The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed before the National Capital Region (NCR) Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 19 a petition seeking to formally tag 649 individuals as terrorists.
According to the petition, the list included founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Jose Maria Sison “Joma” Sison and United Nations (UN) special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples Victoria Tauli-Corpuz.
Other individuals listed were communist rebels from CPP and its armed group New People’s Army (NPA) a.k.a. Bagong Hukbong Bayan and National Democratic Front (NDF) peace negotiators Luis Jalandoni, Coni Ledesma, Randall Echanis, and Rafael Baylosis.
“This petition is filed pursuant to Section 17 of Republic Act (RA) No. 9372 of ‘The Human Security Act of 2007’ seeking for an Order from this Honorable Court declaring respondents, namely the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army also known as Bagong Hukbong Bayan as terrorist and outlawed organizations, associations and/or group of persons,” the petition read.
“It is declared a policy of the State to protect life, liberty, and property from acts of terrorism, to condemn terrorism as inimical and dangerous to the national security of the country and to the welfare of the people, and to make terrorism a crime against the Filipino people against humanity, and against the law of nations,” it added.
According to the petition, the DOJ is vested upon the authority to apply the order of terrorist tagging before the RTC.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on November 29, said that an executive order (EO) was being prepared to declare the NPA as terrorists.
(Read: Duterte prepares EO tagging communists as terrorists)
“I am preparing now. They are preparing the executive order declaring them to be terrorists and they will be afforded the treatment of being criminals,” he said.
According to Duterte, he stopped the talks with the NPA as they are not really serious. He said that they do not have the “echelons” to put up a fight, and they are just being “comfortable” by biding their time. He added that the “active sparrows” as he called them, have been ambushing his policemen and soldiers.