Growing communist insurgency still one of top PNP concerns

After years of decline, the communist insurgency is regaining strength because new recruits have begun to make a living out of collecting "revolutionary taxes," Philippine National Police chief Director General Leandro Mendoza admitted yesterday.

Mendoza made the admission as the PNP anti-terrorist campaign received a much-needed boost after Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. released part of his pork barrel funds to the PNP Task Force "Sanlahi."

Andaya, chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, said he is releasing P2 million from his Congressional Development Fund (CDF) to the PNP’s elite anti-terrorist task force which Mendoza created in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the US.

But Mendoza stressed that aside from terrorism, the communist insurgency remains a top concern of the government after the recent surge in the strength of the communist New People’s Army (NPA).

"They are growing and the recruitment is continuous," Mendoza said, in the first admission that there has been a resurgence in the strength of the communist movement.

"Ginagawa na itong hanap-buhay. Hindi na talaga ideological. (This is being turned into a means of livelihood. It’s not really ideological anymore). In the past, the (movement) was purely ideological (but) it has become a source of livelihood for them," Mendoza said.

Mendoza stressed that insurgency remains one of the top PNP concerns during the whole-day "multi-strategic conference workshop" on the National Internal Security Plan (NISP) at Camp Crame.

Mendoza attributed the resurgence to the communists’ increasing sophistication in financing their activities.

While the authorities have been long aware of unreasonable "revolutionary taxes" imposed by the NPA on corporations and politicians during campaign periods, Mendoza said intelligence reports indicate that NPA tax men now receive monthly salaries to encourage them to step up their collections.

To resolve the problem and trim the communist ranks once more, he urged police, military and civilian participants in the conference workshop to cooperate in fighting extortion in the countryside.