Terrorism and criminality remain pressing issues in the Philippines, and Filipinos must stay vigilant in the fight against insurgency, Vice President Sara Duterte said on Monday.
The VP’s statement came amid the neutralization of ranking New People’s Army (NPA) leader Myrna Sularte (alias Ka Maria) during a military encounter in Butuan City on Feb. 12, as reported by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
AFP Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr. hailed Sularte’s death as “not just a military success, but a victory for the Filipino people,” stressing that communities long affected by insurgency can now look forward to “true peace, economic growth, and improved quality of life.”
Duterte underscored that Mindanao has long suffered from insurgency, particularly under Sularte’s leadership, citing the numerous acts of violence committed against civilians.
The Vice President noted that “countless victims of killings, abductions, torture, and intimidation of civilians—including the arming of minors—” suffered under Sularte’s “cruelty and senseless war.”
“Her end at the hands of our brave soldiers marks the beginning of a new chapter for the communities that experienced the cruelty of the CPP-NPA-NDF,” Duterte stated in Tagalog.
Despite this development, the Vice President warned that the threat of terrorism remains, urging Filipinos to stay alert.
“The threat of terrorism persists through insurgent agents who are now part of our bureaucracy. They are aggressively spreading the distorted ideology of the CPP-NPA-NDF while pushing propaganda against those who stand in their way,” she said.
“Sularte is only part of our insurgency problem. We must remain vigilant against terrorism and criminality. Let us fight and completely dismantle the CPP-NPA-NDF,” Duterte concluded in her statement.