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By Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
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Thursday, February 9, 2017
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President Rodrigo Duterte (center) presides over a meeting with officers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police at the 4th Infantry Division Headquarters in Camp Evangelista, Cagayan de Oro City on Sunday, Feb. 5.PCO
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MANILA – Sen. Francis Pangilinan described President Rodrigo Duterte’s calls for an “all-out war” against the New People’s Army (NPA) as “rash” and “impulsive.”
Duterte, in a speech days after he lifted the government’s ceasefire with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and terminated the peace talks with the National Democratic Front (NDF), labelled the communist rebels as a “terror group.”
“This communist insurgency, which has resulted in the killing of Filipino by fellow Filipino, has been going on for nearly half a century. He has been President just six months… It is crucial that the administration take a broader view of the challenges and demands of peace negotiations,” Pangilinan on Wednesday said.
The senator said the administration’s efforts towards peace should promote “greater patience” and “understanding” and refrain from resorting to aggression and violence.
“In the path to peace, we all need to exercise greater restrain, patience, and tolerance rather than be quick to allow anger, intolerance, and the violence of war to overcome us all,” he added.
Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier clarified that the all-out offensive will be directed only to the NPA and not their peaceful supporters.
Lorenzana said the military is ready for the battle, saying that “we have sufficient troops in Caraga, Southern Mindanao and other places”.
The secretary also promised to ensure that no human rights abuses will happen during the military operations against armed rebels.
“We will see to it that those abuses will not be committed again. It is bad for the image of the military. Alam mo nawawalan ng kredibilidad ‘yung military pagka umaabuso sila. And we try to avoid that,” he said./PN
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