DOJ files petition seeking to declare CPP-NPA as terrorists

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday filed before the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) a proscription seeking to declare as terrorists the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing the New People’s Army (NPA).

“We already filed what I promised last January to you the petition to declare the CPP and the NPA as terrorist organizations, associations pursuant to Section 17 of the Human Security Act. So, we called this as a proscription,” Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong told reporters.

Once the court grants the petition, Ong said “the government can now wiretap their communication system.”

Apart from this, he said the government can also look into bank accounts of the organizations and its members as well as “freeze and sequester their assets.”

“So, may effect na siya mismo diyan sa batas na yan (So it has effects under the law): Wire-tapping, bank surveillance, freezing/sequestration of assets,” he said.

The petition was filed after President Rodrigo Duterte last December proclaimed the CPP-NPA as terrorists following continued attacks against government forces despite the government’s efforts to reach out to communist rebels for peace talks.

“Duterte extended his hands to a lasting peace pero viniolate nila yan (but they violated it), said Ong.

This why, Ong explained, that among the atrocities the rebel groups committed since their inception, the 55-page petition focused on 12 incidents which took place in 2017.

Ong said there are two grounds for the proscription: “The organization, association or group of persons was organized for the purpose of engaging in terrorism; or, even if the organization, association or group of persons was not organized for purposes of engaging in terrorism but it commits act of terrorism such as murder, arson for the purpose of sowing terror.”

The incidents cited included the death of four police officers in Davao del Sur in February last year, the attack on members of the Philippine Army conducting humanitarian assistance in northern Samar, and the death of a four month old girl during an NPA ambush in Bukidnon last November.

“Rebellion is a predicate offense of terrorism. In fact, some of their cases, the cases filed against them were for that. The President extended sincerity and yet that,” he said.

The Senior Assistant State Prosecutor said the case is civil in nature and the assigned court will conduct hearings where the CPP-NPA and their members will be summoned and given the opportunity to be heard.

“Papadalhan ang mga leaders ng mga summons to answer (Leaders will receive summons to answer),” he said.

Form of justice

Director General Ronald dela Rosa, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said the government effort to have the communist rebels as terrorists is a form of justice to all the victims of their atrocities over the years.

"I am sorry for them. They had it coming. They have committed a lot of acts of terror," said Dela Rosa.

Dela Rosa said the groups deserve the terrorist branding as he tagged the two groups as the source of economic hardship in far-flung areas.

"Instead of having the economy of one place improved, the opposite happens because they burn the equipment of companies that build roads if they refuse to pay revolutionary tax," said Dela Rosa.

The official said the CPP-NPA really wanted economic backwardness since it could lead to more recruitment on their part.

The 4,000-strong NPA has been waging more than four decades of armed struggle against the government.

All attempts for a peace agreement had bogged down due to what government negotiators describe as impossible demands such as the release of all arrested communist rebels whom the group calls political prisoners.