The military will not stop combat operations against the New People’s Army, even though the rebels have taken 12 militiamen and two soldiers hostage in Sibagat, Agusan del Sur and said they would not be released until attacks against them have ceased.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Friday they would not allow the rebels to use the captured troops as leverage.
He said the militiamen and soldiers knew they were at war with the rebels and that if they were being held hostage, that was part of the job.
Earlier, Armed Forces of the Philippines public affairs office chief Col. Noel Detoyato said that a Board of Inquiry has been formed to investigate the rebel raid in Sibagat last Dec. 19.
He said troops were pursuing the rebels, who also carted away automatic rifles, ammunition, a radio and other supplies.
Lorenzana also said the military would need more naval and aerial assets so it can perform its mandate and end threats to the country’s internal security.
“We need more ships, we need more helicopters,” Lorenzana said when asked about his priorities for the Armed Forces of the Philippines during a press briefing Thursday.
He said more equipment would boost the capability of government forces, especially in neutralizing Abu Sayyaf terrorists and communist insurgents.
“If we can reduce the problem areas to just a law enforcement problem which could be handled by the police, we can devote military to some other activities like organizing more engineering brigades so that we can also help in the development of the countryside,” he said.
Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order No. 70 directing the creation of a national task force to end the armed conflict with the communists, as well as the adoption of a national peace framework that will contain policies addressing the root causes of the insurgency.