The Bayan Muna party list condemned President Rodrigo Duterte’s re-linking of Makabayan bloc activist lawmakers to the secret communist rebellion before the 2022 elections-something allegedly done to derail rising support for the presidential bet and Vice President Leni Robredo.
Duterte said that the progressive party lists that endorsed Robredo in the upcoming elections should not be elected because they are allegedly allies of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA):
“[I]tong mga party-list na Kabataan, Anakpawis, Bayan Muna, Alyansa of Concerned Teachers or ACT at Gabriela… Ang problema they are supporting or they are really parang legal fronts ng [CPP]… Dalawang ulo nito. Miyembro ng Congress, suweldado, at hindi lang part time… Iyan ang totoo. Huwag ninyong iboto ‘yan kay kung iboto ninyo ‘yang party-list.”
“[This is] a desperate election squid tactic to create a wedge in the growing numbers of the political opposition that support the Leni-Kiko tandem, as well as to prevent the eventual reelection of progressive partylists to Congress,” said House Deputy Minority leader Carlos Zarate (Bayan Muna), Wednesday.
“This recent attack of the redtagger-in-chief may be a prelude to more intensified harassment against the progressive bloc and the broad political opposition, including Vice President Leni Robredo herself, to stop the momentum of her snowballing campaign that endangers Marcos Jr.’s supposed lead in the surveys.”
Group condemns red-tagging of Duterte vs Makabayan
Zarate also fears that the president may further erase the distinction between legal activists and armed rebels, which is said to be fueling more violence against their members.
“In all these accusations, no credible evidence was presented against the Makabayan Bloc was ever presented, except for innuendoes and hearsays coming from perjured witnesses,” added the Bayan Muna representative.
“The real intent of this attack is to immobilize us. They know that the Makabayan bloc’s whole machinery is now being mobilized not only to expose the corruption issues and other anomalies of the Duterte administration… but more importantly to work hard and campaign for the candidacy of the Leni-Kiko tandem and to defeat the candidates of dictatorship and tyranny being peddled by Pres. Duterte.”
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