A FORMER rebel who returned to the fold of law described the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) as the biggest “mafia criminal extortion machinery to ever come to our country.”

Jeffrey Celiz alias Ka Eric Almendras, a former NPA cadre, confirmed the report of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) that the CPP-NPA-NDF are raking in billions of pesos annually from various deceptive and fraudulent schemes.

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC said Celiz, during an interview with SMNI’s TV program, revealed that Communits Terrorist Groups (CTGs) are even getting their money from extortion, project funding from international non-government organizations, infiltration of government bureaucracy and alternative trading.

The CPP-NPA-NDF’s first source of fund comes from extortion and coercion to which Celiz said, can generate up to P600 million where the biggest contributors are the telecommunications companies.

“Nanggagaling ‘yan sa dalawang malaking kumpanya sa telecommunications At kasama na d’yan ang mga triple A contractor na gumagawa ng mga kalsada, flyover, airport, port at mga proyektong mga bilyun-bilyon (piso). Kinokotongan ‘yan at nagbibigay ‘yan,” Celiz said.

He added that mining companies and even local politicians are included as big contributors to the terrorist groups.

The second source of the CTGs’ funding comes from what he calls as “NGO racket conduit operations.”

The CPP-NPA-NDF are continuously setting up various NGOs to solicit funds here and abroad.

Celiz said this racket gives them from P200 to P300 million a year.

He cited as example the IBON Philippines and then IBON Foundation, CERNET (Community Empowerment Resource Network, Inc.) in Visayas and the LCDE (Leyte Community Development sa Samar and Leyte) which has their own Children’s Rehabilitation Center.

“I think in my estimate, the CPP-NPA-NDF over the course of the years was able to establish and create their own NGO network in the Philippines. Mga siguro 50 mahigit o isang daan pa, kasi may mga regional levels ‘yan,” he said.

“And it is a big challenge for the Anti-Money Laundering Council and the Anti-Terrorism Council as a whole na lahat maidentify ito kasama ang mga cadre at mga operatiba na kagaya ko to identify these,” he added.

Aside from that, the NGOs he pointed out are also creating various people’s organizations to act as conduits of funds from international grants and project proposals.

“So, tama ang estimate ni Director General Monteagudo ng NICA at ng mga nasa Security Council na P800 to P1 billion a year,” he said.

However, Celiz said those figures are pre-pandemic which he estimated during 2016-2019.

“But nu’ng nagkaroon ng pandemya, hindi man nawala ang pangongotong at NGO raket, substantial amount of this portion ay nawala din at posibleng nag-slow down ang pagbayad ng pangongotong sa kanila,” he said.

The third fund source of the CPP-NPA-NDF, according to Celiz, comes from the government, as many of the members of the CTGs have already infiltrated the government bureaucracy.

He pointed to the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives as one of the biggest fund generators of the CPP-NPA-NDF.

“Kaya dapat maimbestigahan. Seriously, hindi lamang ng Comelec kung hindi ng Commission on Audit, ng NBI, ng AMLC kung saan napupunta ang pondo ng CPP partylist na identified na. Lima ‘yan — Bayan Muna, Kabataan Partylist, Gabriela Women’s Party, ACT Teachers, at ‘yung isang hindi nakapasok ;yung Anak Pawis,” he said.

“Saan napupunta ang P420 million plus every year since 2020 na Congressional Budget nila including ang raket sa sindikato ng pag-identify ng contractors sa mga project dati na ginagamit nila coming from PDAF o countrywide development fund nila?” Celiz asked.

The fourth source of funds of the CTGs comes from “alternative trading,” which he said is not well-known to many.

He said the CPP-NPA-NDF established trading companies to fund their terrorism.

He added these fronts include Panay Fair Trade Center Corporation which generates about P20 to P30 million in one region alone.

“I think they are trying to replicate this kind of special operations, alter trading or alternate trading na involve sila sa World Fair Trade Group na konektado din sa International League of People’s Struggle,” Celiz said.