Cordi leaders named terrorist
CORDILLERAN leader Vicky Tauli Corpuz and a United Nation Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been branded as a terrorist by the government.
"I denounce this act by the Department of Justice of including me in the list. I am not connected at all in any way to those organizations nor do I have knowledge much less participation with all the incidents cited in the petition," said Corpuz.
Corpuz added she will address these baseless, malicious and irresponsible inclusion of her name and has consulted lawyers on what legal courses of action to take to clear her and even make ac-
countable those who put her life and security at risk.
Last month, the government through the Department of Justice filed a Petition to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New Peoples Army (CPP - NPA) as terrorist organizations under the Human Security Act.
It was made known the petition listed 600 names who are alleged to be officers and members of the CPP/ NPA.
Aside from Corpuz, other Cordillerans included in the list are human rights lawyer Jose Molintas, Joanna Carino, Windel Faragey Bolinget, Sherwin De Vera, Beverly Sakongan Longid and Jeannette Ribaya Cawiding.
"I got the information that my name has been included in the petition of the Department of Justice to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New Peoples Army aka Bagong Hukbong Bayan as a terrorist organization. In this 55 page petition, my name has been included as one of the respondents and as one of the officers and members of the CPP and NPA," Corpuz added.
Meanwhile, Molintas, a former Baguio City Councilor said the allegations are all baseless.
“It confirms the fact that the government treats organizations like the Cordillera Peoples Alliance advocating for IP Rights as communists/NPAs and now terrorist, then find justification to subject us to all sorts of harassments and possibly execution,” quipped Molintas.
Longid meanwhile said the proscription petition is not only false and fabricated but are baseless and malicious with intent to harass and intimidate those listed in the petition and the people’s mass movement to submission.
“It is meant to reduce the people’s mass movement in the country and the legitimate struggles of the people as criminal and terrorism. Like others listed in the petition, we are in the process of consulting with our lawyers on how to handle the trumped-up charges and ensure that our life and rights are protected. We shall definitely look into the accountability of those responsible in putting not only our lives but those of our family and love ones in danger,” she said.
Longid is a global coordinator of the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL) and co-chair of the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE).