BJMP urged to retract memo based on Parlade's claim linking PDLs to communists

Kapatid, a support group for political prisoners and their families, on Monday called on the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) to recall a directive ordering “close monitoring of suspected Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) members in jails,” saying it is based on a polluted source.

Kapatid was referring to the January 10, 2025 BJMP document which stemmed from a January 9, 2025 memo by BJMP Intelligence Director Roland Cael that cited retired General Antonio Parlade’s Facebook post accusing  House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro of frequenting jail facilities to solicit funds from drug traffickers for her group, allegedly with the help of political prisoners suspected of Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) affiliation.

"Since when did fake news peddled by a notorious red-tagger constitute a source of evidence that the BJMP should order wardens to act on it?” Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim said in a statement.

"Kapatid asks BJMP chief General Ruel Rivera to retract this dangerous memo, which not only puts the lives and security of political prisoners at greater risk but also sets a dangerous precedent for using baseless, politically motivated accusations as grounds for official action,” she added.

Lim cited that back in 2021, various groups, including the Senate, recommended the firing of Parlade as spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) after he accused lawmakers, bishops, journalists, celebrities and prominent government critics of supporting the CPP.

Parlade eventually resigned from his post amid questions on the legality of his appointment to a civilian post while he was still in active military service.

De Lima part 2?

Lim then said that baseless accusations linking then senator Leila de Lima to drug lords were also used to justify her wrongful imprisonment for almost seven years.

"Coming as it does in an election year, the memo issued by the BJMP regional director is a clear case of political partisanship and electioneering, disguised as a security measure," she said.

"And now, the BJMP is complicit in a similar pattern of targeting government critics with no evidence. The BJMP must focus on its core mandate of upholding the rights and safety of all detainees, not serve as a tool for political persecution,” she added.

In a separate statement, Castro echoed Kapatid’s call for the BJMP to retract the memo.

"This is a dangerous and malicious act of red-tagging by the BJMP. They are using an unverified social media post from a discredited source to justify surveillance and monitoring of a sitting member of Congress and political prisoners," Castro said.

Former ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio, for his part, reminded BJMP that red-tagging or linking individuals to the communists rebels is illegal.

“BJMP officials can be held criminally, administratively, and civilly liable for relying on allegations from Parlade, who, along with Lorraine Badoy, was found guilty by the Ombudsman in March 2023 for conduct prejudicial to public service due to red-tagging," Tinio said.

Castro then demanded an immediate retraction of the memo and a formal public apology from the BJMP.

"This memorandum demonstrates how red-tagging endangers lives and violates human rights. The BJMP must be held accountable for this irresponsible action that puts my safety and that of political prisoners at risk," she said.

"If the BJMP fails to retract this memo and issue a public apology, we will not hesitate to file appropriate charges, including administrative cases and claims for damages," she added.

GMA News Online has reached out to BJMP for comment and will publish it as soon as it becomes available.

In April 2021, Parlade and Badoy were also ordered by then National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon to stop making comments about community pantries providing aid to people amid COVID-19 pandemic after linking the organizers to communist rebels. 

At that time, Parlade likened community pantry organizer Patrica Non to Satan offering an apple to Eve, while Badoy accused Non of not having the competence to properly account for the P1 billion worth of donation to the Maginhawa community pantry. —AOL, GMA Integrated News