President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday confirmed that at least five party-list groups are serving as “legal fronts” of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Duterte issued the statement, as he backed the claim of National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson for sectoral concerns and Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy against five party-lists that are allegedly conniving with the CPP.

In his taped Talk to the People aired late Tuesday night, March 29, Duterte said Badoy is “right” that party-list groups Kabataan, Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, and Gabriela, or the so-called “KABAG,” are in alliance with the communist group to topple the government.

“Sabihin ko sa inyo, tama si Lorraine Badoy na itong mga party-list na Kabataan, Anakpawis, Bayan Muna, Alliance of Concerned Teachers or ACT, at Gabriela, makita naman ninyo sa behavior nila (I will tell you, Lorraine Badoy is right about her claim against party-lists Kabataan, Anakpawis, Bayan Muna, Alliance of Concerned Teachers or ACT, and Gabriela. You could confirm that through their behavior),” Duterte said. “Ang problema (The problem is) they are supporting, or they are really parang (perhaps), legal fronts ng (of the) Communist Party of the Philippines.”

On March 26, Badoy coined the term “KABAG” as an acronym for party-list groups Kabataan, ACT, Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, and Gabriela that have purportedly been infiltrated by the CPP.

Prior to Badoy’s remarks, Duterte on March 21 warned the public against the possible coalition between the communist group and various political parties led by an unnamed presidential aspirant.

Duterte said it was not surprising that the CPP has been able to get support from the five party-lists.

“Alam mo, they are, totoo iyan, nakapasok sila sa Congress (You know that’s true that they have infiltrated the Congress). And no doubt about it. They have used the party-lists. Alam mo, bright kasi yung gumawa noon eh (Who did that was bright),” he said.

Duterte also lamented that the party-list groups allied with the CPP are using public funds to support the rebels.

“They were able to blossom into something. Matagal na ito. Ang problema, ginagamit nila ang pera, kinukuha nila ang pera ng gobyerno at binubuhay nila ang mga (It’s been a practice. The problem is they are using the government’s money for the)… They are supporting a bunch of [rebels],” he said.

‘Controlled by the rich’

Apart from the communists, the party-list groups are also being controlled by the rich, Duterte said.

He claimed that communists are earning ”billions” of pesos through their extortion scheme against construction firms and contractors.

“Alam mo (You know), it’s a conspiracy, meron kang legal front, meron kang ano, party-list. But it is a conspiracy – the act of one, the act of all,” he said.

The CPP-New People’s Army is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

The Anti-Terrorism Council also formally designated CPP-NPA’s political wing, National Democratic Front, as a terrorist organization on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA that was created in April 1973.PNA