Senator Bato Dela Rosa is urging the government to protect Filipinos, especially the youth, from the recruitment efforts of communist groups that he said only want to topple the administration.
In a statement during the hearing of the Senate Committee on National Defense to tackle Senate Resolution No. 559, Dela Rosa stressed that while Armed Forces of the Philippines Southern Luzon Command Chief Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., Presidential Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency Director-General Alex Paul Monteagudo, and other military men are being accused of “red-tagging,” their main goal is only to prevent the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), New People’s Army (NPA) and National Democratic Front (NDF) from influencing hapless Filipinos to join their ranks.
“They aim to do their best to prevent any form of recruitment by communist terrorist group from occurring.”
“Bagamat patuloy na ikinakabit sa mga pangalan nila Gen. Parlade, Usec. Badoy, DG. Monteagudo, and other military and police personnel and salitang ‘red-tagging’, I believe that one of their goals is to protect our countrymen from being recruited by the terrorist CPP-NPA-NDF. This communist terrorist group continues to spread terror even during the time of pandemic. As such, they aim to do their best to prevent any form of recruitment by communist terrorist groups from occurring. As the saying goes, ‘prevention is better than cure’,” the legislator said.
The Mindanaoan lawmaker and former chief of the Philippine National Police urged the government to put a stop to the half a century old problem of insurgency in the country and posed a pointed question to the Makabayan bloc.
“It is about time we call a spade a spade.”
“It is about time we call a spade a spade. Tama na ang limampung taong panloloko at panlilinlang na ginagawa nitong terroristang grupong CPP-NPA-NDF sa ating mga kababayan. Sila ang hadlang sa pag unlad ng ating bansa lalong lalo na sa kanayunan. This has to stop, Mr. Chairman,” the senator said.
“To the CPP-NPA-NDF legal fronts, I want to pose this question which was already being asked by other people many times – what do you call an animal that quacks like a duck, walks like a duck, and swims like a duck? Is it a chicken? Hindi yan manok, Mr. Chairman, kundi it is a duck!” he added.
Dela Rosa further explained that instead of complaining that the military and police are engaged in red-tagging, communist-linked groups should instead complain against their leader Jose Maria “Joma” Sison, “because in the first place, it was Joma Sison who red-tagged several groups that include Bayan, KMU, KMP, Gabriella, Alliance of Concerned Teachers, LFS, Kadena and others as major component organizations of the NDF which is one of the three inseparable organizations, the CPP-NPA-NDF, aimed at overthrowing the government through violent means.”
The chair of the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs has previously led the probe on the alleged recruitment of minors and students by the leftist organizations.