Long trial expected in declaring CPP-NPA as terror group

MANILA, Philippines — Judicial proceedings to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People's Army as terrorist groups will take time, the Department of Justice, which will seek the formal declaration, said.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said that the petition to declare the CPP and its armed wing NPA as terrorists would be filed in the coming week, a filing previously promised in past weeks.

"It is a full-blown trial, I believe... Hindi puwedeng madaliin (It cannot be rushed). They have to gather all the instances where terroristic activities could be attributed to the NPAs," Aguirre said in a press briefing at Malacañang.

Aguirre added that the filing was delayed due to the last minute consultation with the Office of the Executive Secretary and with intelligence agencies.

RELATED: DOJ to seek declaration of CPP-NPA as terrorist group

The Justice secretary said that they are expecting the communist group to resist the move as they would not want to be tagged as terrorists.

Some of the arrest warrants for the consultants of the National Democratic Front, which represents the CPP-NPA in peace talks, have also been lifted, according to Aguirre.

"If these consultants have been released because of the peace process, their bail has already been canceled. If sighted they will be arrested," Aguirre said.

In 2002, the United States had declared the CPP-NPA as a foreign terrorist organization. The CPP-NPA and the Abu Sayyaf Group are the only organizations from the Philippines that are included in the list.

In the Philippines, the Abu Sayyaf was the first group to be officially listed as a terrorist organization following the approval of the Basilan provincial court in 2015. 

The declaration came five years after the DOJ filed a request.

RELATED: Explainer: Can Duterte declare CPP-NPA terrorists?