destroyed by the NPA where the most damage worth P2.8 billion was raked in 2017.
“Clearly they are a primary cause of the poverty and misery in rural areas where they operate,” Año stressed.
“As elected Members of Congress, the so-called Makabayan bloc are required under our Constitution and laws to denounce the CPP-NPA-NDF, why they refuse to do so reveals the truth about their organization and who actually controls them,” he added.