MANILA, 24 June — As if the imposition of fees by the government is not enough, some Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from the northern Philippines now have to contend with "revolutionary taxes" being demanded by communist rebels, a news report has said.

Quoting Maj. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia, chief of the military's Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom), the Philippine Star said the rebel New People's Army is now targeting families of OFWs with its "taxation" scheme.

"Such is a desperate attempt of the communist movement to generate funds for the so-called 'national democratic revolution,'" Garcia was quoted as saying.

Garcia said the scheme is new in the sense that in the past the rebels targeted only the business establishments or contractors. But this time even the families of OFWs who are not really earning that big are not spared.

"We have been monitoring such illegal activities (of the rebels), especially in very remote barangays," Garcia said. "Families of OFWs are very prone to such (extortion) because of fear of reprisals from the rebels."

He explained that families of OFWs living in far-flung communities have ready cash unlike farmers who can only give goods like rice, so "these families have become the new victims."

According to Garcia, the insurgents send a "demand letter" to an OFW's family asking for a fixed amount. They then follow it up and directly confront the victim. When their "target" refuses, Garcia said the rebels harass the family they give in.

"We cannot blame the families (of OFWs) because it is a matter of life and death, but we try to defeat this rebel effort in areas where our troops and armed auxiliaries like the CAFGUs (Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units) are present," he said.

Nolcom has two army infantry divisions (composed of six brigades) or some 10,000 troopers scattered all over the Ilocos, Cordillera, Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon regions.

Garcia said the rebels may still be conducting their traditional "taxation" of local politicians, businessmen and even government employees of either cash or kind like guns, ammunition, handheld radios or uniforms.

He said barangay officials are more prone compared to mayors, congressmen and governors, although this could not easily be confirmed, except when these government officials volunteer information about such extortion.

Earlier, reports, quoting military intelligence sources, said communist rebels have been asking municipal mayors to allocate funds for "the revolutionary movement" from their respective internal revenue allotments.

"We cannot fully confirm that because it should be the mayors and the town treasurers who should give the information," Garcia told The Star.

He could not say how much the insurgents are getting from this "revolutionary taxation" in a month, but added it may run into hundreds of millions of pesos.

He cited a document seized in a captured New People's Army (NPA) camp in Ilocos Sur on June 16 last year that showed that lowly farmers, businessmen and politicians were "contributing" to the underground movement.

"In that particular document, there was an entry where one million pesos was 'contributed' by a single unidentified 'taxpayer.' It was either a big corporation or individual," he said. These extortion activities, he said, may be happening not only in the North but also elsewhere in the country.