SOUTHERN LUZON Command (SOLCOM) chief, Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, Jr., reminded the public from giving donations to front groups of the communist groups who might be exploiting the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis to generate funds for their terrorist organizations.
"While we are trying to suppress the spread of Covid-19, again, let's watch out for these swindlers who are front organizations of the Communist Party pf the Philippines (CPP). They have mobilized again their network to generate funds supposedly to assist communities. Bayan Muna is talking about help from Cuba and other solidarity partners that are actually good if put to appropriate use," he said in a statement Sunday.
Parlade, a member of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, made the reminder after noting that during Typhoon "Tisoy" last year, CPP chief public information officer Marco Valbuena said they have the necessary equipment and other resources, and linkages with various local and international relief and aid organizations to aid families that might be displaced or affected by the above-mentioned calamity.
He claimed that if donors will be fooled into giving cash into CPP front organizations, the money will go to the New People's Army (NPA), the armed wing of the communist group, and maintenance for their founding chair Jose Maria "Joma" Sison in The Netherlands.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
"Southern Tagalog has the 'Serve the People Corps' using Anakbayan and Sangguniang Kabataan alliances. Other initiatives of different acronyms are also common in other affected areas. BAYAN networks will orchestrate all these to provide a semblance of legality," Parlade warned would-be donors.
When it comes to exploiting calamities for their financial betterment, he said, the CPP-NPA has already a template to maximize the situation to their advantage as proven during the onslaught of Typhoon "Pablo" in Mindanao and Super typhoon "Yolanda" in Leyte and Samar.
With this institutional memory at hand, he said it would be relatively easy for communist terrorists to exploit the Covid-19 crisis for their financial and political advantage.
"During these times, the CPP once again would exaggerate the misery of the people arising from the enhance community quarantine. Case in point is the KADAMAY drama in Quezon City last week. It is time for their propaganda again to highlight the debilities and inadequacies of government response in addressing COVID-9. This is not only to pursue their 'OustDuterte' plan hatched since 2018, but also to generate funds similar to their 'People Surge' initiative, "Panday Bulig', and "Tabi" or 'Tabang Bicol', " he added.
Based on documents recovered from Roy Erecre, secretary of Komiteng Rehiyon, Komite sa Negros-Bohol-Cebu-Siquijor (KR KNCBS) who was arrested in 2015, after these funding proposals are approved by foreign funding agencies, 40 percent of the money acquired is kept by the CPP, with the 40 percent going to CPP-front organizations with only 20 percent going people's organizations and its beneficiaries.
Parlade claimed that these funding schemes allowed the CPP-NPA to expand quickly its Climate Change Network of Community-based Initiative (CCNCI) which now spans to disaster resilience, protection of vulnerable communities, children and women sector, and protecting the environment from development aggression.
"Other networks under these that are unwittingly exploited by the CPP are Center for Environmental Concerns, Citizens' Disaster Response Center (CDRC) and Philippine Network for Food Security Programs. This, is according to documents from Aurora Cayon, a staff of the CPP's National Finance Commission," he added.
Like Covid-19 which is able to mutate, he believes that the funding scheme of the communist rebels will able to adapt during this crisis for the advancement of the terrorist group.
Despite the ideology of the CPP-NPA, he is hoping that the terrorist group will able to find it in their conscience to help the government in fighting this pandemic.
"The virus knows no ideology so we are all vulnerable," he said.
“We challenge the CPP-NPA to respect the ceasefire, despite their earlier violations, at least during the Holy Week. This is to allow our people to reflect and find peace, amidst this crisis. This is also to allow-front line workers, especially the security sector, to work without threat of harm even during the Lenten Season," he added.
But knowing that the CPP-NPA and the National Democratic Front does not believe in any religion like the virus, Parlade said the military will continue to man checkpoints to contain the spread of the disease and accept the surrender of more NPA surrenderers tired of the ungodly ways of the communist rebels and their allies. (By Gigie Arcilla)
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