fBy Joseph Bernard A. Marzan
Kabataan Partylist Representative Raoul Manuel on Tuesday, February 18, pushed back against the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) after it depicted him as a communist recruiter.
In a Facebook post, Manuel likened the NTF-ELCAC to “crazy dogs” for branding him and other left-leaning leaders as recruiters for the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA).
“When my term began, [the NTF-ELCAC] said that the NPA would be wiped out and could no longer recruit. My term is about to end, but the task force’s pea-brained and talentless members are still foaming at the mouth with red-tagging. They’re like crazy dogs barking at ‘recruiters’ like me,” Manuel said in Filipino.
He criticized the task force for its “repetitive” and “worn-out” narratives against him and other youth leaders.
“They lack attention and love. Because many of them running it are unelected officials, they can repeat the scratched-out narratives while hiding behind the stinky name of the task force,” he said.
“They are allergic to youth like me who are capable and hardworking, yet they tolerate useless politicians whose trademarks are dancing to budots, killing people, or using illegal drugs.”
Manuel said he is confident that he will outlast the NTF-ELCAC, which was established through Executive Order No. 70 in 2018.
“If [the NTF-ELCAC] will not have me killed, I am sure: I will live long enough to see the day when this notorious task force is disbanded. I will laugh while they wonder where to corrupt a military general’s pork barrel. I suggest that they go on Zumba or TikTok live to earn money by then. Hopefully, their knees can still carry them,” he said.
The NTF-ELCAC released a video on February 6, challenging Manuel to “come out” as an NPA recruiter, using clips from his past dance videos.
“It’s a challenge for NPA-recruiter Manuel to come out, stop pretending, and face his past colleagues in the movement who can prove his direct involvement with the CPP-NPA. It’s clear that Manuel’s tirades are just a disguise that aims to victimize young students and recruit them into armed movements, placing them in harm’s way,” the task force’s caption read in Filipino.
Red-tagging refers to the act of associating individuals with communists, particularly the CPP and the NPA. In the 2023 Supreme Court case Deduro vs. Vinoya, red-tagging was considered a threat to the right to life, liberty, and security.
