Army unfazed by court ruling on CPP-NPA
MANILA: THE Philippine military remained unfazed by a Manila regional court ruling, denying that the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army are terrorist organisations.
Colonel Medel Aguilar, the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ spokesman, insisted that the CPPNPA are terrorist organisations and the ruling could be appealed and “therefore, is not final.”
“Our lawyers clarified that the designation of the CPP-NPA and the NDF (National Democratic Front) as terrorist organisations under the anti-terror law of 2020 remains in effect to significantly reduce the capability of these designated terrorist organisations to recruit new members and mount hostile actions or acts of terror,” Aguilar said.
Malacanang Palace through Press Secretary Trixie Cruz Angeles stressed that legal remedies are still available to the government to contest the court ruling.
“This is far from over and you know we don’t know what parameters here are here. By then, we’ll understand what remedies are even necessary,” Angeles said.
For Justice Secretary Cesar Remulla, his department is dropping its initial plan to file an appeal on the junk petition. Instead, they will file a new case contesting the court decision on the issue.
Remulla also accused the judge who handled the case for allegedly being biased “from the beginning.” He said the DOJ may ask the Supreme Court (SC) if the Manila regional trial court had erred in the decision.
DOJ Spokesman Mico Clavano, meanwhile, said the justice department would skip the motion for reconsideration and petition for a certiorari in the RTC and go straight to the appellate to declare the CPP-NPA as terrorist organisations.
The judge ruled that the CPP and the NPA were rebel groups, not terrorist organisations. The judge also said the practice of Red tagging endangered the lives of people associated with progressive or activist groups participating in democratic actions.
“Nothing is beter atested by present realities than terrorism does not flourish in a healthy, vibrant democracy,” the judge concluded.
This developed as the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) expressed confidence that the decision of the Manila judge would stand any legal recourse by the government to overturn the ruling.