AFTER JEVILYN'S DEATH

Esperon hopes Makabayan Bloc will denounce Reds

Following the death of Jevilyn Campos Cullamat during a Surigao del Sur encounter, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said on Tuesday that he hoped Makabayan Bloc solons would condemn the New People's Army - the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

"It is my hope that the elected representatives of the Makabayan Bloc join us in condemning the NPA as an internationally recognized terrorist organization," Esperon said in a press statement.

"It was my aspiration that this upsetting circumstance be seen as it truly is: the deception and exploitation of our youth and vulnerable communities," he added.

Esperon said it was not too late for the Makabayan Bloc to join the government in its endeavor "to ensure that no parent shall ever have to mourn the death of a child due to the manipulative nature of the NPA."

Jevilyn is the daughter of Bayan Muna Representative Eufemia Cullamat, a member of the Makabayan Bloc.

According to the military, Jevilyn was an NPA medic, and that five high powered firearms, explosives, and other documents and paraphernalia of the communist group were found on Jevilyn.

The elder Cullamat said the death of her daughter could embolden the military to "spread lies" against leftist groups.

Bayan Muna party-list Representative Carlos Zarate said Jevilyn's killing could not be considered as proof that the progressive group had connections with communist groups.

The lawmaker said Jevilyn's death would show that there was a need for the government to look into the root causes of the decades-old armed conflict: extreme poverty, exploitation, and human rights violations. — DVM, GMA News