FILE PHOTO: Interior Secretary Eduardo Año. INQUIRER.net/ NOY MORCOSO
MANILA, Philippines — The designation of the National Democratic Front (NDF) as a “terrorist group” means that the “masquerade is over,” Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año said Thursday.
According to the DILG chief, the decision of the Anti-Terrorism Council to name the organization as terrorist now exposes the NDF as an integral part of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) and working with the communist movement “to overthrow the government and establish a communist and repressive state in our country.”
“The issuance of ATC Resolution No. 21 means that the masquerade is over,” he declared in a statement.
Resolution No. 21 of the ATC dated June 23 designated the NDF as a terrorist group. A copy of the resolution was made public last Monday.
Consequently, the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) also issued a freeze order against the properties, funds, and other accounts of the NDF.
“With the designation and the subsequent freeze order against their properties, funds, and other accounts by the AMLC, they will now be deprived of financial and logistical support and resources that they can use to finance terrorism, recruit and consolidate their ranks, and launch attacks against the government,” said Año.
“Support and financial assistance from institutions and even foreign governments whom they have been duping for many years will also be severed as said groups may now be prosecuted under the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012 for supporting a terrorist organization,” he added.
Año further noted that the ATC designation is a “significant victory” for the government, including the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac).
“The designation is a significant victory for the national government, local government units (LGUs), civil society, private sector, and other stakeholders who compose [NTF-ELCAC] and have worked together in the whole-of-nation strategy to end the more than five decades of Communist terrorism in the country,” he said.
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