Padilla: 'Communist' remark backs social justice, not armed struggle

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Robinhood Padilla on Thursday clarified that his recent declaration, “Komunista po ako” (I am a communist) meant that he stood for social justice rather than armed struggle.

In a press release from his office, Padilla said he made the clarification following varying interpretations of his statement during the fifth day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

“My position is against violence and armed struggle. What I am referring to is the spirit of brotherhood, compassion for others, and social justice that have long been practiced in early Christian and Muslim communities,” Padilla said in Filipino.

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READ: Angel Locsin kay Robin Padilla: Gising na. Hindi pa huli ang lahat

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On Tuesday, Padilla called himself a “communist” while asking clarificatory questions as a senator-judge to National Bureau of Investigation Regional Director Jeremy Lotoc who took the witness stand during trial.

Actress Angel Locsin later called out Padilla over the remark, questioning where the senator was when she was being red-tagged despite allegedly knowing that the accusations against her were untrue.

Locsin said Padilla’s declaration had reminded her of the man she once knew, recalling that the senator had previously told her about the time he went to the mountains and took up arms “to fight for the country.”

Padilla, meanwhile, explained that the communism he was referring to was rooted in the principles of communal cooperation and the fair distribution of wealth, rather than Marxist-Leninist or Maoist ideologies associated with armed struggle.

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He said his position was instead aligned with what he described as “Christian Communism,” which he said was practiced by early Christian communities through the sharing of resources.

READ: Robin Padilla sees Quiboloy as hero and victim: ‘He fought the NPA’

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Padilla also cited the Islamic concept of Mu’akhat as practiced in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, which he said promoted cooperation and the sharing of resources as one community.

According to Padilla, these principles showed that communal systems based on equality and cooperation existed even before modern communist ideologies emerged.

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He maintained that his declaration, as an expression of his support for brotherhood, compassion and social justice, remained consistent with his role as a military reservist and his commitment to support peace and end armed conflicts in the country. /jpv