Filipino-American activist NPA regular, say party-list groups

MANILA, Philippines –  Claiming that Filipino-American Melissa Roxas is not a mere activist but once an armed rebel, two party-list representatives including former military general Jovito Palparan disclosed information that the ones who tortured her were not soldiers but her own comrades who were trying to prevent her from severing her ties with the communist movement.

“Melissa was victimized by her own comrades maybe without her even knowing about it. Communists have long been doing that (to those attempting to leave the movement),” Palparan who is now a congressman representing party-list group Bantay, said during a press conference in Quezon City yesterday.

At the same event, Rep. Jun Alcover of the party-list group Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy, presented a letter supposedly written by another female rebel who claimed she had spent time with Roxas, whom she calls as “Ka Aya,” in the rebel movement in Aurora province.

“Hindi po lingid sa kaalaman ng mga kasama dito sa Central and Norte ng Aurora na si Ka Aya ay nagbabalak ng tumiwalag bilang regular na kasapi ng Bagong Hukbong Bayan o NPA. Si Ka Aya po kasi ay hindi sanay sa hirap lalo na sa buhay sa bundok. Malimit na rin po naming napag-uusapan ang planong paglabas sa kilusan,” the letter sender said.

“Ang kanyang pagbabalik at pagtiwalag ba sa kilusan ang dahilan din sa pagdukot sa kanya para lamang hindi matuloy ang plano nya sa pagbabagong buhay,” she said.

Alcover and Palparan said the militant groups backing Roxas were the ones who “coached” her to point her finger to the military as part of their “hate campaign.”

The groups of Palparan, who was once tagged as the “butcher” by militant groups for his alleged involvement in a number of extra-judicial killings, and Alcover are known for their advocacies against the insurgency and left-leaning groups branded as front organizations of the communist movement.

Training with rebels

According to Alcover, he received the letter along with photographs and video footage of Roxas while training with the communist rebels enclosed in a package delivered to him in the earlier part of the month.

Alcover said it was the first time she heard from the supposed rebel who was with Roxas while she was still in the mountains.

Alcover said the female rebel had also asked their help for her to also be able to leave the communist movement. 

Palparan even dared the militant groups backing Roxas in her allegations against the military to present in public the two men – Juanito Carabeo and John Edwatd Handoc, who were supposedly with Roxas when she was abducted on May 19 so they could corroborate Roxas’ statements.

The former military general even said Roxas should face charges and be investigated by the government, noting that while Roxas has been claiming that she was a visiting activist, the information that he has gathered stated that she has joined the armed group.

“I received information that she has been training here in the Philippines as an armed rebel since 2006,” Palparan said.

Alcover added that their check with the Bureau of Immigration showed that Roxas has been going in and out of the country thrice since 2006.

“That’s the reason why the NPAs don’t want her to leave their group. It’s because she is their link with their allied groups abroad,” he said.

Palparan said while they intend to conduct their own investigation on the matter, they also plan to submit the video footage and photos supposedly showing Roxas while training with the NPAs to the Commission on Human Rights. –Reinir Padua and Jaime Laude, Philippine Star