Wednesday, March 07, 2007 Bayan Muna mum on Duterte's snub By Ben O. Tesiorna
LEADERS of the militant group Bayan Muna are silent on the decision of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to temporarily put on hold his planned alliance with the progressive group in this coming May elections.
Duterte said he will not continue his alliance with the group after bundles of Bayan Muna posters were recovered by the military at a rebel camp in Toril last week.
The mayor said he could not coalesce with a group that's responsible for the death of government troopers.
Duterte have been teaming up with militant groups in the past. In fact, in the last elections, Hugpong sa Tawong Lungsod had two Bayan Muna party members in its official line-up -- now City Councilor Angela Librado-Trinidad and fugitive Bayan Muna leader Alvin Luque.
Bayan Muna, however, said the military merely "planted" the evidence.
"Sinimulan nila ito sa laganap na pagpatay sa mga miyembro namin, pagfile ng mga murder at rebellion cases. Nariyan din ang militarisasyon sa mga depressed communities sa Metro Manila kasabay ng mga harassment ng mga militar sa mga miyembro namin," Bayan Muna Representative Joel Virador earlier said.
Duterte said he does not believe such an alibi.
Sun.Star Davao tried getting the reaction of Virador and their regional spokesman, Jeppie Ramada, on Duterte's decision but the two did not reply to our text messages. Ramada is reportedly running for the City Council and is hoping to be adopted by Duterte's party, Hugpong.
Ramada's chance is however in jeopardy now due to last week's incident where two soldiers died during the encounter with the New People's Army.
In a press conference here in Davao City last Saturday, Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane said the recovery of Bayan Muna posters at the NPA camp is a solid proof that progressive groups like Bayan Muna have direct links with the communist rebels.
The materials could speak for themselves, Ebdane said.
The campaign materials recovered are posters and calendars of the party-list group Bayan Muna, pocket calendars of Ramada, and calendars of Virador and his family.
Some of the materials were riddled with bullet holes and blood.
Ebdane said it is very disturbing for the campaign paraphernalia to be discovered in bulk in the possession of the insurgents.
The national defense chief added that he has to look into allegations that the pork barrels of these party-list groups have been used to fund the insurgency movement in the country.
AFP chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon denied claims that the materials were planted.
"We did not fabricate those campaign materials," Esperon said.
Also recovered was a book that divulged a list of voters and a CD that documented a Christmas party organized by the insurgency movement showing key personalities from a local media outlet.
