‘Subversive’ documents, campaign materials of Neri Colmenares seized from suspected NPA armory in Laguna —Calida

Authorities had recovered “subversive” documents and campaign materials of left-leaning personalities including former Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares, an opponent of the anti-terrorism law, the government’s top lawyer said Tuesday.

Solicitor General Jose Calida told the Supreme Court (SC) during the oral arguments on the law that these materials were seized after a police raid at an alleged armory of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in Sta. Rosa, Laguna on March 30.

"Likewise discovered in the armory were subversive documents, streamers, campaign paraphernalia of Congressman Colmenares, Bayan Muna, and Gabriela, and training materials on advanced revolutionary warfare," he said.

Calida then slammed the communist rebels, saying it was “no secret that the CPP-NPA always resort to acts of terror in its bid to seize control of the government through armed struggle.”

"Petitioners have never spoken out against the recent atrocities committed by terrorists against our people. If they have never taken a stand on these acts, and if silence is complicity, there can only be one inescapable conclusion," he said.

In response, Colmenares accused Calida of red-tagging.

“Red tagging is a deadly offense. It is a threat to life, liberty, and security. And I really feel this mentioning of names [is] really uncalled for, when the respondents want to establish the evilness of terrorism and the crime of terrorism, because we have no relations at all to terrorism,” Colmenares told the Court.

“The fact that campaign paraphernalia were found, even if true, does not constitute an offense. This should not have been mentioned because for people like us, this is red-tagging and this is dangerous, Your Honor.”

Colmenares earlier claimed that red-tagging was part of the security forces’ plan to push for the proscription of militant groups as terrorist organizations under the law.

Currently the chairperson of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), Colmenares has argued before the SC justices in a bid to convince them to invalidate the law due alleged violations of the Constitution.

The petitioners said that the law could violate basic rights and legitimize supposed state attacks against government critics.—LDF, GMA News