Palace says it’s hypocritical for CPP-NPA if it’ll deny having legal fronts

November 3, 2020

Malacanang said on Tuesday it would be "hypocritical" for the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army if it would deny that it has no "legal fronts."

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made the statement after Amnesty International claimed that red-tagging has intensified during the last few year of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte after the peace talks with the Reds bogged down in 2017.

He reiterated the directive of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to the military that if it has no evidence against any group or individuals, it should not engage in red-tagging.

However, Roque said it did not mean that there were no legal organizations which have no link with the CPP-NPA.

"The CPP-NPA has really its own revolutionary struggle, that's the NPA; and they have political...it's hypocritical for the CPP-NPA if they would say that they don't have legal fronts," Roque stressed.

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. earlier named some legal organizations, which he claimed have involvement with the CPP-NPA.

Some of them were the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Migrante, League of Filipino Students, Anakbayan, Kabataan party-list, College Editors Guild of the Philippines, Gabriela, and the National Union of People's Lawyers.

The Senate is  investigating the military's supposed red-tagging to some known show business personalities, such as actress Liza Soberano and former Miss Universe Catriona Gray.

Roque noted the investigation being conducted by the Senate. Celerina Monte/DMS