Military claims having “a lot” of evidence to prove Karapatan front of CPP

March 17, 2019

A high-ranking official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Saturday said they have “a lot” of evidence to prove that Karapatan group is a front organization of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

“(Karapatan Secretary General Cristina) Palabay’s statement is all rhetoric. Like an old vinyl in a digital age,” Deputy chief of staff, Brigadier General Antonio Parlade Jr. said in a statement.

Parlade made the statement after Karapatan said he has consistently red-tagged the human rights group in several interviews and statements.

Karapatan said Parlade is one among the representatives of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTFELCAC) which made rounds in diplomatic missions in Europe and their modus operandi is to red-tag and discredit organizations like them and the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, who have worked for decades in their commitment to uphold, protect, and defend human rights.

“Karapatan has perfected the art of lies and deception after 24 years of existence. I never said I don't have evidence to show they are communist front organizations. In fact we have a lot and Karapatan is worried about all these truth coming out now,” said Parlade.

“Karapatan as HR defenders? Where were you when the NPAs have been killing the IPs (indigenous people) in Mindanao, until now? Where is Karapatan when non-participating civilians were killed by NPAs? Karapatan is a kind of organization that is very selective in dealing with human rights. Selective in a sense that it only uses human rights to defend its NPA allies. Where is Palabay when her other communist front ACT and Bayan Muna trafficked children in Davao?” he added.

According to Parlade, the AFP’s high trust rating in all surveys proved that they are a credible institution, making Karapatan afraid of becoming irrelevant as military has not committed any human rights violation for the past five years.

He said even in the past, many of the HR violations and civilian killings attributed to AFP were in fact committed by the NPAs, disguised as soldiers in uniform, as admitted openly by former rebel Fr. Balweg.

“But Karapatan has to fabricate reports of HR violations by the AFP for UN (United Nations) and EU (European Union) so they may continue collecting donations from European nations and EU,” said Parlade.

He added that Karapatan is afraid that the government is successful in unmasking the truth about these CPP fronts, whom CPP leader Jose Maria Sison himself tagged in all its revolutionary websites, his verbal pronouncements, and all CPP publications.

Parlade also questioned Palabay on why their group is worried about the NTF ELCAC’s efforts in the European Union and United Nations.

“So there, Palabay, lies the reason for your existence and continued vilification of Philippine government. You have to consistently paint any administration as oppressive and tyrant, even by fabricating lies like the 27,000 EJKs (extrajudicial killings) from President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, because with a professional AFP now the EU Courts would soon send Joma back to the Philippines to spend the rest of his life in jail for his crimes against humanity because there is no more danger of state persecution,” he said citing 80,000 were killed after 50 years of communist atrocities.

“Joma can no longer invoke non-refouler in the courts and this is what Palabay and Karapatan fears,” he said.

The Deputy Chief said because of the Duterte government’s adherence to human rights, all CPP front organizations using HR defenders as cover, will dry up.

“That’s the hardest truth Miss Palabay. I challenge you to prove your case over a nationwide TV… one on one. I will present to you trucks of evidence and you better be prepared to refute them all. Any time,” he said.

Parlade even asked the group if they were not wondering that they were still alive despite their allegations that the military was red-tagging them.

For their part, Palabay on Sunday also attacked Parlade, saying he is a pitiful example of a mercenary who so badly wants to ingratiate himself to the president by concocting myths like the Red October plot and mindlessly blabbering allegations against human rights activists and their organizations.

“Indeed, that’s the only way generals like him can make themselves relevant, by being puny ass-lickers of presidents, corporations, and foreign governments,” she said.

She said the most “laughable thing” that he has said that further discredits him and the institutions he represents is that the Duterte administration respects human rights and international humanitarian law.

“Perhaps Parlade and his ilk were just too lazy to Google or even read all the statements of UN independent experts or high commissioners, or that of the more than 30 governments, or of international NGOs and scores of human rights advocates around the world, who are in agreement with those in the country, that the current rights situation in the Philippines has gone to the dogs,” said Palabay.

“Or perhaps they have been so accustomed to being in their echo chamber of murderers that they simply had to lie to great lengths just to save their skin. Debating with Duterte’s men like Parlade would be interesting, except that with their gross distortion of human rights concepts and principles, it would be akin to having an exchange with paid trolls who have lost all braincells that enable critical thinking,” she added.

The Karapatan secretary general welcomed the Parlade's challenge of showing evidence in the national TV, adding they are honored to be included in the groups who are against tyranny and fascism.

“Truckloads of evidence? Bring it on. If all the so-called evidence you can muster are those on our website and our reports on the human rights situation in the Philippines, or even those on our membership in the International League of Peoples’ Struggle, we will even be honored to be among those who have persisted against tyrants and fascists,” said Palabay.

“This issue isn’t even about Karapatan; it is about the fundamental right of peoples to defend their rights in the context of a tyrannical government that disregards these rights. We exist, because people like you Mr. Parlade and the systems you preserve exist. And we will continue to do what we do, despite and inspite of people like you, because we know that we are on side of truth and justice,” she said. Ella Dionisio/DMS