Quit paying ‘tax’ to communists or face raps, NICA warns traders

By Willie Casas and Francisco Tuyay / Manila Standard

The National Intelligence Coordinating Agency issued a stern warning Monday against companies and individuals that they will face charges for paying extortion money to the Communist Party of the Philippines -New People’s Army-National Democratic Front which, in effect, finances the group’s reign of terror, especially in the countryside.

At the weekly virtual press conference of the National Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), NICA Director General Alex Paul Monteagudo said that they are now in the process of collating evidence on several companies and individuals that are paying “revolutionary tax” to the NPA.

“We will be filing cases. NTF-ELCAC is pursuing it,” he said.

Monteagudo also reiterated that NICA has compiled a list of companies and individuals that provide financial support to the Communist Terrorist Groups and are now the subject of an investigation.

The NICA chief, however, was quick to assure companies that wish to cooperate with the authorities would be receiving protection and support from the government to avoid prosecution and the possible freezing of their assets by the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

Based on the NICA report, out of the total P5.4 billion in extortion money which the CTG had collected from 2016 to 2018, m