Speaking out late last month, the nuns said that they care for and educate the poor on their rights and do not recruit or raise funds for any communist group.
“We have raised this in many instances. We are not the enemy of the government. We have not aided or helped any terrorist group. Our projects go directly to aid the people,” they said in an Aug. 30 statement as reported by UCA News.
“As missionaries, we are unapologetic and unwavering in our commitment to working in poor areas, even when these areas are visited by militarization and armed conflict,” the group said.
The Justice Department of the Philippines froze several of the group’s bank accounts in 2019 after two people testified that RMP had wired money to the CPP. The RMP has consistently denied any association with communist activities in the Philippines, saying that part of their educational mission involves teaching poor people about their rights, and not about communism.
“This is absurd. We are not a communist organization or a communist front. We are not financing terrorist activities through our projects. Our projects are all well-documented, audited, and accounted for,” Sister Elenita Belardo, RMP national coordinator, told Rappler in March 2019.
UCA News notes that “red-tagging” or “red-baiting” has been common in the Philippines since the 1960s. “Red-tagging” is the “malicious” practice of labeling individuals or groups as “terrorists” or “communists” because they criticized the government, UCA News wrote. Human rights groups have accused the Justice Department of rushing the process and not allowing the nuns to defend themselves.
Credit: Source link
