Read in: Hiligaynon

The whistle went pfft. After his boisterous blabber and lies, boasting and bragging to media up to the Senate as Parlade’s ‘ace whistle-blower’ and ‘key witness’, Jeffrey Celiz’ whistle was all hot air. What new evidence was opened by the ‘key’ witness, what new note was heard by the public from his whistle?

To begin with, he started with lies. The first words he uttered were lies about his identity and academic background. It is so preposterous and stupid of Celiz to think that he could make the public believe that he is an incognito ‘Ka Eric Almendras’ and a graduate of UP-Diliman. The media, public officials, activists and regular radio and tv listeners in Iloilo easily saw through Celiz’ cover.

Kilala ka na Jeffrey, sa imo lang tingog kag estilo bistado ka na. It didn’t need Lean Porquia to blow your cover. Making a fuss over Porquia’s revelation and fretting about your future assasination was just a trick up your sleeve to hide the fact how vulgar you are as a government ‘secret agent’.

If Celiz was recruited to the underground when he was a student activist, that was well and good. The CPP and other underground revolutionary organizations work and thrive where there are people, especially where there are exploited and oppressed people such as in the rural areas, factories and other places of work, urban poor communities, colleges and universities, transport sector, fisherfolk and even in government offices, the church sector and professionals. We even have converts in the military, police and cafgu. That is a fact and Celiz knows that.

But to claim that legal democratic organizations are fronts of the CPP-NPA-NDF is a lie. This is a lie spewed again and again by all the fascist regimes – from the dictator Marcos all through the present dictator Duterte. This is the lie echoed by apostles of the anti-communist witch-hunter McCarthy like Parlade and his sniffing dog Celiz.

During the ‘60s and early ‘70s the KM, MAKIBAKA and other youth and workers organizations were legal. They exposed and opposed Marcos’ anti-people and undemocratic policies. They exposed and opposed US intervention in Vietnam causing the Vietnam War. It was Marcos who declared Martial Law and illegalized these legal democratic organizations. Student organizations were banned, so were student publications, some student councils were even not allowed. But the NPA and other underground revolutionary organizations continued to grow in number and spread in the rural and urban areas.

Young peasants, workers, students, out-of-school youth and professionals choose to take up arms and join the NPA because they are convinced that the armed struggle is the only option to the hopeless and dire conditions of the landless peasants, low-paid workers, the unemployed millions, jobless graduates and low-paid professionals. They are recruited from underground revolutionary organizations which are allied-members of the NDFP.

Legal democratic organizations are supposed to be encouraged in a democratic society, democratic state and government. Free expression, free speech, free press, freedom of assembly, the right to work and shelter, free education, free health care and other social services are the Filipino people’s basic rights and to demand these from the government should be encouraged and not suppressed. To take up arms against an unjust, oppressive, tyrannical and puppet state is also a people’s right since such a state and governance no longer serve the people’s welfare and interest.

The revolutionary movement does not need front organizations. If a Red fighter may have been a member of some legal democratic organization it is because she or he has seen beyond reforms and parliamentarism. Like Bonifacio and our Katipunan forefathers the Red fighter has been enlightened that to achieve true democracy and freedom, to attain genuine peace based on justice, our country needs a radical change, our country needs an armed revolution. That is the truth.

Red-tagging and witch-hunting are based on lies repeated again and again, Goebbels style by psywar psychopaths the likes of Duterte, Lorenzana and Parlade and their licking dogs like Celiz who prattle and tattle the lies. However according to radio commentators in Iloilo, they heard nothing new out of Celiz’ red-tagging of democratic personalities. Celiz’ alleged revelations did not make waves.

The blabbermouth Celiz in one radio interview blurted he was in the CPP-NPA for 27 years, in another interview he said it was 18 years. According to the Regional Operational Command in Panay, Celiz has never been a member of the NPA in Panay and has not been endorsed by the ROC to any territorial Command.

Celiz surrendered in 2008 facilitated by then Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales. He claims that as early as 2008 he was working for the peace and security initiative of the government. From 2009 to 2016 before the Odicta couple were murdered Celiz worked for two successive Iloilo City mayors. Never did he spout words concerning government peace and security initiative. He was Mayor Mabilog’s spokesperson boom blasting the mayor’s critics and detractors.

Celiz was not heard and seen after Duterte read his name in the narco list and the Odicta murder. When asked about his involvement in the narco list, Celiz lamely answered it was part of a government project, meaning he was an undercover agent and the narco list was meant to cover his undercover tracks! So it was he who sold out his boss the mayor and the Odictas his close friends, in cloak and dagger style?? Yet no other than the NICA chief has stated that Celiz was recruited to and has been working for the agency since 2017.

Celiz is a liar, a fraud and double-dealer. That is why his whistle blew hot air, he was not a key to anything genuine and novel and the Senate hearing did not hug headlines.