Umali ally: I’m no political terrorist
Fred Hermoso, head of the Nueva Ecija Task Force Pagbabago of the provincial government, said no one can accuse him of sowing political terrorism since he was only strictly enforcing laws, particularly against illegal logging and illegal quarrying.
“I am not a political terrorist. I’m just enforcing the law,” he said.
Hermoso was reacting to the charge of first district Rep. Eduardo Nonato Joson that he (Hermoso) has been engaging in political terrorism and the unnecessary show of force with the use of armed men from his NETFP.
Joson cited recent incidents when Hermoso’s men allegedly tried to take by force certain heavy equipment used to be owned by the previous administration and in regulating quarrying operations. He said these acts of Hermoso’s men constitute minimum threats and coercion and taken together, of political terrorism.
He added that Hermoso has utilized the checkpoints as milking cows to earn money.
He said Umali cannot wash his hands off the actions of his men under the principle of command responsibility. “He (Umali) should be responsible for the actions of his men,” Joson said, referring to Hermoso.
Hermoso, a former municipal councilor in the Josons’ hometown of Quezon, laughed off the congressman’s charges, saying these have no solid basis.
He said that the operations of the task force do not constitute political terrorism since even personalities identified with Umali are affected by its law enforcement drive.
“We do not discriminate in our law enforcement drive and even if the offenders are our allies, we arrest them when there are violations,” he said.
He said the strict law enforcement undertaken by the task force has resulted in higher income for the provincial government, particularly with regard to collections from quarry operations.
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