Makabayan blocks House probe on alleged NPA link

MANILA, Philippines — Members of Makabayan have moved to block calls for a House investigation on their alleged ties to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA).

The militant party-list lawmakers asked the House leadership to reject the call by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to probe their links to the NPA, which is considered a terrorist group by the government.

Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite said they believe that the House leadership under Speaker Lord Allan Velasco would not allow such investigation against incumbent House members.

“Clearly there is pressure on the House to join the communist witch hunt of the NTF-ELCAC, but we believe Speaker Velasco will remain judicious and will not allow the House to be used as a venue for peddling baseless accusations against its members,” he stressed.

Gaite said they are hopeful that Velasco’s “good judgment” will protect members of their bloc, unlike at recent hearings in the Senate that provided a venue to red-tag their members.?

Another Makabayan stalwart, Kabataan Rep. Sarah Elago, argued that there is no basis for a House inquiry on their group as the allegations of NTF-ELCAC were only aimed to oust them.?

The six-member group, which belongs to the House minority, earlier alleged that the red-tagging by the NTF-ELCAC has political motives and is aimed at disqualifying them from the 2022 polls.?

The Makabayan lawmakers made the appeal after more groups – League of Parents of the Philippines (LPP) and Hands-Off Our Children (HOOC) – joined the call of NTF-ELCAC for a congressional probe against them.

LLP chairman Remy Rosadio urged Speaker Velasco to investigate the progressive bloc to prevent further recruitment of the youth to join the NPA.

HOOC founder Gemma Labsan also urged Congress to conduct a similar inquiry on Makabayan to protect children and youth from NPA recruitment.

She said the House is in a better position to investigate alleged links of Makabayan with the CPP-NPA since it has jurisdiction over its members.

“Our group will continue to lobby for the House inquiry on the Makabayan bloc links to communist rebels to protect children and youth,” said Labsan.

Meanwhile, the Makabayan bloc yesterday condemned the arrest of seven activists during International Human Rights Day last Thursday.

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate called for the immediate release of trade union organizers Dennise Velasco, Mark Ryan Cruz, Romina Astudillo, Jaymie Gregorio Jr., Rodrigo Esparago and Joel Demate; and online media journalist Lady Ann Salem, who were all arrested by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) during simultaneous raids in Quezon City, Mandaluyong and Manila.

“We demand the immediate release of the HRDay 7 as well as a stop to these vicious red-tagging and crackdown on government critics,” he said in a statement.

“The CIDG used the same modus it used in illegally arresting the activists of Bayan in Metro Manila in 2019, as well as those in Negros, by apparently planting caches of guns and explosives to make their trumped-up cases non-bailable,” Zarate declared.