AFP: NPA collected P95-million ‘tax’ this year

MANILA, Philippines – Communist rebels have extorted more than P95 million as of end-November this year and P1.5 billion since 1998 from investors and politicians, the military said yesterday.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr. said they expect this year’s figure to be lower compared to 2009 due to the supposed decline in the rebels’ influence.

“Since 1998, an estimated fund generated by the CPP-NPA-NDF (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front) is P1.5 billion… For the past 11 months, P95.5 million,” Mabanta said.

“For 2009, an estimated amount of P136 million (was raised) through extortion… This means their popularity and support from the various sectors have waned,” he added.

Mabanta said of the P95.5 million, P39.5 million was raised in the Davao region, one of the areas with huge concentration of rebel troops.

A breakdown of the amounts per region and sector is not yet available. Mabanta, however, said the usual targets are mining firms, logging companies, and plantations.

“There are also (funds raised from) politicians but the biggest part of it came from businessmen involved in mining, logging and plantations,” he said.

Mabanta, also AFP’s civil relations chief, said the rebels’ extortion activities make them “serious threats to development.”

“Businesses and capitalists who want to put in funds will hesitate and will consider looking elsewhere because in the Philippines, there is a security threat… The NPA is a serious threat to development,” he said.

Mabanta urged investors who are being harassed by the NPA to coordinate with security forces and to report their experiences.

“Remember, only government can impose taxes. They (NPA) are not even part of any government. We call it extortion,” he said.

On Monday, the Army’s 4th Infantry Division (ID) reported that seven mining firms in Caraga region had threatened to pull out their investments due to the NPA’s extortion activities. Caraga is composed of the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Islands.

Maj. Eugenio Osias IV, spokesman for the 4th ID, said businessmen are complaining that the annual revolutionary tax had been raised from P15 million to P20 million.

Maj. Gen. Victor Felix, commander of the 4th ID, has ordered the military to coordinate with mining firms, the police, and the civil society to address the issue.

Government negotiators had said they would raise the issue of the revolutionary tax during the peace talks with the communist rebels, which has been set tentatively in Oslo, Norway on Feb. 19-25.

Meanwhile, the CPP dismissed the accusations of the AFP that the NPA “collects taxes” from mining companies.

At the same time, the CPP said large-scale foreign mining firms should be punished and expelled for being the “worst abusers of the environment.”

“These firms also connive with and use the fascist armed forces and paramilitary to protect their plunderous interests and fight the revolutionary forces. These hostile, destructive and anti-people enterprises should, in fact, be expelled,” CPP said in a statement.

“If the remaining companies do pull out, it is something for the Filipino people to celebrate,” it added.

The CPP said it has directed the NPA, its military unit, to “carry out punitive actions against these mining companies to put a stop to their operations.” –-Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star) with Rhodina Villanueva