‘Lazy work’: Lacson hits DOJ petition for terrorist tag on 600 individuals

Sen. Panfilo Lacson (File photo by EDWIN BACASMAS / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Sunday criticized as “lazy work” the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) list of progressives who were tagged as “terrorists” last week.

Lacson, chair of Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, said the list, while a “preliminary action,” should have entailed a more extensive intelligence work and investigation.

“It’s nothing but a preliminary action of the DOJ. Ang napansin ko lang dun karamihan yung medyo matatagal nang opisyal ng CPP/NPA/NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines/ New People’s Army/National Democratic Front of the Philippines) sila Baylosis, mag-asawang Tiamzon,” he said in a radio dzBB interview.

(What I noticed is many of them are longtime officials of CPP/NPA/NDF like Baylosis, the Tiamzon couple.)

“Karamihan (sa nasa petition) yung mga leaders eh, mas maganda leaders sa ground. Kailangan pa ng malawakang pag-imbestiga at intelligence work. Dun nagkulang ang petition… Pwede ko ngang sabihin parang trabahong tamad eh. Ang ginawa nila old files, yung mga files na inaamag sa court,” he added.

(Many of them are leaders on the ground. There still needs to be extensive investigation and intelligence work. That’s where the petition is insufficient… I can even say it’s lazy work. What they did are old files, the files that are gathering old in the court.)

The lawmaker emphasized that the DOJ should instead go after the current individuals who are leading insurgencies, like those delaying the relief and emergency operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The justice department has filed a petition before the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 19, seeking to declare as terrorists more than 600 individuals.

READ: Gov’t seeks terrorist tag for 600

The list includes Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison, alleged ranking CPP leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, other National Democratic Front (NDF) peace negotiators, UN Special Rapporteur Victiora Tauli-Corpus and indigenous peoples’ rights advocates Beverly Longid, Windell Bolingit and lawyer Jose Molintas.

READ: Tag Joma, UN special rapporteur, etc. as ‘terrorists,’ gov’t impels Manila court  

The petition stemmed from Duterte’s Proclamation No. 374, declaring the CPP-NPA as terrorist organizations last year.

Human rights group Karapatan earlier condemned the list, which it said “targets government critics and human rights defenders, and aims to sow fear among them.” /je

READ: Human rights group slams DOJ’s ‘severely defective’ list of ‘terrorists’