By Joseph B.A. Marzan
Jeffrey Celiz got clobbered over the weekend following his allegations in the so-called “Panay Peace Summits” held in Passi City and Tapaz, Capiz last Thursday and Friday.
The summit was organized by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and its regional arm in Western Visayas.
In a radio interview Friday, Celiz questioned the lloilo City Government’s decision to reject the NTF-ELCAC’s request to hold the summit in the city.
The self-confessed former rebel cast doubt on the city’s stance on “the problem of communism”.
“Why can’t we hold an important gathering of the people, the government, and the [RTF-ELCAC], but we allow the Night Market, street activities, and going around, in the guise of reviving the economy? Our problem is what is the stand of the city,” Celiz said.
In a statement on his official Facebook page, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas explained the city’s decision without mentioning the summit or Celiz.
The mayor said his refusal was in line with the guidelines of the national Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).
Iloilo City is under the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) since October.
“Some sectors are asking why I did not allow the gathering of 1,000 people requested by the Peace Process here in Iloilo City, and others are also asking why Christmas parties are prohibited. A gathering of 1,000 is not allowed under the rules of the [IATF-MEID] because the city is under GCQ. The rules of the IATF are implemented by the chairman [Defense Secretary] Delfin Lorenzana, [Interior Secretary] Ed Año, and chief implementor, former general Carlito Galvez,” Treñas said.
He added that the night market and other economic activities were allowed by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and allowing Christmas parties was based on a previous recommendation by former health Secretary Esperanza Cabral.
“The night market is allowed by the DTI under its rules to help revive the economy. The statement about sa Christmas parties, and others came from Sec. Esperanza Cabral, former Secretary of Health. We have several trade shows around the city right now to help local businesses, but trade fairs are far different from Christmas parties. In trade fairs, there are no games and alcohol consumption, and our main objective is not to have fun, but to help our fellow Ilonggos,” the mayor added.
He also took a swipe at Celiz saying that as a lawyer, he would always follow the rules.
During his time as an executive assistant of former mayor Jed Mabilog, Celiz was also tagged as a drug protector by President Rodrigo Duterte.
“As a lawyer, I always follow rules. Now if you still insist, and ask me to allow a mass gathering of 1,000 people under GCQ, my answer would still be the same – it’s a NO for me,” the mayor said.
‘LIKE GOEBBELS’
Activists also slammed Celiz for his “red-tagging” remarks, which he has consistently done since “confessing” he was a rebel with the codename “Ka Eric Almendras.”
During the summit in Tapaz, Celiz accused Cynthia Deduro of recruiting members of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), through a front he named ‘Tumandok’ under the moniker ‘Kumander Nina’.
Her spouse, MAKABAYAN Coalition Visayas Vice-Chairperson Siegfred Deduro, was also accused as a recruiter of the CPP-NPA a few months ago.
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Panay Chapter released a press statement on its Facebook page on behalf of the Deduros.
In the statement, they denied Celiz’s allegations and described him as a “hypocrite”, detailing his misgivings as a city government employee to his current role as a government “asset” under the NTF-ELCAC.
“It is not us who are hypocrites. It is Mr. Celiz who is a hypocrite. He was accused of using his position while he was employed at the Iloilo City Hall to acquire several relocation lots in the relocation site in Brgy. Sooc, Mandurriao, Iloilo City even though he was not a legitimate relocatee because his house in Barangay Tanza was not demolished. It was also he who was included in Duterte’s drug list as part of the Odicta drug syndicate. He sold his soul to the military, as part of the NTF-ELCAC, afraid of being killed by the government’s anti-drug black ops operatives. Jeffrey Celiz has proven himself to be the ultimate amoral opportunist whose loyalty depends on whoever gives him money and protection. He has no compunction in endangering other people’s lives just to satisfy his current masters and save his own skin,” the statement said.
They likened Celiz to Joseph Goebbels, the propaganda agent of Adolf Hitler during the second World War.
“[Celiz] is a trying hard, fourth-rate copycat and mini-me of Goebells, the chief propagandist of Adolf Hitler. Like Duterte who idolizes Hitler, Jeffrey is part of the grand design of NTF-ELCAC to divert public attention from the real problems created by his fascist and incompetent master,” they added.
They also called the ‘red-tagging’ as a distraction from the “incompetence” of the Duterte administration in providing aid in light of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“The Filipinos are suffering because of the inept Duterte government. These are the bigger problems which fascist corrupt and opportunist propagandists of NTF-ELCAC, like Jeffrey Celiz, want to divert public attention from with their red-tagging campaign,” they said.
