A militant lawmaker on Thursday slammed National Youth Commission chairperson Ronald Cardema over the latter’s alleged electioneering and threat to “wipe out” left-leaning organizations.
Rep. Carlos Zarate was referring to Cardema’s rallying the people’s support on social media for the Duterte Youth party-list, which he touted as “pro-gov’t/pro-military.”
Cardema also urged voters to reject the Kabataan, Gabriela, Act Teachers, Bayan Muna, and Anakpawis party-lists, which have critical to government policies.
Cardema said in a Facebook post: “If President Duterte is a hardliner, the Duterte Youth is more radical for change for our generation.”
“We will defeat you in Congress debate and wipe you out in the streets with your NPA comrades, rapists, criminals and terrorists.”
In response, Zarate labeled Cardema’s statement as “inciting people to harm us.”
“The statement as it is, if you read it, You’re telling fanatic supporters, wipe them out, kill them,” he told ANC.
Zarate noted a Bayan Muna coordinator, Escalante City Councilor Bernardino Patigas, was shot dead in April while campaigning for reelection.
Meanwhile, reports. Quoting a local official from Kidapawan City in Cotabato said skirmishes between security forces and communist insurgents on Thursday drove 280 families from their homes.
Sporadic firefights erupted as troops from the Army’s 72nd Infantry Battalion clashed with New People’s Army guerrillas in remote Barangay Kinarum in the town of Magpet.
Kinarum Barangay Chairman Ruben Lanaja told the police that 280 families of Sitio Kirundong are temporarily taking refuge in the barangay basketball court.
Lanaja told Magpet Police’s Captain Rolando Dillera that NPA insurgents from the 53rd Front Committee fired at the 72nd Infantry Battalion troopers as the soldiers were doing their routine foot patrol.
The ensuing firefight lasted for almost 20 minutes, triggering the evacuation of Sitio Kirundong residents.
In Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. condemned the attack carried out on Wednesday by around 30 members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army in a settlement area there.
Galvez described the attack that killed two members and injured three others of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army—Alex Boncayao Brigade—Tabara Padua Group (RPA-ABB-TPG) which entered into a peace agreement with the government as “a brazen assault against concrete peace gains and efforts on the ground.”
“This attack only shows the gruesome and inhumane methods the CPP-NPA would utilize in order to promote their twisted brand of ideology,” said Galvez in a statement on Thursday.
The incident happened in the settlement site being prepared for mainstreaming and socio-economic reintegration of members of the RPA-ABB-TPG as part of the peace deal forged between the group and the government.
Galvez said such attacks had no room in a civilized and democratic society, which is governed by the rule of law.
“By carrying out this assault and killing their former comrades who only wanted to lead peaceful, productive lives, they [communists] have once again shown their true colors,” he said.
