‘There is no such thing as red-tagging’ – Badoy

NO ONE is “red-tagging.”

Ito ang inihayag ni National Task Force to end Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson for sectoral concerns at Presidential Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, araw ng Miyerkules.

Ani Badoy, ang “the term red-tagging is just a tool” of front organizations of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), to silence those who speak against them “to blow their cover.”

“There is no such thing as ‘red-tagging’. No less than the Supreme Court has ruled that there is no danger to life, liberty, and security when one is identified as a member of the CPP-NPA-NDF,” ayon kay Badoy.

Pinanindigan ni Badoy ang tungkulin ng NTF-ELCAC na magsabi ng katotohanan sa mga mamamayang filipino.

“The time for silencing us is long past. It is now time for the CPP-NPA-NDF to shut up,” dagdag na pahayag nito.

Sinabi pa ni Badoy na nililinlang ng CPP-NPA-NDF at iba’t ibang front organizations nito ang mga tao para pumayag na ma-recruit sa armed struggle.

“ [And] once in, lead them down the road to extremism with one goal and one goal alone—the violent overthrow of the government and the installation of communism in the Philippines. Countless lives have been sacrificed in the altar of the terrorist Joma Sison—our children, our indigenous peoples, the most vulnerable among us,” dagdag na pahayag ni Badoy.

Binigyang diin ni Badoy na ang trabaho ng NTF-ELCAC ay para tuldukan ang inilarawan niyang “tragic bloodbath” type ng communist armed revolution.

Ang anti-insurgency programs ng NTF-ELCAC, aniya ay nakapagsulong ng 24,000 rebelde na ibaba ang kanilang arams at magbalik-loob sa batas.

“Almost 24,000 Filipinos no longer killing fellow Filipinos, 24,000 Filipinos rejoining their families and once again leading peaceful, productive lives,” dagdag na pahayag nito.

Sa pamamagitan aniya ng whole-of-nation and whole-of-society approach ng NTF-ELCAC ay nalansag ang mahalagang bilang ng guerilla fronts ng CPP, dahilan upang maging malinis ang maraming barangay sa buong bansa mula sa insurgency.

“This also brought to institutionalizing good governance within local communities, particularly the communist-infiltrated areas, as directed by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” ayon kay Badoy.

“We stand firm in ending this 53-year communist terrorist scourge and this also includes speaking the truth about politicians who form unholy alliances with the CPP-NPA-NDF and who lend them material support for their political ambitions at the expense of our country. We will be unstinting with the Truth and we will name them and not be a party to their cover-up,” dagdag na pahayag nito.

Binigyang diin at tiniyak ni Badoy na ipagpapatuloy nila ang pagsusulong ng peace efforts sa mga kabukiran lalo na sa mga lugar na napasok ng communist terrorist groups (CTGs) at ng kanilang mga kaalyado.

“We will not be a party to anything that prolongs the life of this communist terrorist group that has brought untold grief and destruction to our country—on no small measure brought on by the alliances made by traitors in our midst who pretend to be public servants while selling us and our children to these terrorists in exchange for whatever votes they can get from rotten deals they make,” aniya pa rin.

Sinabi pa ni Badoy na “peace is no longer a distant dream in the Philippines.”

“In the countryside where numerous barangays have been cleared of the toxic presence of these terrorists, our countrymen are finally breathing the air of free men and women for the first time in decades. Peace has become a reality and it has made landfall in communities all over the country that have known nothing but the abuse and exploitation of the CPP-NPA-NDF,” dagdag na pahayag nito. (Daris Jose)