Politicians funding communist rebels

“They (mayors and vice mayors) serve as couriers. The senators and congressmen are aware of this kind of deal and are aware of where their money is going,” the source replied when asked if about the transactions.

“They ( NPA) do not choose whether what political party is there. What is important to them is where they can get their funds swiftly,” the source said.

But the source said evidence was needed before appropriate charges “couriers.”

“Once a warrant has been released, that’s the time when we can arrest them for supporting terrorism,” he said.

Another source, who requested Region believed to be funding the NPA.

About 20 to 30 politicians, mostly village chiefs and some mayors and vice mayors, were on the list of alleged NPA supporters, he said.

the provinces of Davao del Sur and Davao del Norte while the mayors and vice mayors were from Compostela Valley, he said.

rebels] who have surrendered to us,” the source said.

“The list is regularly updated. We need to have case build- up once terrorist tag on NPA is approved by the court... We have to study how to approach this issue to be effective against them,” he added.

Both sources however said there was no paper trail to prove the transactions between the communists and the local gov

But there could be an opportunity to end the practice once the courts declare the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the NPA, as terrorist groups, as requested by the Duterte government.

Once the declaration is handed down, the military would be able to warn, trace and if possible, arrest

In December last year, President Rodrigo Duterte signed a proclamation tagging the CPPNPA as terrorists, using Republic - ing Prevention and Suppression

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza explained that the next step following the proclamation will be for the Department of Justice (DoJ) - tion” of the communist groups as terror organizations under RA for judicial purposes.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Agu- irre 2nd last year said a group of DoJ prosecutors was formed to prepare a petition before the court - nists as terrorists.

Last year, a military source revealed that the military had drafted a list of “legal fronts” of the CPP-NPA, particularly partylist representatives, who will be arrested once the terrorist declaration is handed down by the court.

‘Permit to win, permit to campaign’

practices of “permit to win” and “permit to campaign” continue during elections.

A “permit to win” is required when a group of NPA members in a particular area are rooting for one candidate, whether for village chief, mayor, vice mayor, governor or even someone vying for a national post.

The source explained that a candidate is obliged to release funds for the communist rebels in a votes of the NPA who are “controlling” the place by “intimidating” the residents there.

Meanwhile, the “permit to campaign” is required if the rebels in the area do not support a candidate.

The candidate must release funds to the rebels if they do not want to be disrupted, but without any assurance of getting votes.

The source described the “permit to campaign” as a “toll fee,” since the candidate will only have to pay before being granted permission to enter the area.

are also considering the NPA as their constituents so they are their responsibilities as well,” he said.

As the campaign period for the village and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) elections approaches, the military expects more extortion activities from the NPA “since elections is where the money really is,” the source said.

“This will be a good chance for the NPA to get extortion funds. They will be coming up with different strategies on how they will milk the money from running

Police, too?

Even policemen are obliged to give “revolutionary taxes” to the communist rebels to ensure the safety of their families, especially those in areas affected by the communist insurgency.

“They are being tightly watched as well aside from the barangay captains and mayors or any other policemen are just going with the their families are, are areas greatly affected by the NPA,” the source explained.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the arrests of local of have to be ordered by Malacañang.

local politicians will face arrests]. We’ll wait for the guidance from above,” Lorenzana told