THE Philippine government’s Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) has designated, finally, the entire top leadership of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) representing its ‘Central Committee’ as “terrorists,” some five months after designating the party and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA) as “terrorist organizations.”
Also designated as terrorists and as a terrorist group by the ATC are the top leaders of the ‘Abu Sayyaf Group’ (ASG) in a separate resolution.
Resolution No. 17, dated April 21, 2021, signed by national security adviser, Hermogenes Esperon, was however only released to the public last May 13, 2021.
Leading the pack of Filipino terrorists under Resolution 17 is CPP founder, Jose Maria Canlas Sison who is also facing a separate case at a Manila court for the infamous ‘Inopacan Masscre’ where at least 67 residents of an entire village in Leyte—man, woman and child– were murdered by the NPA around 1985 on suspicion of siding with the government.
Esperon, then Armed Forces chief, filed the case against Sison and other CPP leaders for the crime after the mass grave where the victims were thrown and buried was discovered by the Philippine Army in 2006.
Aside from Sison, others now branded as terrorists are:
Vicente Portades Ladlad; Rafael De Guzman Baylosis; Jorge Madlos; Julieta De Lima Sison (wife of Joma); Rey Claro Cera Casambre; Abdias Guadiana; Alan Valera Jazmines; Benito Enriquez Tiamzon and his wife, Wilma Austria-Tiamzon; Adelberto Albayalde Silva; Ma. Concepcion Araneta-Bocala;
Dionesio Micabolo; Myrna Sularte; Tirso Lagora Alcantara; Pedro Heyrona Codaste; Tomas Dominodo; Ma. Loida Tuzo Magpatoc; and, Menandro Villanueva.
Prior to this, last December 9, 2020, the ATC had also issued Resolution No. 12, designating the CPP-NPA as terrorist organizations, following similar decisions and resolutions issued by the United States, the European Union, Australia and New Zealand, among others.
According to the resolution, the ATC found “probable cause,” as defined in the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 (ATA) that the above personalities have violated Sections 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 of the ATA, “for planning, preparing, facilitating, conspiring, and inciting the commission of terrorism and recruitment to and membership in a terrorist organization or a group organized for the purpose of engaging in terrorism.”
Aside from making it more difficult for the CPP-NPA to continue soliciting money and other material support abroad as the their designation would also result to the freezing of all bank accounts and assets linked to them, the resolution is also seen to disabuse the public’s mind that these persons are “revolutionaries” engaged in a “war of national liberation” on behalf of the “oppressed Filipinos.”
Particularly for Sison, his designation as the country’s leading terrorist, would strengthen government’s effort to have him deported from his haven in the Netherland to stand trial for the many atrocities and other acts of violence committed by the CPP-NPA that he has ordered or sanctioned in the last 5 decades, the Inopacan massacre just being one of them.
And there’s the ASG too
For its part, under Resolution No.16, approved by Esperon on February 24, 2021 but also released only last May 13, 2021,10 ASG leaders were likewise tagged as terrorists, namely:
Esmael Abdulmalik a.k.a Cmdr Turaifie/Abu Turafifie/Abu Toraype of the Jama’atu al-Muhajirin wal Ansar fil Filibin and affiliated with Daulah/Dawlah Islamiyah (DI);
Raden Abu of the ASG and affiliated with the DI;
Esmael Abubakar a.k.a. Cmdr Bungos/Bungos of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters-Bunog faction;
Muhiddin Animbang a.k.a. Kagui Karialan/Karialan affiliated with the BIFF
Salahuddin Hassan a.k.a. Orak/Salah/Tulea/Abu Salman affiliated with the DI;
Radzmil Jannatul a.k.a. Khubayb/Kubayb/Kubaib/Kubaeb/Baeb of the ASG and affiliated with the DI;
Majan Sahidjuan a.k.a. Apo Mike/Apoh Mike of the ASG and affiliated with the DI;
Faharudin Benito Hadji Satar a.k.a. Jer Mimbantas/Abu Zacaria/Zacharia/Abu Bakar/Omar of the Maute Group and affiliated with the DI;
Mudsrimar Sawadjaan a.k.a. Mundi Sawadjaan/Puruh Sawadjaan/Puroh of the ASG and affiliated with the DI; and
Almujer Yadah a.k.a. Mujer/Mujir of the ASG and affiliated with the DI