Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go defended President Duterte’s statements denying the government is red-tagging Makabayan bloc organizations, saying that Duterte is privy to several pieces of information about Leftist groups given his experiences as former mayor of Davao City.
(OFFICE OF SEN. BONG GO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
“Maraming alam si Pangulong Duterte, dati siyang mayor ng Davao City. Kami po, magkasama kami for the past 22 years. Talagang alam namin kung sino ang talagang may linya – sa Left,” Go said during an ambush interview after personally leading the distribution of emergency assistance to fire victims in Quezon City.
(President Duterte knows many things. He was a former Davao City mayor. We have been together for 22 years. He knows who are Left-leaning)
He added that Duterte is telling the truth.
“Kung ano po ang sinabi ni Pangulong Duterte, totoo po ‘yun. Witness po siya sa mga bagay na ‘yan. ‘Wag na po tayong magmaang-maangan pa,” he said.
(The President is telling the truth. I have been a witness to this. Let us not fool ourselves)
Go, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, said armed struggle is not the way to achieving positive change and long-lasting peace.
He said the President is familiar with dynamics of Leftist groups given his experiences with them as Davao City mayor.
During his weekly “Talk to the People” address on Monday, Duterte denied the government is red-tagging Makabayan bloc organizations but, instead, is identifying these groups and their dynamics with the CPP-NPA.
The President said that he trusts the military’s assertion that the groups are mere fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
"We are not red-tagging you. We are identifying you as members in a grand conspiracy comprising all the legal fronts that you have organized headed by NDF (National Democratic Front) and Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)," Duterte said.
Denouncing their acts, Duterte added that the movement is only bent on destroying the country’s democratic institutions.
"May mga ilang tao na nanggaling sa inyong kampo na openly attacked you, not only criticized, for your sheer brutality in this communal war," Duterte said.
(There are persons from your camps denouncing and attacking you for your sheer brutality in this communal war)