President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday offered a P2-million bounty to anyone who could kill or capture a top commander of the communist New People’s Army.
He promised to give the killers of communist leaders a piece of land and a new identity to protect them, and he made the offer in a taped public address.
“If you kill or point where a commander is, tell me and you will have P2 million as long as it’s a top commander,” Duterte said.
He told informants to make a report to either the police or the military and warned them to avoid telling local officials because some of them were communist sympathizers.
Duterte made his offer even as the National Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday announced the arrest of a 25-year old public high school teacher who posted in his Twitter account an offer to give P50 million to anyone who could kill Duterte.
Ronnel Mas was arrested Monday in North Poblacion village in Santa Cruz, Zambales. An official said he was currently teaching social studies in Taltal National High School, he had a master’s degree and was now pursuing a doctorate degree.
Mas apologized for his post, but Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the apology would not exculpate him from his criminal liability.
Duterte said a soldier or a policeman providing information that led to the arrest of a communist leader would share the reward.
To protect the soldier or policeman, he would be moved to another place.
“If you hail from Abra, I will transfer you to Mindanao where there are many Ilocanos. I will give you land. Stay there so they won’t kill you,” Duterte said.
He made his offer after communist rebels were reported to have conducted a series of attacks against government troops while the country was struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic.
He warned he might declare martial law if the communists continued their attacks on state troops.