DOJ: Beltran is a CPP-NPA member

Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran was accused yesterday of being a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) by a state prosecutor tasked to prosecute him for rebellion.

Senior State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco said two self-confessed CPP-NPA members will confirm this fact when they testify against the 73-year-old Beltran who will be tried for rebellion before the Makati Regional Trial Court.

Responding to Beltran’s lawyer Romeo Capulong’s motion for judicial determination of probable cause, Velasco said yesterday the prosecution has more than enough evidence to show probable cause.

Velasco said in an answer-comment filed before RTC Branch 137 presided by Judge Jenny Delorino the DOJ is now offering the testimonies of CPP-NPA members Jaime Beltran Fuentes and Vicente Ladlad against the lawmaker.

The witnesses have "personal knowledge that Beltran was a ranking member of the CPP-NPA," while Anakpawis is nothing more than a political front, he added.

Velasco said Beltran, who headed the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno labor union, is allegedly "regularly giving financial and material contributions (to the NPA) in furtherance of its armed rebellion to topple the present government, among others."

There is no truth to Beltran’s and Capulong’s claim that the DOJ and the Philippine National Police are conniving against Beltran, who has accused PNP chief Director General Arturo Lomibao of framing him up, he added.

Velasco said it is also not true that they are depriving Beltran of his right to due process since it was him and his lawyer who forfeited that right when they made a mockery of the criminal justice system during the inquest proceedings at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) headquarters at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

What is important right now is that Bel-tran and his legal counsel have admitted that there is an existing rebellion against the government as shown by armed hostilities against the administration, he added.

Beltran and 1Lt. Lawrence San Juan of the renegade Magdalo Group of junior military officers were charged with rebellion last month for allegedly forging an alliance with the CPP-NPA to oust President Arroyo.