Lorenzana sacks AFP deputy intel chief over ‘NPA list’

MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has sacked the Armed Forces of the Philippines head for intelligence following an erroneous list identifying several University of the Philippines (UP) alumni as members of the New People’s Army (NPA).

The relief of Maj. Gen. Alex Luna as head of the office of the AFP J2 Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence was effective yesterday.

Lorenzana said the publication of the erroneous list released amid the controversies surrounding the abrogation of the UP-Department of National Defense 1989 Accord was an “unforgivable lapse.”

This comes after the Facebook page of the AFP Information Exchange also listed the names of individuals from UP who allegedly became NPA members and were either killed or captured. Some of those listed as killed are still alive.

“His negligence only shows a lackadaisical attitude towards his job resulting in confusion and damage to reputation. We do not take these offenses lightly and I want to hold the people involved accountable,” Lorenzana said in a strongly worded statement sent to reporters.

The strong language, he noted, is needed to “jolt the whole organization into taking their jobs seriously.”

Lorenzana also cited the principle of command responsibility over the publication of the list.

Luna was designated as AFP deputy for intelligence in October after serving as commander of the joint task force – National Capital Region. Following his relief, he will be placed under the AFP office of the Chief of Staff.

AFP spokesperson Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said that the AFP would continue its investigation ordered by chief Gen. Gilbert Gapay following questions raised on the list.

The probe, he explained, would establish what went wrong as well as improve on their mechanism to ensure that the incident will not happen again.

Meanwhile, lawyer Rafael Aquino of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) said he appreciated the “pockets of relative sanity” by the military when it removed Luna yesterday.

Aquino, also a UP alumnus, was among those included in the AFP’s reported red-tagged list.

“I appreciate the pockets of relative sanity that persist within the Security Sector, that are apparently more sensitive to such principles as professionalism and accountability,” he said in a statement.

Aquino was tagged in the Facebook post of the AFP Information Exchange as among UP students who became an NPA member and died or was captured.

Even with Luna’s removal, he said he and his family are still living in fear.

He questioned the bases used in including their names in the list, the objectives, and if the military still had dossiers on political activities in the 1970s and 1980s.

“My family and I continue to feel threatened and insecure on account of my inclusion in the said list. Weighing heavily on my mind, however, and on the minds of my fellow UP alumni wrongly listed, is what this portends for Filipino activism,” he said.

He added, “Not only is red-tagging a breach of international humanitarian laws and a direct threat to our right to security, it is also fatal to the free expression underpinning our democracy.” – Evelyn Macairan