Communists may infiltrate media, Gonzales warns

National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales warned yesterday that communist rebels might have already infiltrated the media.

Speaking at the weekly "Kapihan ng Bayan" hosted by Secretary Cerge Remonde, head of the Government Mass Media Group, Gonzales said one of the main thrusts of communist rebellions worldwide is propaganda.

"That’s why in the Philippines it’s very hard to say that there are no attempts to infiltrate the media," he said. "Their emphasis is propaganda, so media is always a primary target."

However, Gonzales did not say the extent of the supposed communist penetration of the media.

When pointed out that his statements might be misinterpreted, he said: "What I’m saying is that journalists might be courted by enemies of the state and probably successfully."

Gonzales said what would generate controversy is the action the government would take on the issue.

"You have a government that has not in any way clamped on media," he said.

"Our attitude to our difficulties with some sectors of the media is that these are additional challenges to us but what is important is that the truth surface," he said.

Gonzales said compounding the government campaign in fighting communist propaganda is the fact that the opposition is "at a desperate stage" where it is willing to forge alliances with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

"There are media practitioners who are being paid or sympathizers of the opposition who would create issues even if they know they are already helping the communists," he said.

Gonzales said some media practitioners are "bona fide members" of the CPP, although he did not identify them.

"These people would neither be prosecuted nor clamped down by the government, because it is not important if these media practitioners would be criminally liable, but for the government to know what it would do to counter black propaganda being peddled by the communist movement," he said.

During the same forum, Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, Army 7th Infantry Division commander, said even government offices, especially in the provinces, and the military have been infiltrated by NPA intelligence network.

These members of the NPA’s intelligence network are observing and intimidating civilians, which creates an atmosphere of fear in far-flung barangays, and even in urban areas, he added.

Palparan, known for his hard-line stance against communist rebels, said although the NPA has a small number of about 8,000 fighters, it has a network of "part-time rebels" that infiltrate local government offices to monitor the movement of officials, and even the deployment of troops.

"Sila ito yung mga intelligence na gamit sa barangay kaya takot na takot ang tao even in the absence of the armed group," he said

"Kung pumunta ka sa bayan mas marami ito, you can find them in the tricycle drivers na mabilis utusan kumuha ng information regarding movement of people, including soldiers at umabot na rin ito ’dun sa nandyan sa mga sabungan, mga terminal, umabot na nga ito d’yan sa mga opisina ng mga mayors, marami, even the governors’ office, even in the police forces, police detachments, even the military." — Paolo Romero, James Mananghaya