The cases filed against NTF-ELCAC Officials are basically anchored on the premise that the complainants deny any link or that they claim to be not in any way connected to the CPP-NPA-NDF terrorist organization.
As expected, they once again resorted to hiding behind the term “red-tagging”, their operational definition of which is that — they are being falsely accused of having links with the CPP-NPA-NDF.
Again, the core argument is DENIAL.
The men and women composing the 12 clusters of the NTF-ELCAC stand united with our officials and with our spokespersons in the advocacy, to tell the truth to the Filipino people.
Contrary to the expectations of those who intend to undermine the NTF-ELCAC by filing harassment cases, we welcome the baseless and nuisance charges filed against our officials. In fact, thank you for giving the NTF-ELCAC another legal platform, to tell the TRUTH, and to present evidence to prove that you are part of the CPP-NPA-NDF and that your party-list groups are linked, connected, and in fact conceived by the CPP-NPA-NDF to undertake the political struggle, which is a component of what Joma Sison calls as the armed ‘revolution’.
Your denial of the fact that you are linked to the CPP-NPA-NDF is your fatal mistake.
We are more than ready to prove the facts in our statements.
We have the truth on our side.
Expect that in the coming days, more legal actions will be filed against you and all those who support you. We will not stop until every last one of you is either neutralized or is convinced to lay down your arms at magbalik-loob sa pamahalaan.
We vow to win the peace by putting an end to the local communist armed conflict.
You filed cases against the NTF-ELCAC officials on the premise of red-tagging.
These charges that you trump up against the NTF-ELCAC are simply absurd.
Red-tagging is a misnomer, a non-existent term that has no legal definition.
Hence, the harassment cases against NTF-ELCAC officials anchored on red-tagging are bound to be dismissed for failure to stage a legitimate legal ground to sustain the allegations in the complaints.
Granting for the sake of argument, that there exists such a term as red-tagging, how then for common senses’ sake can red-tagging be a legal ground for a complaint or a legal action?
Remember the principle, nullum crimen nulla poena sine lege. One cannot be punished for doing something that is not prohibited by law. Otherwise stated, there is no crime where there is no law punishing it.
In our country, telling the truth about the connection, links, or association of a person or organization to the CPP-NPA-NDF terrorist is not a crime.
In fact, it is the duty and the obligation of every citizen to combat terrorism by any means, including information dissemination and encouraging the people to withdraw support to the CPP-NPA-NDF.
It is our stand that the CPP-NPA-NDF and their front organizations must be exposed.
These acts are not prohibited acts under our laws.
Under our laws, complaints do not stand on invented terms or a technically non-existent term or word.
Complaints also fall on the basis of controverting evidence, particularly if the truth is on the side of the respondents, in this case, the NTF-ELCAC.
The NTF-ELCAC stands for the Truth.
In the end, Truth prevails.
Flosemer Chris Gonzales
Acting Spokesperson for Legal Affairs, NTF-ELCAC