This time, Duterte Youth wants vandalism by ‘pro-NPA’ artists probed

MANILA, Philippines — After seeking an investigation on the alleged youth recruitment of the New People’s Army (NPA) via civic organizations, the Duterte Youth Party-list now wants “vandalism” supposedly done by artists that purportedly support and promote the rebel group probed.

Duterte Youth Party-list Rep. Ducielle Cardema has filed House Resolution No. 13112, calling for a congressional inquiry into the supposed rampant vandalisms “especially those by so-called artists and youth groups that promote the NPA and its attacks against the government and our government troops” – in aid of legislation.

According to Cardema, civilian front organizations of the NPA “are disguising themselves as artists and youth groups that are vandalizing our streets, public parks, government and private buildings” to promote the NPA and its youth recruitment.

She also said that this activity seemed uncontrollable that “our countrymen have felt powerless to report it anymore and to put a stop [to] it.”

“It is not the intention of this measure to investigate organizations that are simply opposing or criticizing the government or artists that are doing artwork on their own private spaces or are permitted to do artworks in other private and public spaces,” Cardema said.

“The patriotic purpose of this investigation is for the Philippine Congress and the Filipino people to finally find out which civilian front organizations are perpetrating these anti-government vandalisms to boost the terrorist NPA,” she added.

Cardema further asserted that the rebel group is “using non-NPA-named front organizations disguising themselves as artists and youth groups to promote the terrorist agenda of the NPA thru vandalism in schools, communities, and centers of [the] population across the nation.”

She also said rebels who have surrendered to the government “might have” already given statements and evidence on how they were recruited and how the vandalisms were being perpetrated.

Cardema said former NPA rebels together with top officials of the Department of Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), among others, may also serve as resource persons in the investigation.

Cardema filed House Bill No. 1311 only five days after filing a separate resolution calling for a congressional probe on NPA’s alleged recruitment of the youth on campuses and thru civic organizations.

The representative of the controversial Duterte Youth Party-list took oath on October 13 at the House of Representatives despite pending protests against the group before the Commission on Elections.

Election lawyer Emil Marañon earlier claimed that the party-list violated the Revised Penal Code when it prematurely assumed office in the lower chamber, adding that the group seems to be in a rush to have a seat in Congress.

At the opening of the special session to tackle the proposed national budget for 2021, Cardema was included in the House roll call even if she has yet to take her oath of office. It was only later in the session that newly-installed Speaker Lord Allan Velasco administered the oath of office to Cardema as representative of the controversial party-list in Congress.

KGA