BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The National Task Force – Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict yesterday issued a statement condemning and opposing any form of alliance building between groups linked to the Communist Party of the Philippines and political parties or candidates in the May 9 elections.
Such an unfortunate alliance, should a political party or candidate subscribe to it; is the highest form of betrayal an aspiring elective public official can commit, NTF-ELCAC vice chairperson Hermogenes Esperon said.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on March 16 that it is not illegal for any group linked to the CPP-NPA to support any political party or candidate in the May polls.
It is when they commit acts of violence to sow terror and destabilize public order in the guise of exercising their political right that will prompt the Anti-Terrorism Council to take action, Guevarra said.
It is also our collective stand that the opinion of the Secretary of Justice does not, and will not mean as an encouragement to those who intend or has already commenced any form of alliance building with the CPP-NPA-NDF and the groups associated with them in relation to the forthcoming elections, Esperon said.
While the opinion of DOJ Secretary showing support by any groups associated with CPP-NPA is not “illegal”, Esperon said it does not mean that it is morally right for any political party or candidate to accept or solicit such support from an organization associated with the CPP-NPA terrorist organization.
Flosemer Chris Gonzales, Regional Task Force 6 –ELCAC spokesperson, in a statement he also issued, noted that many politicians sleep with the CPP-NPA organizations in a desperate bid to derail and besmirch the electoral process.
In many instances, Gonzales said the CPP-NPA provides a “private army” to unscrupulous politicians, to engage in contract killings and election-related crimes and acts of violence in exchange for large sums of donation money from these power-hungry public official wannabes.
In the past electoral exercises, he also noted that communist terrorist groups collected millions of pesos from politicians which they generously spent to finance their leaders lavish and extravagant lifestyles and the terroristic activities of the NPA.
The blood money given by politicians are used by the CPP-NPA-NDF terrorist organization to buy guns, bullets, and components for anti-personnel mines that were repeatedly employed by the NPA to kill innocent children, policemen, and soldiers, Gonzales further said.
The RTF6-ELCAC enjoins and calls on the local government officials to fully support the campaign of the government to cut-off all forms of material support to the CPP-NPA-NDF and their front organizations.
As public servants, we are expected to uphold the rule of law, Gonzales reminded them.
He also issued a warning that giving material support to terrorists is a crime under Anti-Terrorism Financing Act of 2012, and the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.*
