By Gigie Arcilla/Philippine News Agency
WASHINGTON, DC – In the aftermath of Typhoon “Falcon”, an official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) on Friday warned good-hearted donors around the world to be wary of cunning organizations of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) soliciting donations in the guise of aid for typhoon victims.
“There are communist organizations created to amass funds and donations using disaster response and climate change resilience as a cover,” said Major General Antonio Parlade, Jr., Armed Forces of the Philippines Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil-Military Operations, in a statement sent to the Philippine News Agency Friday.
Parlade issued the warning as the government commiserates with the victims of the recent typhoon that left, 4 dead in northern and central Luzon, and gears up for disaster assistance.
“The CPP has been deceiving and defrauding international organizations and foreign governments of relief funds through the CPP network called Climate Change Network and Community Initiative (CCNCI),” he said.
In previous typhoons Yolanda and Pablo, Parlade added that the CPP organized several fake foundations like “Panday Bulig” to collect funds, but kept more than half of the funds for their armed revolution.
“This scheme has been continued, victimizing well-meaning organizations like Caritas of the Catholic Church, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe, Action Medeor, Diakonisches Werk, Brot für die Welt, and Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED) to name some, most of which are based in Europe,” he said.
He added that in the US, the CPP uses the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns or NAFCON to raise funds for the same purpose, taking advantage of the victims of calamities but hardly remit them for the intended purpose.
“The NTF ELCAC makes this warning, especially in the run-up to SONA (State of the Nation Address), where most of these militants and fake climate change advocates, will use Typhoon Falcon relief operation to go visit Philippines but end up participating in mass rallies,” he said.
He appealed to kind-hearted citizens and encourage them to direct their support straight to the needy or through the parishes,” he added.
“As this communist insurgency comes to a close, let’s not help the terrorists unwittingly, and unduly delay our pursuit of genuine peace and development,” Parlade said.
The CPP (and its armed wing, New People’s Army) is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
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