Citing death of Jevilyn Cullamat, NICA chief justifies ‘truth-tagging’

National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) director-general Alex Paul Monteagudo on Tuesday justified the need to expose the alleged link between the Makabayan bloc and the Communist Party of the Philippines by citing the recent death of Bayan Muna lawmaker Eufemia Cullamat's daughter Jevilyn.

"Walang ipinanganak na rebelde. Ang mga kabataang ito ay nagsimula lang bilang mga aktibista at kalaunan ay naging rebelde... Sino ang nag-uudyok sa kanila? Walang iba kundi ang front organizations ng CPP-NPA-NDF. Kagaya ng Bayan, Anakbayan, at iba pa," Monteagudo said during the continuation of the Senate hearing on alleged red-tagging.

"Si Rochelle at Jevilyn ay kabilang na ngayon sa mahabang listahan ng mga kabataang nasawi dahil sa walang saysay at madugong ideolohiya na itinuturo ng Makabayan bloc representatives at ng CPP-NPA-NDF,"  he added.

Monteagudo made this statement after asking for a moment of prayer for the death of Cullamat, 22, and a certain Rochelle Mae Bacalso, 21, who was also killed in an  encounter between state security forces and suspected New People's Army.

"Kung di po namin isisigaw ang katotohanan tungkol sa CPP-NPA-NDF at ang kaugnayan ng representatives ng Makabayan bloc sa teroristang grupong ito, marami pa pong kabataan ang malalason ang isip, masisira ang kinabukasan at mamamatay nang walang kabuluhan," he said.

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Meanwhile, former Bayan Muna Representative Teddy Casiño denounced the allegation against militant groups on prodding activists to take up arms against the government.

"Yun ang problema, Mr. Chair. Wala naman sila pruweba na inudyukan namin... Ang tinuturo namin 'yung katotohanan eh. We need nationalism, we need to defend human rights, we need to uphold our democratic values. 'Yan po ang laman ng aming plataporma at programa sa Bayan at Bayan Muna. Masama ba 'yun? Pag-uudyok ba 'yun?" Casiño said.

He said the state security forces should not make sweeping generalizations that compromise legitimate political dissent and result in the deaths of activists and human rights defenders.

"Bakit ang mga organisasyon namin ang inyong pinag-iinitan? Ni hindi nga kami nag-aarmas. Tinataniman ninyo nga kami ng armas... Namamatay po ang mga miyembro namin dahil dito! Paghihinalaan, sisiraan ang pangalan, tapos mangyayari patay na," the former lawmaker said.

Casiño lamented that the Senate hearing was being used as another platform to hurl allegations without enough basis.

"Show us! Sino bang NPA ang na-recruit ko? Sino bang NPA ang na-recruit ni Neri [Colmenares]? ni [former] congressman [Antonio] Tinio?" he asked.

Senate committee on national defense chairperson Panfilo Lacson asked the security sector if they can respond to the question.

"The testimonies of our former rebels will show that there is recruitment by the organizations... It may not be personally Mr. Casiño or Mr. Colmenares but it is their organizations," National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon responded.

Colmenares said the "he said, she said" allegations against militant groups should be backed by sufficient evidence and be brought to proper courts.

On Monday night, President Rodrigo Duterte said the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives, Bayan and Gabriela are part of a grand conspiracy led by the Communist Party of the Philippines to oust the government.

For his part, Bayan Muna party-list Representative Ferdinand Gaite cried foul over the accusation, likening the President's remark as a new version of the alleged "Red October" ouster plot, which the military put forward in 2018 claiming that opposition groups — including the Liberal Party, the Magdalo group and "communist groups" — were planning to oust the President.

"Is this the new version of their 'Red October' ouster conspiracy hoax? Everytime the regime is caught in issues of its own making, they hatch this kind of chilling propaganda to legitimize red-tagging and subsequent attacks against their critics," Gaite said. — RSJ, GMA News