Marxist Priest Defends Cellsite Raids

Revolutionary taxes collected from big companies go to the people’s services in the NPA’s guerrilla bases. Taxes collected by the traditional government go to the pockets of corrupt politicians, Fr. Frank Fernandez, alleged Communist Party leaders in Negros says.

By Edgar Cadagat and Karl G. Ombion
Bulatlat.com/Cobra-ans

Fr. Frank Fernandez, alleged leader of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines in Negros Island, this weekend belied military statements that New People’s Army (NPA) raids of cell sites are an “act of terrorism, a desperate move, extortion and a show of force in order to be noticed.”

Fernandez, who is also identified as an official of the National Democratic Front (NDF), issued the rejoinder as he admitted that the Jan. 4 punitive operations on cell sites of Globe telecommunications were done by the NPA. He said the NPA raids in Negros against the company were “part of nationwide operations.”

“The Revolutionary Democratic People’s government wants to inform all owners of businesses and enterprises in Negros that anytime, its finance department could establish contact with them to negotiate for the payment of revolutionary taxes,” the NDF-Negros Island representative said.

He said the revolutionary government “is prepared to give concessions on valid grounds…in the course of the negotiations.”

At the same time, he debunked what he said were the usual accusations by the military that what the rebels were doing was “an act of terrorism.” “The military does this to hide the fact that the revolutionary government exists,” he said.

Pro-people taxes

Contrary to the military accusations, taxes collected by the revolutionary movement are used to finance the people’s war and to ensure the delivery of basic services to poor villagers in their guerrilla bases. These services include education livelihood, arts and culture, health and to strengthen organizational work, Fernandez said.

In contrast, he said, whatever taxes are collected by the traditional government only go for the maintenance of a bloated bureaucracy and to the pockets of corrupt public officials.

Fernandez also pointed out that the revolutionary government decided to issue carry out the punitive operations against Globe Telecoms owed by the Ayala-Zobel family in order to disenfranchise it in areas where it operates including Negros Island.  Furthermore, the Ayala-Zobel family has continued to refuse to negotiate for the payment of taxes, he said.

Another reason, he said, was Globe’s neglect of those who lived around the cell sites who have been displaced by its operations and the company’s having ignored the installation of protective and safety measures from the harmful radiation effects of the cellsites.

Worse, the Ayala-Zobel family never intended to provide beneficial services to the people but are profiting from their business that only sucks in mega-profits which it remits to its foreign mother company. In the local level it has proven to be harmful to the local economy, Fernandez said. Bulatlat.com

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