President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday ordered an all-out war against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peoples’ Army, six months after declaring a permanent termination of peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front.
“I am ordering an all-out-war against the NPA. If I can, I will end the insurgency problem within my term,” the President said.
In August, the President warned of a “very radical change” that would lead to “a little trouble” for communist rebels in the coming months.
“I’m serving notice to everybody that in the coming months, it will be not really bloody, but there will be at least, a little trouble for our country,” the President said.
CPP founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison, for his part, belittled the all-out-war order of President Duterte.
“He has done that before in 2016 to 2017 even when he was pretending to be pushing for peace negotiations. But he has always failed in his deadlines to end the revolutionary movement,” Sison told Manila Standard.
Duterte said he was “hurt” when NPA rebels killed four policemen in Negros Oriental in July.
“I am hurt. Despite our kind treatment, you killed my policemen and slashed their throats,” he said.
The President earlier offered a P6-million bounty for the capture of those behind the brutal killing of the four police officers.
