Palace: PH troops competent to fight Reds
FOLLOWING the termination of government’s peace negotiations with the communists, Malacañang on Saturday, was confident that the Philippine troops are capable to launch offensives against the communist insurgents.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, December 2, in Zamboanga City, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque slammed the communist party for allegedly betraying the Duterte administration, whose efforts to hold series of talks with the communist leaders in quest of peace and order in the country have been wasted.
Roque then branded the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing New People’s Army (NPA) as “traitor and obsolete.”
“What happened is not peace talks; the talks were part of [the communists’] treachery. I’m serious. The CPP-NPA are traitor and obsolete,” the presidential spokesman said.
“I’m not bragging but if we’re able to defeat world terrorists [who belong to] ISIS, we can also defeat them (communists),” he added.
President Rodrigo Duterte has issued Proclamation 316, ending the talks between the government peace panel and the communist leaders.
On November 29, the President directed the security forces to shoot armed communist rebels as he is set to sign an executive order declaring the CPP, NPA, and the National Democratic Front (NDF) as terrorists.
Duterte also reiterated his order to re-arrest the top communist leaders who were granted temporary freedom to join the stalled peace talks.
“If there is an armed NPA there or terrorist, if he’s holding a firearm, shoot,” the Commander-in-Chief said during a send-off ceremony at the Sual Wharf in Pangasinan.
“Do not answer that issue of human rights. You say, ‘Go to Duterte. It is and was he’d order,’” he added.
In a statement on Wednesday, the CPP Central Committee called for unity to “overthrow the United States-Duterte fascist regime.”
It also urged the communist rebels to engage the Duterte regime in “intense battles” and accelerate efforts to wage “anti-fascist, anti-feudal, and anti-imperialist struggles.”
Roque said there was nothing wrong with Duterte’s pronouncement to kill armed members of NPA, stressing that they are a threat to military’s security and safety.
“On international humanitarian law, a law that regulates conduct of war, states that it is not unlawful to kill. It is unlawful to kill if you target so-called noncombatants, the civilians,” Roque said.
“If there is an armed NPA, it is not unlawful to kill him because an armed NPA is a threat to humanity and the right to life of our soldiers,” he added.