ILOILO CITY, Philippines — A former activist actively involved in the anti-communist campaign using an assumed identity has turned out to be the “ace resource person” of controversial Southern Luzon Command chief Maj. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., after being unmasked by a leader of a militant student organization.
Jeffrey Celiz yesterday admitted being the Eric Almendras who had claimed in a radio interview that he has been a member of the New People’s Army (NPA) for 27 years.
Celiz made the admission after the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), whose spokesman is Parlade, presented Celiz as a witness in linking Ellen Colmenares, sister of actress Angel Locsin, to the NPA.
Celiz told the Daily Guardian that he was forced to reveal his true identity after Lean Porquia, former regional chair of the League of Filipino Students (LFS), blew his cover.
The Eric in the radio interview claimed to be a national NPA cadre and a graduate of the University of the Philippines-Diliman.
But the real Celiz is from Iloilo City and a product of West Visayas State University-Main Campus in La Paz, Iloilo City.
After coming out in the open, Celiz accused the Communist Party of the Philippines, the NPA and the National Democratic Front (NDF) of being terrorist groups involved in murders, especially of former members.
He said he had to identify himself as a UP student and member of the militant Sandigan ng Mag-aaral para sa Sambayanan (SAMASA) and other leftist organizations to cover his tracks.
“Those are alias references and cover. My main purpose for assuming such aliases, part of assuming another personality, (is) to cover tracks,” he said. Porquia reportedly “outed” him through a post on the latter’s Facebook page.
Porquia said Celiz could be behind the killing of his father Jose Reynaldo Porquia and the “abduction of Tita Luing Posa Dominado and former Bayan chair Nilo Arado in 2007; and killing of Lezo, Aklan SB member and Bayan Muna coordinator Fernando Baldomero.”
The elder Porquia, then Bayan Muna-Iloilo City coordinator, was gunned down on April 30.
Porquia, in his post, noted that Celiz was accused by President Duterte of being a drug protector in 2016.
But Celiz claimed his link to drugs was part of his undercover mission to help government in its anti-drug campaign.
“It was part of the government project or efforts where I am involved. It’s part of confidential work in an effort to dismantle illegal drugs syndicate in Iloilo,” he said.
As to the allegations that he went missing for several years, Celiz said the “eraser move” was also part of the plan.
“The idea is to relocate me outside of the region and assume another personality,” he said.
Even before Celiz revealed his identity, netizens had already suspected that he was the Eric Almendras named by Parlade as his resource person. Some even said Celiz didn’t sound like he was from UP Diliman.
He said that with Porquia’s revelation, he’s now a target of assassination by the CPP-NPA.
“It’s a very clear pattern of conditioning. The statement issued by Porquia points to the pattern of the CPP-NPA demolition and black propaganda jobs. They have to justify drastic actions against individual targets like me,” he said.
“As a person, I’m not affected. But I fear for the security of my family,” Celiz said.
Celiz stood his ground that cause-oriented groups such as Gabriela Women’s Party, Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and other leftist groups were umbrella organizations of the CPP-NPA.
Celiz said he is ready to face a Senate inquiry into the red-tagging issue. ”We will ask them that it will be no holds barred, no parliamentary restrictions,” he said.
The Senate probe on the issue is scheduled to start on Nov. 3.