Lorenzana calls the operations vs. NPAs an ‘all-out war’

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana describes the ongoing military operations against the communist rebels as an all-out war.

This he said in a press conference in Malacañang on Tuesday morning.

“It’s an all-out war. Ano ba ang pinagkaiba nila sa Abu Sayyaf? (How are they different from the Abu Sayyaf?),” he asked.

Lorenzana cited the death of 3 soldiers in the hands of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Sitio Kaleb, Barangay Kibalabag, Malaybalay, Bukidnon on February 1, 2017.

Each of the soldiers sustained at least 23 gunshot wounds.

“The soldiers’ death in Bukidnon was murder, not a rubout,” he said.

He added, “we consider the NPA a national security threat. They can always launch attacks against our troops.”