INSTEAD OF telling the truth, Makabayan bloc members surfaced at the Senate hearing Tuesday to spew up more lies, a ranking military official and member of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said Wednesday.
In a statement to the Philippine News Agency (PNA), Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, who is also Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM) chief, scored militants for asking that he not attend the Senate hearing in exchange for their appearance and yet did not come out with something substantial that would refute the previous statements made by former rebels in the November 3 hearing.
"The Kamatayan (Makabayan) bloc showed up at the Senate just to tell lies. You even requested my absence in exchange for you to show up at the Senate but you cannot even say anything about the revelations of the former rebels in the previous inquiry. You even made your previous no-show appear as an element of suspense but you did not say anything about what the witnesses revealed regarding your involvement in the plenum of the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines) and NPA (New People's Army) during their anniversaries," he said in Filipino.
Parlade also scored Kabataan Party-list Rep. Sarah Elago for insisting that joining the ranks of the communist terrorists and calling for the downfall of the government is a justified move.
"Rep. Sara Elago even made it appear as dramatic. You even took pride in the rebels whose names were included in the Bantayog ng Kagitingan such as Barros, a Gabriela member who joined the NPA. You even included Maita Gomez who became a rebel just like many members of Gabriela. Listen to the voices of the youth calling for the government’s downfall? Encourage them to join the NPA? Is that a good mindset of the youth claiming to be patriots?" he added.
He slammed Elago and her allies for claiming that they want a dialogue with the government to resolve the conflict but outrightly booted him out in their forum ‘Criminalizing Dissent; Weaponizing the Law" held in Quezon City in November last year even if he was alone at the time.
Hypocrites
"You are plastics. How many times have we challenged your group to a debate but you cannot even face us. It is clear that what you want is yelling on the streets and armed revolution. Now, you are crying and claiming that your life is in danger? The former rebels are the ones who red-tagged your group to help explain to the public how your group infiltrated the youth to lure them into joining the NPA. It is their lives that are really in danger because of what they revealed," he said.
Parlade also disputed claims made by Elago and former Bayan Muna Party-list Representative Teddy Casiño that brave young people voluntarily went to the mountains to join the NPA ranks.
"Elago and Teddy Casiño said these young people voluntarily went to the mountains. Can they also say that only those who are brave join the NPA, while the cowards stay at the ranks of legal fronts, like Casiño, (Neri) Colmenares, (Carlos Isagani) Zarate, (Ferdinand) Gaite and Elago? Their claim of the youth voluntarily going to the mountains is false. This is included (in) the 5-year program of the party for 2015-2019. It says there, 'Encourage the members of the progressive ranks to join the armed force'," he added.
Parlade said the reason for the ongoing intensive recruitment is due to the fact that communist terrorist ranks are now lacking in armed and political cadres because many have surrendered to the government.
CPP documents show
He added that they cannot lie about this as this is contained in a CPP document which states that the NPA is forcing youths to join their depleted ranks.
"Many NPA members who have surrendered revealed how they were made to fetch water and carry stuff for NPA members but they were not allowed to go down for over two years. Is that what you call voluntary? They are minors but Elago was mum when she claims that the youth’s welfare is what they are pushing for," Parlade said.
He said the claims made by Jean Lindo, the chair of Gabriela Southern Mindanao and Haran Davao, and Cristina Palabay, secretary-general of Karapatan, that their lives were placed in danger by the alleged red-tagging of the government is not true.
"I’ve been hearing that from Tinay for more than 10 years, but why are they still alive? It is not the AFP's (Armed Forces of the Philippines) policy to kill those who are unarmed. However, Karapatan has a clear policy of helping NPA members who are captured or imprisoned. Karapatan is one of the AFP’s bases to confirm whether a person we captured is an NPA member. Whenever Karapatan steps in, it is 100 percent sure that those captured or killed in encounters are NPA members," he said.
Bailing out NPA members
In fact, Parlade said, it is Karapatan that is working hard to bail out ranking leaders of the NPA.
"Honey Mae Suazo, Joland’s wife, who is an NPA commander of GF (Guerilla Front)2 and Karapatan Secretary-General in Mindanao, was the one who bailed out (Zaldy) Cañete (an NPA leader) in Davao. (Fred) Caña of Karapatan Visayas bailed out (Romeo) Nanta (head of NPA Regional Operations Command Negros Island) who was captured in Negros. All of these have official evidence which came from the court," he added.
With these facts in place, he said Lindo is now claiming that Honey Mae is missing and the government is now being accused of killing Suazo.
Parlade also raised the question of why Lindo does not tell the public that Suazo is facing a malversation charge — the reason she is hiding from the NPA.
"It’s just like their accusation that the government was behind the murder of (National Democratic Front consultant) Randy Malayao. Why doesn’t the CHR (Commission on Human Rights) release the results of their probe so that the public would know that Malayao has a case of sexual opportunism when he eloped with his wife who is also a rebel, and financial opportunism just like Suazo‘s case?" he added.
Targets own members
While they continue to rail against the government for these killings, Parlade said it is common knowledge that it is the CPP-NPA that targets their members who have committed atrocities or crimes against their comrades.
He said this is proven by the statement of former NPA assassin James Durimon alias "Juros" who disclosed how the CPP-NPA killed ordinary activists in Negros and make it appear that the government did it.
"He killed over 15 ordinary farmers and human rights advocates, all of them were sacrificed by the CPP so that these would be included in the investigation conducted by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights. This is how shameless and treacherous the CPP-NPA is. This is the propaganda and lies propagated by the minions of (CPP founding chair) Jose Maria Sison. Now, are the representatives of the Kamatayan (Makabayan) bloc really honorable?" he said.
Hate for country
This, he said, includes Sister Mary John Mananzan whose mind speaks just like Sison thus, putting the reputation of other nuns, who are the government's partners in serving the poor and oppressed, in a bad light.
"What are you saying that the government is suppressing activism and dissent? Those are the words of the KM (Kabataang Makabayan) and Makibaka who are all underground. You claimed that you are an activist for 45 years, from the Martial Law era up to the six administrations of this country. Now, you are saying, 'That I am not proud of your country at this time'? You hated six presidents, it seems you forgot what you are saying. Because of your hatred caused by the CPP’s brainwashing, Sister, I think you would never be proud of your country unless Sison leads it," Parlade said.
He then asked Mananzan where is forgiveness on her part as taught by the Bible because she did not spare all governments as all are evil to her.
"You want a dialogue so that we would know your sentiments but did you let the organizers of the Forum on Criminalizing Dissent and Weaponizing the Law to send me away from that forum?
Mananzan, he said, talks of ethics and yet she cannot condemn the abuses of the NPA towards their women fighters and ordinary civilians and former rebels who are unarmed.
"You tell us that we don't know our history. Of course, we do, sister. We know how the Catholic friars abused and raped our women, brutalized our men, plundered our resources and wealth, grabbed our private and public lands in the name of religion. Until now, we hear about pedophile priests and sexual predators," he added.
Parlade also challenged Mananzan on how well she knew Philippine history and had she accepted the fact that it was the CPP-NPA who bombed Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila to force then-President Ferdinand Marcos to declare Martial Law.
"You will never get to love your country because of the unsisterly hatred you have in your heart, developed through 45 years of fighting each government. You now have a closed mind, Sister. You are still thinking of Martial Law. Where is forgiveness and admission of wrongdoings? Sorry sister, you are not a good example of a nun and a citizen," he added.
Masters in the art of lies
Communist terrorists, he said, are masters in the art of telling lies as this is what their recruits first learn upon entering the "Pambansang Demokratikong Paaralan" (PADEPA) of the CPP.
"In the CPP, they sometimes call it the People’s Academy The reference persons of the Kamatayan (Makabayan) bloc took an oath but what we heard from them in the Senate hearing were all lies," he added.
Parlade also laughed off Casiño's claims that they want reinstatement of peace talks despite earlier CPP is never really serious pursuing this.
"It is now clear with this government that the CPP never desires for peace in the past peace talks. We heard that from (NDF negotiator Fidel) Agcaoili himself but Casiño did not bother because they are now cornered. Over 15 witnesses are on standby and have yet to speak up. How many pieces of evidence do the Kamatayan (Makabayan) Bloc need to hear for them to admit who they really are? With the voluminous information we have heard from the former rebels at the Senate, can Rep. Zarate still claim that the NTF-ELCAC’s revelations are baseless?" he added.
"Let us watch out for the next chapter while we are undressing these hypocrites who are destroying the future of our youth," he said.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (By Priam Nepomuceno)
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