(Eagle News) — The Philippine National Police stood by its gathering of information on members of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, noting that it was Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines himself who admitted the group was “among the front organizations under its wings that work in support of the the forces of the armed revolution.”
In a statement, the PNP said that while it used to recognize ACT as a “legitimate union of teachers in the Philippines established since 1982 for the purpose of protecting the rights of teachers,” the group “ceased to enjoy this recognition when the enemies of the state proclaimed ACT as one of their own..”
“Because Sison himself has identified ACT as a front organization of the CPP/(New People’s Army)/(National Democratic Front), the burden is now upon members of ACT to dissociate themselves from this terrorist organization and denounce its infiltration, manipulation, and use of the ranks of Filipino educators,” the PNP said.
The PNP added the scope of Republic Act 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 specifically does not apply to “information necessary in order to carry out the functions of public authority, which includes the processing of personal data for the performance by the independent, central monetary authority and law enforcement and regulatory agencies of their constitutionally and statutorily mandated functions.”
According to the PNP, “it is the duty of the state to protect its citizens and the national interest against the enemies of the state…”
“Gathering intelligence allows the state to distinguish genuine progressives from unrepentant Communist terrorists out to overthrow a duly elected government through violent means; routinely extort, burn and loot assets of businesses that gave livelihood to peace-loving citizens of this country,” the PNP said.
ACT and its affiliate groups have asked the Court of Appeals to stop the PNP’s alleged implementation of memoranda directing the profiling against them, saying, among others, that these were illegal and were made with “grave abuse of discretion.”
