POLICE are monitoring the possible presence of suspected CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines)/NPA (New People’s Army) personalities in campaign rallies of the opposition led by Vice President Leni Robredo as mentioned by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte himself, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Dionardo B. Carlos said on Monday.

“We will look at it and submit the report to the President. We will make a report and monitoring,” the top cop said.

Over the weekend, President Duterte expressed concern over supposed “collusion” between communist groups and the opposition and vowed he will not tolerate any form of violence in the days leading to the May 9 national and local elections.

The CCP, however, denied talks of a “coalition government between them and any of the presidential candidates.”

Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV also challenged President Duterte and Partido Reporma standard-bearer Sen. Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson to identify the communists who are allegedly part of the presidential bid of Vice President Robredo.

The ex-lawmaker issued the challenge a day after President Duterte said he has received an intelligence report about a supposed conspiracy between the CPP/NPA, the “Yellow” forces, and another unspecified group to sow trouble during the May 9 polls.

Sen. Lacson also warned about a possible “communist infiltration” in VP Robredo’s campaign and urged her team to take appropriate action against it.

There were reports that some officials of legal fronts of the CPP/NPA were present during a Robredo rally in Cavite.

“Sabi nila, mali ang intelligence sources ko. Mali din daw si dating NPA (New People’s Army), Jeffrey Celiz. Si Ret. Col. Hector Tarrazona, mali din. Ngayon, mali pa rin daw ang Presidente at ang buong intelligence community ng gobyerno. Ang gusto ba nilang palabasin, sila at ang CPP/NPA lang ang tama?” Lacson said.

The former PNP chief-turned presidential candidate on Friday scored the propaganda by some groups that claimed activists were arrested in Cavite after he warned of the possible infiltration by the CCP and its legal fronts in the campaign of VP Robredo.

Sen. Lacson said a fact-check showed the arrests were related to an operation of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) against illegal drugs in the province.

“May naaresto pero drug operation ito sa Bacoor. Ang nag-operate, PDEA, anti-illegal drugs operation,” he said. Last Friday, PDEA and Cavite Police operatives smashed a drug den in Bgy. Talaba 7 in Bacoor City where they arrested 12 suspects and seized around 25 grams of shabu worth P241,500 and various drug paraphernalia.

The Partido Reporma standard-bearer noted the groups that issued “alerts” tried to make it appear that they were arrested because he had “red-tagged” them for attending Robredo’s campaign rally in Cavite earlier this month. “Ganyan ang kanilang ginagawang propaganda. Kaya huwag maligaw ang ma-attend na volunteer,” Sen. Lacson said.

Lacson reiterated he has never engaged in red-tagging, and that he merely warned those concerned about entering into a possible coalition government with the CPP, NPA, and National Democratic Front (NDF) – with the NPA insurgency having been behind the loss of more than 2,000 deaths and billions of pesos in revolutionary taxes and the destruction of properties of those who refused to “cooperate” with them.

Also, he maintained he has his own intelligence sources who validated the information that members of CPP legal fronts were at Robredo’s rally. He added it is natural for the CPP and its legal fronts to discredit ex-NPA cadre Jeffrey “Ka Eric” Celiz.

“Ang armed struggle [ay] hindi ma-justify no matter how you look at it,” he stressed.