THE Communist Party of the Philippines has threatened to eliminate one soldier daily in the 17 regions where it operates in retaliation for the government’s decision to junk the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees and arrest National Democratic Front consultant Rafael Baylosis last week.
In a statement, CPP founder Jose Maria Sison also threatened to punish the Duterte administration by launching tactical offensives across the country.
“The NPA in 17 regions has… the capacity of knocking out at least one AFP soldier every day per region. That eliminates at least 510 enemy troops or some five companies every month nationwide. That translates to the elimination of some 60 companies or 20 basic battalions every year,” Sison said.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines was quick to dismiss Sison’s threat as a desperate ploy as more New People’s Army rebels were giving up the armed struggle and rejoining mainstream society.
“Sison is hallucinating ,” said a military official who asked not to be named.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the CPP are delusional if they think they can win and establish a communist government in the Philippines.
“The empty talk of the CPP-NPA will not diminish our defenders’ resolve to finally put a stop to the communist-terrorists’ decades-long exploitation of indigenous peoples and rural communities. For far too long, they have impeded progress, denying the Philippines a chance to fully develop and depriving the Filipino people the opportunity to improve their quality of life,” Lorenzana said
Reacting strongly to the termination of the Jasig, Sison adviced NPA foot soldiers to intensify tactical offensives against armed units of the AFP, the Philippine National Police and auxiliary forces to compel the government to resume the peace negotiations.
He said the government should stop arresting NDF negotiating personnel and violating the Jasig.
“It is good to keep open the possibility of resuming the peace negotiations rather than violate the Jasig and undermine confidence in the peace process in a longlasting way,” he added.
Sison said with or without President Rodrigo Duterte, the government will decide to negotiate peace when the “people’s war” inflicts larger casualties on soldiers, “including notorious human rights violators, local tyrants, land grabbers, drug lords and other notorious criminals.”
“The NPA has the advantage of having a just cause and enjoying the support of the people and being able to launch ambushes and raids by surprise. In sharp contrast, the reactionary troops are hated by the people, are exposed to public view and are practically deaf and blind in operations against the NPA most of the time,” Sison said.
At present, the military said a total of 320 NPA regulars have surrendered, bringing along their firearms since the military stepped up its operations.