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BY PRINCE GOLEZ and ADRIAN STEWART CO
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February 6, 2018
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MANILA – The government will not be intimidated by the threat that the New People’s Army (NPA) could kill soldiers daily in light of the termination of the peace talks and the rearrest of rebel leaders, Malacañang said.
Officials from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) also assured that they are ready for any attack from the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
Reacting to the capture of National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) consultant Rafael Baylosis, CPP founder Joma Sison said the NPA could kill one government soldier a day.
“The NPA in 17 regions actually has the capacity of knocking out at least one AFP soldier every day per region,” Sison said in a statement.
“That eliminates at least 510 enemy troops or some five companies every month nationwide,” Sison said. “That translates to the elimination of some 60 companies or 20 basic battalions every year.”
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said on Monday the government troops will not “kneel down” to the NPA.
“Bakit kami luluhod? Ano ba ang akala niya sa Hukbong Sandataan, hindi natin sila kaya? Manuod siya,” he said.
Roque added: “Ayaw ng Presidente sana na dumanak ng dugo, pero ’wag niyang (Sison) tatakutin iyong gobyerno na parang kontrolado nila ang teritoryo ng Pilipinas.”
Rebels continued their offensives while the government was reaching out to them during the peace negotiations, said the spokesman.
“Binigyan na nga sila ng free passes, pinadadala pa sila sa Norway, all expenses paid, patuloy pa rin ang pagpapatay nila ng sundalo,” Roque said. “Go ahead, [Sison can] make all the threats he wants.”
Just this Jan. 31 the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) arrested Baylosis in Quezon City along with a suspected NPA member, Guillermo Roque.
Baylosis was facing murder charges over the 1985 massacre in Inopacan, Leyte. He and other NDFP consultants were granted bail in August 2016 to attend the peace talks in Norway.
But in November last year President Rodrigo Duterte terminated the peace negotiations amid continued attacks against state troops and civilians.
The President also declared the CPP and the NPA as terrorist organizations.
The following day joint operatives of the CIDG, the Philippine Army and the Police Regional Office 13 arrested a suspected finance officer of the NPA, Leonida Guao, also known as “Leah,” “Ligaya” and “Laya.”
Guao was “responsible for the synchronization of the collection and distribution of extortion money in Mindanao,” the AFP said.
Sison believes that more attacks on government forces will force Duterte to declare the resumption of the peace talks.
“With or without Duterte as president, the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) will decide to negotiate peace when the people’s war can inflict larger casualties on enemy troops,” he said.
AFP spokesperson Colonel Edgard Arevalo said their operatives will not be intimidated by Sison’s threat and will continue its offensives against the NPA.
“That will not diminish our resolve to further enhance our services, especially peace and development efforts and infrastructure development, particularly in the countryside,” Arevalo said.
“With or without threat to the lives of our soldiers, our troops will be there for our people in the communities where they are most needed,” he added. “To live in constant danger is part of the sworn duty of every serviceman.”
Police officers will be ready to defend themselves and even engage NPA rebels if the latter intensify their attacks, PNP chief Ronald Dela Rosa said.
“Wala kaming magawa kundi depensahan iyong sarili namin,” he told a news conference on Monday. “Our policemen will be on ‘attack mode’ kahit na kulang pa tayo ng mga kagamitan at armas.”/PN
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