Former rebel Jeffrey Celiz, aka Ka Eric, revealed that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has been receiving budget cuts from infrastructure projects contractors.
“If there is one single biggest mafia-style, highly organized, most prolific extortion machinery to come before the face of the earth, it’s the CPP-NPA-NDF,” Ka Eric said during the Senate red-tagging investigation on Tuesday. He referred to the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People’s Army, and the National Democratic Front.
“Hindi ‘yan napipigilan ng ating government [the government has not been able to stop that],” he added.
He claimed that the CPP could know the project’s location and cost through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“Ang source po namin niyan kung paano nalalaman ang mga projects, saan ang location, magkano ang cost, sino ang project manager: DPWH,” Ka Eric revealed.
The former rebel also said that the CPP could “make” the two largest telecommunication companies in the Philippines pay them a combined P200 million “every year.”
“Is that not a threat?” he said.
Senator Panfilo Lacson, who chairs the Senate defense panel, said Ka Eric’s claims on the telcos and the infrastructure projects were an “open secret.”
Former rebel Ka Eric says CPP gets cut from infra projects
The senator said the NPA gets a 2-percent cut on infrastructure projects’ budget.
“Walang aandar, lalo sa mga [areas of] influence [nila], kung walang 2 percent from the contractor,” Lacson said.
“That’s in addition to the percentage of some congressmen,” Lacson added.
Ka Eric also said the communist groups could “circumvent’ the Anti-Money Laundering Council by establishing a “network of conduit NGOs.”
He claimed these NGOs “channel funds” amounting to P300 million to P400 million from “partners” in European countries, such as Belgium and the Netherlands.
Lacson ordered the former rebel to submit to the Senate committee lists of NGOs supposedly acting as conduits for the CPP.
Ka Eric also revealed in the hearing that Angel Locsin’s sister, Ella Colmenares, was part of the NPA.
“Gen Parlade is not lying. Ella Colmenares, the sister of Angel Locsin, was an NPA in Quezon, na-meet ko siya,” he said.