IF most Filipinos are still of the belief that the existence of communist front organizations in our midst is just a product of the imagination of our security officials in order to justify increases in our defense and security budgets, they should better start disabusing their minds of this thought.
For the fact and the truth of the matter is that communist infiltration of well-meaning socio and civic organizations and their great talent in organizing “legal mass organizations” is very much real; it is the reason why, despite continuing efforts by all administrations, we are stuck with a festering and divisive communist insurgency for more than five decades now, already, the longest in the world.
It is also a credit to the ability of these “legal democratic forces” of the Communist Party, as its founder, Jose Maria Sison, describes them, that despite the evidence of their subversive activities staring all of us in the face, we still refuse to believe them.
There is an elephant in the room but we prefer to only see its tail, convincing ourselves that it belongs to another animal.
It is in this context that we re-echo the calling out of CNN Philippines by PCOO undersecretary and NTF-ELCAC spokesperson, Lorraine Marie Badoy, over the media network’s re-tweeting of the “appeal for donation” made by the League of Filipino Students (LFS) for the victims of the “back-to-back” typhoons that hit the country last week.
Of course, on the surface and by itself, there is nothing wrong with the decision by CNN Philippines to re-tweet the seemingly “innocent appeal” of the LFS.
But given that the network is supposedly being run and managed by members of the press who are well-informed about the goings on in our country, the decision would indeed appear as both disturbing and troubling.
For it is hard to believe that up to now, those at CNN Philippines are not yet aware that the LFS, like other groups that first established their credibility fighting the Marcos dictatorship, is but one of the nearly 100 “legal mass organizations” that were created and continuously being directed by the Communist Party of the Philippines.
And even without Sison, this knowledge is so elementary, really. Any former student turned activist recruited by the LFS can attest to this.
If only most media entities in the Philippines would stop covering and highlighting inane subjects such as the personal scandals of people in high places or what these personalities eat for breakfast;
If only they start covering seriously the issues that truly affect our public affairs and the future of our country or listen carefully to what government officials are saying, then they would inevitably realize that not all government pronouncements are lies.
On this issue of CPP infiltration, trust that the government is telling the truth. And the danger this poses to our democracy is very real.