National Security Adviser (NSA) Hermogenes C. Esperon Jr. told the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday, May 12, that the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) is set to come out on Thursday, May 13, with a list of individuals designated as “terrorists.”
During the resumption of the online oral arguments on 37 petitions against the constitutionality of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), Esperon said the ATC has come up with a resolution on the designation of individuals linked to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
On questions propounded by Associate Justice Rosmari D. Carandang Esperon said the names will be published in major newspapers on Thursday, May 13.
“There is a resolution of the ATC but until we have published these in local papers, we will not name them publicly. Tomorrow, they will come out in the papers,” he said.
Thereafter, Esperon played a two-minute video of CPP P founder Jose Maria Sison who was heard mentioning the names of 18 organizations whom he called "allied organizations."
He also played a video of Sison supposedly naming the “legal organizations” in the alleged National Democratic Revolution.
He disclosed that more than 70 organizations such as the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Anakbayan, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Bagong Alaysang Makabayan, Gabriela and several others were present in a meeting presided by Sison in Hongkong in 2020.
He said these groups are part of the so-called International League of People’s Struggles which meets annually.
“The master red-tagger is no other than Jose Maria Sison. We are merely informing the public, this is of course what we called truth-tagging for purposes of public information so that we will not be misled by this movement or triad of the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People's Army and the National Democratic Front," he stressed.
When asked for comment, Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra, who is a member of ATC, said the designation of an individual as a terrorist “will lead to freezing of assets.”
DOJ Undersecretary Adrian Ferdinand S. Sugay said: “Let us wait for the list to be published in due deference to the ATC. And yes, designation by the ATC is for the purpose of freezing assets.”
The Anti-Monery Laundering Council (AMLC), under ATA, may issue a freeze order valid only for 20 days on the financial assets of individuals designated as terrorists.
On a petition by AMLC, the Court of Appeals may extend the freeze order for six months.
The oral arguments will resume on Monday, May 17.