Tambalang Risa Hontiveros-Jovito Palparan: Pareho ang Laban!

“Without doubt, it is Risa Hontiveros, activist-pretender and LP senatoriable, that is sleeping with undemocratic elements of Philippine politics by forging a tactical alliance with known and unrepentant human rights violator Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan.”  This was the statement of Terry Ridon, National Chairperson of the League of Filipino Students in criticism of Rep. Hontiveros’ slanderous remarks against Reps.  Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza over their supposed links with the armed underground.

Ridon said that both Hontiveros and Palparan had united on the following cheap propaganda points against Ocampo and Maza – to link them as active members of the New People’s Army and to maliciously force the two NP senatoriables to denounce supposed NPA atrocities and its conduct of revolutionary taxation.

“These allegations are nothing but pointless attempts at disparaging the sterling nine-year pro-people record of Ocampo and Maza in Congress. This is akin to the witch hunting of unarmed activists by rightist elements to which the butcher Palparan belongs. Our members have been slaughtered from poisonous allegations like these.”

Ridon said that it seems that Hontiveros was desperate at scoring propaganda points against Ocampo and Maza as the progressive tandem had been relentless in exposing the anti-farmer positions of her standard bearer Noynoy Aquino especially on the issue of redistributing Hacienda Luisita.

“It is but a shame that Hontiveros claims herself an activist while slandering the two most respected activist leaders of recent years. Worse, in so doing she had allied herself with the greatest human rights violator in recent memory, Jovito Palparan by parroting the same murderous lines.”

Ridon said that Hontiveros and her group Akbayan makes much about labeling the two leaders as belonging to the supposed ‘nondemocratic left’ but the current tactical alliance between herself and Palparan is a clear indication that it is her group that is advancing anti-democratic, non-inclusive, ultra-rightist politics and positions.

“In truth, the worst, most unprincipled of all alliances is this emergent alliance between Hontiveros and Palparan, as she is willing to spread murderous propaganda if only to catapult herself to the Senate.”

Maza, Ocampo Need Not Denounce the NPA

Ridon also said that the two senatoriables need not denounce the NPA if only to prove their faithful allegiance to Hontiveros’ and Palparan’s concept of Philippine democracy, because their nine-year involvement in the Philippine Congress in itself absolutely suffices to show the absence of any links with the armed underground, and to seek further assurances exposes the malicious nature of Hontiveros’ and Palparan’s demands.

“Furthermore, their refusal to denounce the NPA is premised on their complete understanding of the peace process, the conduct of military operations of both the NPA and the AFP, and the extra-constitutional exercise of the right to rebel against an unjust system and regimes, which sadly Hontiveros and Palparan know absolutely nothing about, save the spreading of malice against the two.”

Ridon said that the supposed NPA atrocities which Hontiveros and Palparan harp on are actually legitimate military operations in the conduct of the NPA’s revolutionary war, all of which are recognized and protected by international laws on armed conflict and international humanitarian law.

On the other hand, the AFP atrocities which Maza and Ocampo had been quick and steadfast in condemning in the last nine years are those which involved the execution, disappearance and massacre of unarmed persons, activists, lawyers, professionals, church people, all of whom are protected by the very same laws on armed conflict which recognizes the status of belligerency of the New People’s Army.

“It is these atrocities which Palparan and his minions are guilty of, and sadly Hontiveros plays blind to, because of their tactical alliance against Maza and Ocampo.”

He also said that if there is anything that needs to be denounced, it should be the roots of the armed conflict which Hontiveros’ standard bearer, Noynoy Aquino, protects to the hilt by his refusal to redistribute Luisita land.

Hontiveros, Palparan Ignorant on Nature of Revolutionary Taxation

“Also, Hontiveros and Palparan exhibited their ignorance of the nature of the armed conflict in asking Maza and Ocampo to denounce revolutionary taxation by the NPA.”

“If Hontiveros and Palparan were well-versed in the nature of the armed conflict, they would know that taxation is a power exercised even by an emerging government in the territories where it exercises political power.”

Ridon said that such taxation is done in pursuit of its status of belligerency accorded to it by the international community, despite the Philippine government’s protestations.

“Thus, in view of such a situation, for Hontiveros and Palparan to continue forcing Maza and Ocampo to denounce the NPA’s revolutionary taxation clearly shows their malicious objective of labelling Maza and Ocampo as dyed-in-the-wool, armed NPA rebels in order to discourage voters from electing the progressive tandem to the Senate.”

‘Tagteam Redtagging’ Deflect the Real Election Issues

“By engaging in day-to-day rebel witch hunting, Hontiveros and Palparan are guilty of failing to discuss the most important issues of the elections – employment and livelihood, land reform, accountability of Mrs. Arroyo, education and health care, among others.”

Ridon said that Hontiveros and Palparan are no different from the spin doctors of the Liberal Party, which deflected and rejected the legitimate grievances of Hacienda Luisita farmworkers for immediate redistribution of Luisita land by labeling the protesting farmworkers as mere ‘lapdogs of the communists and Joma Sison’.

“We wish to remind this tagteam of redbaiters that more than ten bodies lay dead on the storied plains of Luisita under the watch of Mrs. Arroyo and the Aquino family. Bodies aplenty simply cannot be because they were lapdogs of what Hontiveros labels as the ‘nondemocratic Sison’. They died to get a parcel of the Luisita land because the P9.50 a week the Cojuangco-Aquinos paid the farmworkers simply does not do justice to concept of genuine agrarian reform.”

Ridon said these are the issues which the the presidential and senatorial candidates must face instead of resorting to dirty tactics of slandering opposing candidates like Maza and Ocampo.

He added that the record of Liza Maza and Satur Ocampo had been untarnished in their nine years of service in Congress. They had fought the Arroyo regime’s excesses and legislated for the betterment of the people’s livelihood.

“It is the record of Hontiveros and Palparan that is questionable – the former for allying herself with landlords in extending a watered-down, ineffective CARP, and the other for the butchering of exponents of genuine freedom and democracy. We hope they lose. A tandem like that is one that is most dangerous for Philippine democracy.”

21st April 2010 | Filed under: News, Top Post | Click here to follow any responses to this entry: RSS 2.0 feed