NPA hit for attack order

The chairman of the House committee on national defense slammed yesterday the leadership of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) for ordering rebels to intensify their attacks against the government despite ongoing peace negotiations.

Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay Jr. said the order, issued by CPP chairman Armando Liwanag, the nom de guerre of Jose Ma. Sison, showed the communist group’s bad faith in finding a peaceful solution to the armed struggle in the country.

"While the government is sincere enough to forge a peace agreement with the communist rebels, those at the helm of power refuse a peaceful end to their armed struggle by instigating more violence and social unrest," Pichay said.

He urged members of the CPP and the New People’s Army (NPA) to reject Sison’s call for more violence and opt instead for a peaceful end to their struggle for the sake of the nation and the Filipino people.

He said the communist rebels should support the move for an extended ceasefire until after the May polls instead of advocating for an extension of guerrilla fronts, especially to strategic parts of the country.

"It will also be to the CPP-NPA’s interest to support the holding of peaceful and orderly elections in May, considering that numerous party-list representatives who are allied with them are also expected to seek election," said Pichay.

House assistant majority leader Allan Peter Cayetano of Pateros-Taguig and Reps. Rodolfo Albano of Isabela, Augusto Syjuco of Iloilo, Prospero Nograles of Davao City, Gerardo Espina of Biliran, Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado of Bulacan and Aurelio Umali of Nueva Ecija have all supported Pichay’s proposal to extend the ceasefire.

They said this will allow voters to choose their candidates without any fear of violence arising from the operations of armed rebels.

The congressmen also expressed hope the extended ceasefire would lead to lasting peace with the communist rebels.

‘Extortionists’

Malacañang, meanwhile, branded the communist rebels, as a group of extortionists after they announced their plans of collecting "permit to campaign" fees from candidates in the 2004 national elections.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the NPA has finally come out and admitted that they are nothing but extortionists.

"It seems that they have admitted that they are involved in extortion. But you know the President, she will not tolerate any extortion activities on the part of the New People’s Army," Bunye said.

National Democratic Front (NDF) Mindanao spokesman Jorge Madlos said recently all candidates for the 2004 elections who plan to campaign in the areas where their groups are operating, including President Arroyo, will have to pay for a permit to campaign.

Local authorities have warned the communist group against pushing through with this plan but Madlos said that the candidates have no choice but to give in to their demands.

He said that even the party-list group Bayan Muna, an organization identified with the Left, is not exempted from paying the permit to campaign fees.

Madlos said that the candidates for higher positions are required to pay as much as 1 million for the permits to campaign, adding that even if the candidates are issued permits to campaign, this does not exempt them from being on their hit list if they commit wrongdoing. — With Marvin Sy