By Mar Serrano/PNA
LEGAZPI CITY — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday defended President Rodrigo Duterte against new claims of promoting “militarization” in government by militant groups.
He also assailed the tagging by the Bagong Alyansa Makabayan Bicol (BAYAN-Bicol) of the Chief Executive as a “military puppet” after issuing a directive sending additional military troops and policemen to Bicol to quell lawlessness.
Lorenzana was here as guest at the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) meeting. In an ambush interview, he belied such claim by saying: “That’s not true. It is unfair to tag the President as a puppet just because of the directive placing some areas specifically Bicol under a state of national emergency because of lawlessness”.
An official of Bayan-Bicol, who asked not to be named, alleged in an earlier interview that “the deployment of additional soldiers and policemen and placing Bicol region under a state of national emergency is a de facto martial law”.
The militant group claimed that the President’s military strategist has designed a plan disguised as lawless violence taking place in some parts of the country in order to establish military rule across the country.
Lorenzana, however, said Bayan and other groups are masquerading as a militant front but in truth are communists.
He even cited that in various protest rallies by these so-called militant groups, their printed messages urge the people to rebel and fight the government.
“They are saying it’s a legal front but still they are asking people to fight the established government,” Lorenzana said.
On claims of militarization, he stressed that “there is no law that bans retired military officials to join and serve the government – wala ba kaming karapatan (do we have no right)?”.
“We did not question the President when he appointed in his Cabinet four left-leaning officials,” Lorenzana added, referring to Judy Taguiwalo as secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Rafael Mariano as secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform, Liza Maza as lead convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission and Terry Ridon as chief of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor.
“No. We did not complain or question them even though we know they belong to the communist front,” he said.
“In fact, the President has given them the chance to serve so what is so wrong about retired military officials being appointed in the government service?” Lorenzana said.
