OPINION-COLUMN: Why was Parlade removed in list of presidential candidates? Was it because of this column? > “Is there a Comelec mafia?”

MY joining this 2022 political exercise is making me understand so many new things and has even convinced me even more about how rotten our political system is. But only a few candidates would dare speak about this observation, let alone write about it, especially if they are senatorial or presidential frontrunners. This is understandable because the problem starts with the agency in charge of running and managing it — the Commission on Elections (Comelec), and we know who has the final say on who is going to win, don’t we?

Having said that, then why write about this mafia? Again, let me point out that I am not your typical politician who is running for office.

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To continue, of course we have heard a lot about this controversial Smartmatic and the fiasco it created when it was introduced in the 2010 elections. So many elections have come to pass and still we are stuck with these cheating machines. And until today we still do not understand fully how this entity is being allowed to rob us of our votes.

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Hefty sums

What we know is that certain candidates in previous elections paid billions of pesos in order to ensure their victory. Some paid hefty sums in order for them to have their party get accredited. Still, some have to pay the Comelec officials in order for their electoral protests to be resolved. In all of these issues, money changed hands. And one of these days I will write about my personal experience with our party, the KDP.

With this situation we must ask the question — who among our politicians now, either national or local, have won the contest honestly?

Two articles back, I asked the question: What to do with Comelec? I honestly did not have an answer. But as weeks passed I realized that the question indeed begs an answer. This is in view of the recent decision of the Comelec to deny party-list Abante Sambayanan participation in the raffle today Dec. 10, 2021.

There were other party-list organizations which were purged by the Comelec from the raffle list for various reasons. We cannot discuss the merits here because the Comelec decided on it motu proprio. In this column I would like to share my thoughts on Abante Sambayanan, a party list of former CPP-NPA-NDF cadres who have banded together in order to help the government end this scourge called CPP-NPA-NDF, which they were once part of.

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Deceptive machinations

The party’s advocacy, aside from sharing the truth about the deceptive machinations of the underground, ergo, illegal organization, included programs that will help former rebels avail of the necessary government intervention to ensure their smooth integration into society. Many of them who were victims of communist exploitation have become vulnerable, sometimes to the excesses of communities they once harassed and attacked. Psycho-social debriefings are also needed to heal them from their traumatic experiences in fighting a violent war with the government. They are also provided livelihood by the NTF-Elcac and they have to be guided properly, thus, the Sambayanan would have been a strong partner for this.

Perfect, but no. The Comelec has decided that they are not a legitimate party or sector of the society which needs representation in Congress.

This is ironic because as the government, through the NTF-Elcac, is gaining ground convincing some 20,000 former rebels to reintegrate peacefully into our society, another government entity has decided to end their dream of peaceful representation in the legislative struggle, after abandoning armed struggle. Wasn’t this the intent of the party-list system when it was created? Isn’t this what the peace talks envisioned when the government started to reach out to rebel groups?

It is ironic indeed, that Sambayanan is facing this first phase of disenfranchisement. Comelec says the party can always appeal but how lame is this process that the commission en banc will not see the value and significance of this organization in our pursuit for peace.

If they are finally disqualified, what is this government saying? That they should instead go back to the mountains and fight the government again since they cannot play a part in just participation?

So, once more I pose this question, only this time being aware that in the same resolution, we see the names of CPP party-list groups identified by no less than Jose Ma. Sison as his allied organizations: ACT Teachers, Anakpawis, Bayan Muna, Gabriela and Kabataan. The CPP list has also expanded to include the KMP, KMU and Nurses United.

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Other party list options

The women’s sector is very important, but why have this fake women’s advocacy group, Gabriela when we have other options like “Babae Ako” or “Magdalena” for instance, which were both denied.

Why has Aksyon Legal been denied? These Kamatayan bloc (Makabayan daw) are clearly doing illegal activities but have again been accredited in the party-list.

CPP party-list ACT Teachers is accredited, but a more legitimate group Ating Guro is denied.

Chef Logro’s Aangat Kusinerong Pinoy is in the pending list. Why is this? Don’t we want the plight of our wonderful cooks to be heard and represented in Congress? Chef Logro is the epitome of a successful Filipino whose rags-to-riches story will inspire many ordinary cooks and workers to work hard to uplift their economic condition, especially if well-represented in Congress. How will this Comelec decision justify the party-list accreditation of a billionaire One-Pacman? Sige nga?

What about Ako Tanod and Ang Tanod? Don’t we want our streets safe and our democracy guarded?

Going back to Gabriela, this party has a disqualification case in the Comelec for: a) its involvement in the violent armed struggle and b) receiving foreign funding.

This case is close to my heart because I was part of the team that discovered these violations in the course of our engagements with foreign governments, as we were defending the Philippine government’s position on desaparecidos in a UN working group on Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In the documents provided by the Ministry of Affairs of Belgium to the Philippine delegation entitled “Overview of Non-Government Actors in the Philippines Program 2017-2021,” during our meeting in Brussels in February 2019, Belgium confirmed that it funded Gabriela through the Belgian NGO G3W, also known as Viva Salud. This is a blatant violation of the Constitution which prohibits political parties from receiving support from any foreign government. In fact, in the subsequent investigation of the AMLC, it reported that from 2012-2016 Gabriela received more than P22.7 million.

What about its participation in the violent armed struggle? Of course, there is solid proof of that. In fact, when I was a brigade commander in Mindoro, we captured a Gabriela member, Edison Coloma Villanueva, who was also an NPA member, after an armed encounter in Sta. Cruz, Occidental Mindoro. He confirmed that their Gabriela group supported the outlawed advocacies and principles of the NPA and in fact used its funds for the procurement of firearms and ammunition for the CPP-NPA. This is a clear violation of Section 8, (d), Rule 32 Comelec Rules of Procedure Section 6 (2) of RA 7941, or the “Party List System Act.”

We also know about Rowena Barros, Josephine Lapira, Jane Vargas, and many more Gabriela and Gabriela Youth members being involved in the armed struggle, after they were killed in government encounters with the NPA in Batangas, Palawan, Mindoro, Laguna, Masbate, Quezon, Surigao, Leyte and elsewhere in the Philippines.

Back to the mafia at Comelec. I want to be educated about how the CPP’s Bayan Muna ended up No.1 in the party-list elections of 2019? Was this simple luck after a raffle draw?

Also, what is this report that former Comelec Commissioner Andres Bautista is enjoying his liberty in the US? Was there a follow-up to the investigation where his wife divulged that he had hundreds of millions in his bank accounts — 40 accounts as she mentioned, as well as accepted commissions on referred cases, and not to forget the ghost employees and unsanctioned trips he took? Who has benefited from the activities of this person that none of the senators or blue ribbon committee members would initiate an investigation to determine ?

I will write more about this mafia in Comelec in my next column but I saw party-list 4P’s denied in this latest Comelec resolution. And this one, Anuba Pilipinas.

So, ano Pilipinas, papayag ba tayo nito? What next?

Maybe Comelec prefers 5Ps.

Parlade-President for Progressive and Peaceful Philippines.

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