NTF-ELCAC blasts UN HR Rapporteur for ‘ignorance’

THE National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), denounced Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, over her call for Secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr., National Security Adviser, to drop the perjury charges he filed against several personalities representing the front groups of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

“It is sad, if not tragic, that the UN Special Rapporteur lost all sense of objectivity in issuing a statement that is full of bias, prejudice, and literally maligns the Philippine government.

“Clearly, Mary Lawlor is ignorant of the real human rights situation in the Philippines. Her notion of human rights defenders is clearly biased and prejudiced,” said Prosecutor Flosemer Chris Gonzales, NTF-ELCAC Legal Cluster spokesperson, in a statement released on June 20, 2022.

The official is referring to the statement issued by Lawlor last June 18, 2022, calling on Philippine authorities “to stop the targeting of Human Rights Defenders, and instead promote and protect their work.” CPP front group, ‘KARAPATAN,’ Joan May Salvador, ‘GABRIELA’ secretary general and, Sister Emma Cupin of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP).

The three are among the 10 persons sued by Esperon for perjury for claiming in a petition for a ‘writ of amparo’ and ‘habeas data’ before the Supreme Court last May 6, 2019 that the RMP is a “registered non-stock company” with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The petitioners at the time were seeking the SC’s protection claiming they are under threat, especially from Esperon, one of the respondents.

Their petition, however, was thrown out by the Court of Appeals last June 28, 2019, after it was shown in SEC records gathered by Esperon that the SEC has revoked RMP’s registration as far back as 2003 for non-compliance with its corporate requirements.

The discovery prompted Esperon to sue back by filing a case of perjury the following month of July that was upheld by the court.

Lawlor issued her statement against Esperon and the government and on behalf the CPP operatives ahead of the next trial of the case scheduled this Monday, June 20, 2022.

In his counter-statement, Gonzales pointed out that the three organizations are among the 16 existing sectoral front groups of the CPP which, along with the New People’s Army (NPA) and the National Democratic Front (NDF/NDFP), have all been designated as terrorist organizations operating in the Philippines.

The CPP supervises the operations of KABATAAN, GABRIELA, RMP and the 13 other terrorist sectoral organizations thru the NDF, whose leader, former priest Luis ‘Ka Louie’ Jalandoni, is now on top of the list of 11 new Philippine terrorist personalities identified by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) last May 25, 2022 (see also Pinoy Exposé, Issue No. 23, June 13, 2022).

“Lawlor made sweeping, baseless conclusions and accusations against the Philippine government using the term red-tagged in what can be clearly seen as a complete re-echoing of the propaganda lines of the CPP-NPA-NDF and their allied front organizations,” Gonzales pointed out, further, adding:

“She basically has become a mouthpiece of the biggest human rights violators in the Philippines.”

Gonzales also chided Lawlor for being “out of line” noting that Esperon sued based on facts.

“She should have read the facts first before she made her appeal. While she has the freedom to express her sentiments and her opinions on the subject matter, it is also our right to inform her that her allegations against the Philippine government is false.”

Gonzales also went further by demanding that Lawlor should make an apology “for the statements that she issued based on false information or information that she may have gathered from gossip vines [a.k.a. marites news networks].”

“Had she done her job, Lawlor would have instead reported that the CPP-NPA-NDF has committed crimes against indigenous peoples’ communities,  murdered innocent civilians, children, raped and molested women, destroyed property, and have been engaged in extortion activities and a multitude of other crimes against the Filipino people,” Gonzales said, also adding that Lawlor’s dependence on CPP propaganda and lies in throwing her accusations against the Philippines and its officials “render her unfit to discharge her duties as special rapporteur.”

“May we remind you Ms Lawlor, your position as UN rapporteur is not a blanket authority to malign a free and sovereign state like the Philippines.

“You do not even have the decency of determining first the real human rights defenders in this country.

“Contrary to your narrow-minded belief on what you claim as the human rights situation in the Philippines, you must know that the real victims of human rights violations in this country are working hand in hand with the government against the very same people and groups that you wrongly believe as human rights defenders,” Gonzales ended.

Court re-issues warrant versus CTG personality

Meanwhile, the Regional Trial Court of Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur, has re-issued a warrant of arrest against another communist terrorist personality (CTG), Dra. Maria Natividad ‘Naty’ Castro, after reviewing the appeal filed by the government.

In a resolution penned by Executive Judge Hon. Ferdinand R. Villanueva dated June 16, 2022, he overturned the decision issued by Branch 7 of the Bayugan RTC last March 25, 2022 that dismissed the case for kidnapping and serious illegal detention filed against Castro and several others on the grounds that her right to due process was violated for alleged lack of preliminary investigation before she was arrested and that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the complaints against her.

Castro was arrested by the police last February 18, 2022 at her house in Bgy. San Perfecto, San Juan City, Metro Manila, on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the Bayugan RTC in 2020 for kidnapping and serious illegal detention.

The complainant, Bernabe Mabandos Salahay, is a member of the CAFGU who was abducted by the terrorist NPA on December 29, 2018 in Agusan del Sur.

In his affidavit, Salahay affirmed that Castro was in the company of the terrorist group during the time he was with them and even saw her tending to a wounded NPA while being addressed as ‘Doc Naty.’

Military intelligence described Castro as a member of the CPP central committee.

A former cadre of the RMP, Gleceria Balangaio, also confirmed that Castro is a CTG operator whom she had met several times between 2006 and 2009.

Aside from being a CTG “fundraiser and recruiter,” Balangiao said Castro was also teaching NPA fighters on ‘first aid treatment’ in their various camps in Mindanao.

In reinstating the warrant, Judge Villanueva noted that contrary to the claim of Castro’s camp, a preliminary investigation after Salahay filed his complaint was made but Castro failed to answer the several court summon sent to her.

Her waiver of right subsequently led to the issuance of a warrant for her arrest.

The court also noted that there is no issue of ‘mistaken identity’ as claimed by Castro’s camp considering that Salahay was present during her arrest to make sure that the police arrested the right person.

The court also rejected the claim of Castro’s camp that her name was only “inserted” in the arrest warrant considering that her name has been consistently included in the case records since the complaint was filed in 2019 by Salahay.

It added that as Castro has not been formally arraigned after her arrest the ‘double jeopardy’ rule cannot apply.