Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano, National Anti-Poverty Commission Secretary Liza Maza, Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
Malaca帽ang on Monday dismissed Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV鈥檚 call for President Duterte to sack members of the Cabinet who were identified with the Left.
Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the President continued to trust Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano, Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo and National Anti-Poverty Commission Lead Convener Liza Maza.
鈥淎s far as the Office of the President is concerned, we see no reason why the three so-called Leftist members of the Cabinet will have to be removed,鈥� Guevarra said.
鈥淭he President continues to repose trust in them,鈥� he said.
Trillanes earlier said 鈥渉undreds of cadres鈥� of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) were now 鈥渙fficially employed鈥� by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Agrarian Reform, the Department of Labor and Employment, the National Anti-Poverty Commission and the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council.
鈥淢oreover, these communists are using the resources from these government offices to stockpile arms and ammunition, which they will use later on against our soldiers,鈥� said Trillanes, a former Navy officer who led the Oakwood mutiny in 2003.
However, Guevarra pointed out that the country鈥檚 Anti-Subversion Law, which criminalized membership in the CPP and its front organizations, had been 鈥渞epealed a long time ago in 1992.鈥�
鈥淭he very purpose of that repeal is to ensure that people who advocate communism, socialism, Marxism, Maoism 鈥� will not go underground 鈥� that they join legitimate organizations so that they can espouse whatever they want to espouse,鈥� Guevarra said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we have these groups also in Congress. So, if we have these groups in Congress, why don鈥檛 we have them as well in the President鈥檚 Cabinet?鈥� he said.
Guevarra said Mr. Duterte鈥檚 order for the Philippine National Police to 鈥渨ipe out鈥� the New People鈥檚 Army, the CPP鈥檚 armed wing, was just 鈥渃olorful language.鈥�
鈥淚 guess that鈥檚 just colorful language to mean actually, let鈥檚 go and deal with this longstanding problem. This has been going on for a long, long time,鈥� he said.
Brig. Gen. Renato Padilla, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson, declined to comment on Trillanes鈥� claim that hundreds of communist cadres had infiltrated government offices.