Trillanes: Gov't execs involved in Kadamay takeover are CPP members

Senator Antonio "Sonny" F. Trillanes IV has filed a resolution seeking for an inquiry on the illegal occupation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)/Philippine National Police (PNP) housing units in Bulacan by the members of the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY), including the national security implications of said takeover.

In the filed Proposed Senate Resolution No. 345, Trillanes noted that 5,208 idle government housing units in Bulacan meant to house families of soldiers and police were forcibly occupied by the urban poor group mostly led by Kadamay, which later on was allowed by President Rodrigo Duterte by asking the uniformed personnel to let go of their claims.

"Aside from setting a bad and dangerous precedent, the decision to allow the members of Kadamay to occupy an entire community has national security implications since intelligence reports suggest that Kadamay is a front organization of the communist groups," Trillanes, former officer of the AFP, said in the proposed resolution.

Trillanes further noted that based on the information received, some members of the Cabinet connected to the administration of government housing units are involved with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). Among these are: Leoncio Evasco Jr., Secretary to the Cabinet and Chair of Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), allegedly a member of the CPP, and elected as CPP Central Committee member in the 8th Central Committee Plenum (1981) in Mt. Susung Dalaga, Bicol; Marcelino P. Escalada Jr., General Manager of the National Housing Authority (NHA), reportedly a CPP full member; and James Mark Terry Ridon, Chair of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor, elected as CPP Central Committee Member in the 13th Central Committee Plenum (2012) in Quezon City.

"If said reports are true, the wholesale takeover of several communities by Kadamay may mean the creation of sanctuaries for communist groups in Bulacan, which is strategically located near the National Capital Region," Trillanes added.

Trillanes further stated in the said resolution: "There is an immediate need to look into and to conduct an in-depth investigation on this illegal occupation, particularly on its procedural and security repercussions. We need to enact a remedial legislation to ensure that use of force and violence is not resorted to in the future by groups seeking housing assistance from the government,"