NPA attacks prompt gov’t cancellation of talks

THE GOVERNMENT on Wednesday canceled talks with communist rebels, citing continued attacks on government forces even up to that day.

Among the latest reported incidents were an encounter early Wednesday morning in North Cotabato province between members of the Presidential Security Group ( PSG) and rebels of the New People’s Army (NPA).

Canceled, in particular, were back-channel talks next month in Europe that both the government and the rebels had already agreed on.

“President ( Rodrigo R.) Duterte stressed that the Reds really need to stop engaging the military in Mindanao if they want to continue the peace negotiations, adding that the government has always dealt with the communist rebels in good faith,” a statement by Malacañang said on Wednesday.

“The Duterte administration has shown in numerous occasions its strong commitment to bring peace,” Mr. Abella for his part said.

“It is time for the NDFP to reciprocate the government’s gestures of goodwill by ending their extortion and criminal activities and re-directing their energy to help eradicate terrorism and violent extremism in Mindanao,” he added.

For his part, Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus G. Dureza said: “The situation on the ground [that is] necessary to provide the desired enabling environment for the conduct of peace negotiations [is] still not present up to this time.”

In that reported encounter on Wednesday, the military said four of the 10 members of the Presidential Security Group ( PSG) that engaged in a firefight with the New People’s Army ( NPA) sustained “slight wounds.”

The PSG team, which was traveling in two vehicles, was headed toward Cagayan de Oro from Camp Panacan in Davao City when they came across a “checkpoint” in the town of Arakan, North Cotabato, manned by about 50 armed men wearing military uniform.

“There was a group of armed men wearing Army uniform. So when our troops saw them, they stopped because they thought they ( were) also troopers. The NPA, they are fond of that, pretending. So when our troops noticed that the armed men were not really military men, that was when the firefight started,” PSG spokesman Lt. Col. Michael T. Aquino said in a phone interview.

Mr. Aquino clarified earlier reports, which stated that the incident was an ambush, saying, “I’ll repeat. It was not an ambush. It was an encounter. Our troops fired back when they noticed the armed men were not military men.”

Also sought for comment, 1st Lt. Silver Adell B. Belvis of the 39th Infantry Battalion said in a phone interview that the incident was a “road block” and not an ambush. — with and