MANILA, Philippines — The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) welcomed reports that US authorities are investigating alleged recruitment, financing and logistical support networks of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) operating in the United States, following reports that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had questioned the family of an American activist detained in the Philippines.
NTF-Elcac spokesman Liza Fidelis Cañada said Americans and organizations suspected of supporting the communist insurgency should expect scrutiny from US authorities, noting that Washington designated the CPP-NPA as a foreign terrorist organization in 2002.
The task force issued the statement on Thursday following disclosures by the communist-led National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) concerning alleged FBI inquiries involving the family of Gabe Pasion, an Anakbayan activist. Pasion reportedly said during a press conference in Baltimore organized by the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines that FBI personnel and the US Embassy in Manila had repeatedly contacted his family through phone calls, home visits and inquiries at their workplaces.
His sister, Christina Pasion, was arrested in July following a raid on a suspected communist safehouse in Laguna.
Cañada said the reported inquiries should prompt closer examination of possible recruitment and support networks allegedly operating under the banner of human rights and social justice advocacy. "The allegations reported by the NDFP reinforce the need to investigate whether organizations operating under the banner of human rights and social justice are being exploited as recruitment and support networks for the CPP-NPA," she said.
Cañada said the reported FBI inquiries came months after the US Embassy issued a security advisory in May warning Americans against NPA recruitment and involvement in armed insurgency activities. She cited several cases involving Americans who allegedly became involved with the communist movement in the Philippines.
In January, Filipino-American Chantal Anicoche of Maryland was recovered near an armed encounter in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro. She later acknowledged traveling to the Philippines intending to join the NPA and staying in an insurgent camp before her repatriation, according to NTF-ELCAC.
Christina Pasion, who had traveled with Anicoche, reportedly remained with the communist movement for several more months before being arrested in July alongside a wanted NPA member. In April, American activists Lyle Prijoles and Kai Dana-Rene Sorem, both linked to Anakbayan-USA, were among those killed during an armed encounter in Negros Occidental.
"These cases raise serious questions. Who recruited these young Americans? Who financed and facilitated their travel? What networks connected them with armed insurgents and ultimately placed their lives in danger?" Cañada said.
She called for closer cooperation between Philippine and American authorities to investigate possible recruitment, financing and logistical support networks operating across borders.
"The Philippine government stands ready to cooperate and share relevant intelligence with the FBI and other competent American authorities," she said.
Cañada also urged Filipino-American families, particularly parents of young people seeking to reconnect with their Philippine roots through activism, to remain vigilant against what she described as deceptive recruitment disguised as human rights or social justice advocacy.
"No political ideology justifies sacrificing young lives on the altar of a dying, violent rebellion," she said.
