Solon hits Cardemas over alleged disinformation, conflict of interest

National Youth Commission Chair Ronald Cardema

MANILA, Philippines — The exchanges between Duterte Youth party-list Rep. Drixie Mae Cardema and National Youth Commission (NYC) Chairperson Ronald Cardema during the House of Representatives budget deliberations were criticized by a lawmaker for allegedly spreading disinformation.

In the second part of the House committee on appropriations hearing on the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) proposed budget for 2025, Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel said Rep. Cardema readily accepted the responses from Chair Cardema even if the latter did not seem knowledgeable about the topics discussed.

Manuel also noted that there may be a possible conflict of interest because Rep. Cardema and Chair Cardema are siblings.

During the deliberations, Rep. Cardema asked her brother, Chair Cardema, about NYC’s fight against the communist insurgency and the supposed vagueness of red-tagging and academic freedom, among others.

“Before I start with my questions, Madam Chair, I just want to start off with a point of privilege because this affects the conduct and performance or the functions of this body. Madam Chair, a while ago, the NYC Chair spread disinformation through his responses to one of our colleagues who readily accepted the responses, although it seems he is not that knowledgeable with mga topics discussed,” Manuel said.

“And to address the elephant in the room, Madam Chair, it is clear that there is a conflict of interest because it is clear that they are related to each other,” he added.

Manuel reminded the couple that last May 8, no less than the Supreme Court (SC) already said red-tagging — or linking people to the communist armed movement — is connected to the use of threats and intimidation, thereby putting a red-tagged individual at risk of enforced disappearance or extrajudicial killing.

READ: Supreme Court: Red-tagging threatens one’s right to life, security

“When they said that red-tagging is vague, maybe the NYC Chair does not know that last May 8, 2024, the Supreme Court publicized a decision defining what red-tagging is. When they said that academic freedom is vague, well, for their information, Madam Chair, academic freedom is protected under international law, specifically within the International Bill of Human Rights,” Manuel noted.

Manuel’s statements came after Rep. Cardema asked Chair Cardema about his views regarding red-tagging. In response, Chair Cardema said that red-tagging has become too vague because calling out groups whose members allegedly joined the ranks of communist armed group New People’s Army (NPA) could already be considered red-tagging.

“I think we have made the definition of red-tagging too vague. The reason why it is vague is because we cannot condemn the recruiter, the groups whose members get killed as NPA members. For example […] Akbayan party-list of Senator Risa (Hontiveros) has been critical of us, but we do not speak against them. Why? Because they do not produce NPA members,” Chair Cardema said.

“None of their members die as NPA. So we understand that what they only want to do is to criticize us and the government from time to time. But for those organizations whose members die as NPA fighters, it’s not isolated. If three or five of their members join the NPA, it could be, but if it is 10, 50, or half a thousand members who get neutralized as fighters — without the group condemning them — then red-tagging becomes vague,” he added.

Rep. Cardema also discussed youth groups’ call for academic freedom, which Chair Cardema also said is being abused. The University of the Philippines (UP) – DILG accord was also mentioned during the couple’s exchanges, but Manuel said information that police officers cannot enter UP campuses is another lie.

“When they said that the UP-DILG accord prevents police from entering UP, Madam Chair, that’s another wrong information. Maybe he has not read the UP-DILG accord; police officers are not restricted from entering UP as long as there is coordination, or in the case of a hot pursuit,” Manuel noted.

“It was a good thing that our DILG Secretary (Benhur Abalos) is at least prudent enough to comment on this, unlike our NYC Chair,” he added.

Manuel furthermore questioned Chair Cardema’s alleged inability to fulfill its main mandate — to train Sangguniang Kabataan officials — as only 18 percent of the SK Mandatory and Continuing Training Fund for 2024 has been utilized.

This is not the first time, however, that Manuel and the Cardemas clashed. In September 2022, when the House was deliberating DILG’s budget for 2023, Manuel said he would move for the deferment of NYC’s budget if Cardema would not resign due to corruption allegations.

NYC is an attached agency of the DILG.

In a subsequent forum in Quezon City, Cardema meanwhile arrived unannounced and accused Kabataan party-list of recruiting NPA fighters.

At the August 2023 hearings for the DILG’s 2024 budget, deliberations on the department’s budget were terminated, but NYC’s proposed funding was deferred.

House Minority Leader and 4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan moved to defer NYC’s budget as Manuel aired concerns about NYC’s fulfillment of its mandate.

The motion was seconded by committee vice chairperson and Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin.

READ: DILG’s proposed budget passes House panel, but NYC’s allocation deferred