The NTF-ELCAC has no right to speak about children’s rights or criticize the alleged violations of these rights by the New People’s Army, when it is the NTF-ELCAC and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that are the worst and most shameless violators of children’s rights in their bloody counterinsurgency operations.
“Return Baby Marx to his grandmother and grandfather first before you start preaching about children’s rights,” said Marco L. Valbuena, Chief Information Officer of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
Valbuena was referring to the kidnapping by members of the 79th Infantry Battalion on January 13, 2021, of then two-month-old Baby Marx Cairo Salino, from the care of his relatives in Barangay San Fernando, Talisay City. The child was taken to force his parents, who are members of the NPA, to surrender. To this day, the AFP and the local office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) refuse to return the child to his family members.
Valbuena’s statement was a reaction to the NTF-ELCAC’s criticism of the CPP and the New People’s Army for alleged violations of children’s rights. The NTF-ELCAC cited a report from the United Nations Secretary General claiming that 41% of “serious violations of children’s rights” were allegedly committed by the CPP and NPA.
“Unfortunately, the UN Secretary General relied solely on reports from the AFP, which are riddled with lies. These include children falsely accused of being NPA members to justify parading them as ‘surrenderees’ in front of villagers,” said Valbuena.
“The United Nations is blind to the numerous cases involving the AFP and NTF-ELCAC in the killing, abuse, and abduction of children, even infants,” Valbuena added.
“There is extensive documentation of AFP violations of children’s rights during counterinsurgency operations in rural villages,” said Valbuena. “The faces of NTF-ELCAC and AFP officials are stained with the blood of countless children killed by fascist soldiers.”
Valbuena cited cases of state forces killing children such as Kuni Cuba, Jerick Jugal, Kylene Casao, Argie Salvador, Carleng Belan, JP Osabel, siblings Raben and Ben Fausto who were massacred along with their parents, and Everly Kee who was killed along with her five-month pregnant mother. He also mentioned the shooting by the 20th IB of three children in Barangay Roxas, Catubig, Northern Samar on February 8, 2022, where two were killed and one was injured.
“It is undeniable that the insane and brutal counterinsurgency program of the Marcos regime and NTF-ELCAC has led to massacres of entire families, killings of civilians accused of being Red fighters, illegal arrests and detentions, forced evictions, forced surrenders, and other crimes,” said Valbuena. “The AFP targets even children without restraint.”
Valbuena reminded that “not just one, but two UN Special Rapporteurs have called for the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC due to its damage to free expression and democracy.” Both Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, and Ian Fry, former UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, made these calls after their investigations into Red-tagging and the agency’s targeting of civilians in 2023 and 2024.
The UN Special Rapporteurs specifically pointed to the NTF-ELCAC’s Red-tagging campaign, which it tries to pass off as “truth-telling,” even though the Supreme Court has clarified that such actions are “threats to the life, liberty, and security” of individuals.
“Recently, the NTF-ELCAC even had the gall to threaten Leila de Lima, telling her to ‘go slow’ on her plan to propose a law against Red-tagging,” said Valbuena. “The agency invents specters like radicalization, terror-grooming, and child exploitation to cover up its own horrifying crimes.”
Valbuena said the CPP supports the call of the UN Special Rapporteurs and numerous democratic organizations to abolish the NTF-ELCAC as soon as possible.
“This agency is a scourge, a burden, and a torment to the people. It must be abolished, and its officials held accountable for their bloody crimes.”
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