Members of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas–Negros (KMP-Negros) yesterday picketed the Commission on Elections in Manila to call for the disqualification of the Abang Lingkod party-list group, which they described as a party-list group of the government-funded Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB) and big landlords.

“Abang Lingkod's attempt to join the party-list elections is an outright mockery of the party-list system,” said KMP–Negros secretary general Greg Ratin, who said they would picket until Aug. 31.

Ratin called on the Comelec to immediately deny the petition for registration of Abang Lingkod, whose first nominee is Joseph Stephen Paduano, also known as Carapali Lualhati, the national commander of the RPA-ABB. The RPA-ABB is engaged in peace negotiations with the government.

“It is totally revolting that the RPA-ABB, through the pseudo party-list Abang Lingkod, claims to be farmers representative when the truth is, they have evolved into a bandit group and private army of landlords especially in areas where agrarian disputes exists, ” Ratin said.

He said “Landlords hired members of the RPA-ABB as part of their security forces to coerce protesting farmworkers, peasants and women, especially in areas where there are land disputes and the masses are struggling for genuine agrarian reform.”

He also said that aside from landlords, the RPA-ABB stands as hired guns of local politicos in Negros as highlighted by the extrajudicial killing of Judge Henry Arles last April.

Recent reports said a witness, who was identified only as “Honeybee” executed an affidavit, claiming that Rustom Puro, a ranking member of the RPA-ABB and the husband of her cousin, told her that he and Marvin Salve were contracted by the group of Vice Governor Genaro Alvarez Jr., his son, Ilog Mayor John Paul Alvarez, and Cauayan Vice Mayor Jerry Tabujara, to assassinate Arles, Ratin said.

The RPA, the Alvarezes, and Tabujara have, however, denied participation in the killing.

Victorino Sumulong, RPA-ABB spokesman, said they were not surprised by the KMP picket as they are always finding fault in them but their allegations are entirely not true.

He said they were giving up their armed struggle by entering into a peace agreement with government, and opting for change through parliamentary struggle.

Last July, KMP-National and the rights group Karapatan filed a disqualification complaint against Abang Lingkod Partylist before the Comelec main office. The complaint also cited that Paduano, through his group RPA-ABB, was a recipient of "funding from the government and big landlords in Negros, hence a ground for removal and/or cancellation of Abang Lingkod's registration with this Honorable Commission."*CPG

back to top