The Department of Interior and Local Government has allegedly staged is own witch-hunt for suspected members of communist terrorist groups as it asked its regional directors to “fend off” among government workers who are members of the Confederation for Unity Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, both legitimate organizations acknowledged by government.
This developed after the Philippine National Police officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar sacked Lt. Fernando Calabria Jr. as Calbayog City intelligence chief for asking the local courts for a list of lawyers representing persons facing national security cases.
Former COURAGE president and now Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite said evidence of DILG’s witch-hunt of members of progressive but legitimate organizations was a letter signed by DILG Asst. Secretary for Public Safety and Security Alexander L. Macario The letter sent on March 10 and addressed to all DILG regional directors and the regional secretary of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao advised the regional officials to “initiate an investigation” and “validate employees who are definite members of COURAGE.
In the letter, Macario tagged ACT and COURAGE as fronts of “Communist Terrorist Group” (CTG) that have infiltrated several government agencies.
“It is advised further to fend off and discourage existing employees association or organization in your office to affiliate with the known CTG Organization,” said Macario.
Reacting to the purported letter, Gaite chided DILG for issuing the directive.
"This is yet another evidence of blatant terrorist-tagging of legitimate people's organizations, and an unwarranted act of harassment and intimidation. Sabi wala daw red-tagging? Ito, napakalinaw na red-tagging ito. (Didn’t they say there is no red- tagging? This one is a glaring red-tagging),” he said.
"Following the leak of the letter to the Clerk of Court in Calbayog, this new letter from a DILG high official bolsters our suspicion that government forces are in the process of accomplishing a hit list which would be followed by more brazen attacks, by more killings, as we have seen in the Calabarzon Bloody Sunday," he said.
According to Gaite the DILG letter clearly indicates that the Calbayog action is not isolated.
"Other agencies are probably doing the same too, in a coordinated operation against progressive organizations that is most likely being done under the order of the NTF-ELCAC," Gaite said.
"We know Calabria's removal from post was just damage-control. But for all its worth, the removal of the incompetent but dangerous fool Macario who wrote this letter should also be in order,” stated the partylist solon.