Querubin quits pro-Leni group; VP dismisses red-tagging efforts anew

Retired military colonel and Medal of Valor awardee Ariel Querubin has resigned as a member of a group that recently threw its support behind Vice President Leni Robredo.

Querubin, a supporter of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., said as a decorated soldier, he could not support a candidate with alleged links to enemies of the State.

"I was in a meeting with PNP Senior Officers and representatives of the National Task Force on Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and former NPA rebels, where we were briefed about the purportedly links of VP Leni Robredo to the communist movement and their plans," Querubin said in his letter to the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP) announcing his and his wife's resignation from the group.

"Effective immediately and with deep disappointment, my wife and I are resigning as PSD Head and as members of the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals (BCBP) Quezon City Chapter," Querubin said.

Robredo, meanwhile, dismissed anew efforts linking her to communist rebels.

In a statement on Thursday, Robredo pointed out that efforts to red-tag her started when her campaign rallies began attracting bigger crowds.

“Malinaw ang motibasyon ng walang-tigil na pangre-redtag sa akin at sa mga volunteers natin: Ang pigilan ang momentum ng ating People’s Campaign,” she said.

“Tandaan natin, nagsimula ito noong naging sunod-sunod ang pagdagsa ng mga tao sa ating mga People’s rally—na para bang di makapaniwala ang iba na puwedeng magkaisa ang karaniwang Pilipino sa ngalan ng pag-asa.” 

(It is clear that the motivation behind this efforts to red-tag me is to stop the momentum of my campaign. Remember, it began when our rallies started attracting more and more people, as if others could not believe that Filipinos could unite in the name of hope.)

Robredo maintained that she would never forge an alliance with groups or personalities that espouse violence in pushing for their agenda.  —KBK, GMA News