Reds, allies, blame police operation on AFP’s Parlade

SUSPECTED communist front organizations and their allies have decried a near region-wide anti-criminality campaign of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Calabarzon last Sunday, March 7, 2021, by putting the blame squarely on President Duterte and Southern Luzon (Solcom) area commander, Lt. General Antonio ‘Jun’ Parlade.

In several statements received by Pinoy Exposé hours after the police operation from the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP), College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) and Karapatan, all claimed that the arrested and slain targets of the serving of a court-issued search warrants for illegal firearms were plain “activists,” “peasant and workers organizers” and, “human rights defenders.”

They also claimed that the incident was a result of ‘red tagging’ and of Pres. Duterte’s remark last March 5, 2021, in Cagayan de Oro, telling the police and the military to immediately fight back during armed encounters with the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the terrorist group, Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP-NPA).

The Calabarzon regional police office under PB/Gen. Felipe ‘Pipoy’ Natividad, had earlier applied for several search warrants for the operation which was granted by the Manila Regional Trial Court.

As of late Sunday, 9 were confirmed killed and 6 others were arrested. All are members or officers of organizations being linked to the local communist terrorist group (CTG) operating in four of the five provinces in Calabarzon—Cavite, Rizal, Batangas and Rizal.

Nine others, whose identities are still unknown, managed to escape and are the subject of a police manhunt.

From the tally of Karapatan, those killed were:

Manny Asuncion, coordinator of the Cavite chapter of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan). Asuncion was allegedly killed right inside the office of the ‘Workers’ Assistance Center’ in Dasmariñas, Cavite;

“Fisherfolk leaders” Chai Lemita-Evangelista and her husband, Ariel Evangelista, who were killed in Nasugbu, Batangas.

In a news report filed by online news site, ‘Rappler,’ the couple was identified as members of ‘Pamantik-Kilusang Mayo Uno’ (KMU). Pamantik is a regional workers alliance under the KMU banner.

Incidentally, ‘Bloody Sunday,’ the title of Rappler’s article is the same title of the press release issued by Karapatan about the incident.

Cristina Palabay, Karapatan secretary general, further averred that the Nasugbu police operation was witnessed by the Evangelista’s 10-year old son, who managed to hide “under a bed;”

Melvin Dasigao and Mark Lee Coros Bacasno of urban poor group Sikkad-Montalban were also reportedly killed in raids in Montalban, Rizal.

SCMP, for its part, named Dasigao as ‘Michael’ and Bacasno as ‘Makmak.’

The names and affiliations of the other four fatalities are yet to be released by the police.

‘COURAGE’ exec among those arrested;  Why blame me again– Parlade

Palabay also reported that among those arrested were:

Esteban Mendoza, vice president of Olalia-KMU (Olalia was the name of the late KMU founder, Felixberto Olalia); Elizabeth Camoral, Bayan-Laguna spokesperson, who were both arrested in Cabuyao; Nimfa Lanzanas, Karapatan “para-legal to political prisoners” and member of ‘Kapatid-TK’ an organization of the families of the so-called ‘political prisoners’ who was arrested in Calamba City.

SCMP also identified those arrested in Rizal as “peasant leaders” ‘Tatay Moises’ and ‘Dodong Bagsik’ and, Eugene Eugenio of COURAGE-Rizal chapter.

Last March 4, Palabay also noted that the police had already arrested in San Pablo City, Ramir Corcolon, a national council member of the Confederation for the Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) and, Arnedo Lagunias, ex-officer of a militant union at Honda Philippines based in Sta. Rosa City.

Palabay also did not mince word in blaming Parlade, a military official, for the police operation, leaving out the fact that the Armed Forces (AFP) is separate from the PNP.

“This spate of raids, arrests, and killings are clearly the handiwork of the rabid red-tagger, Antonio Parlade Jr. as the military’s Southern Luzon commander and the spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict,” Palabay declared.

“Obediently heeding the president’s kill, kill, kill orders like the lapdog that he is, Parlade has now exceeded the brutality of fascist butcher Jovito Palparan in letting loose a murderous rampage without any attempt to disguise it,” Palabay charged further.

Reached for comment, Parlade laughed off Palabay’s accusation.

“Bakit ako na naman ang sisisihin nila? That is an entirely police law enforcement operation, my troops simply played a supporting role,” Parlade told Pinoy Exposé.

“I understand that guns, including a submachine gun, was among those recovered by the police, along with (communist) documents.

“If the target of the operation are ordinary activists, why are they in possession of such items. Can Palabay explain that convincingly,” the official asked further.

Parlade said he also expects the PNP to release further details and clarify the issue this week.