to lift unilateral truce after NPA ambush
President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday threatened to withdraw the unilateral ceasefire with the communist rebel group he declared during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA).
In a televised speech before hundreds of troops of the Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM) in Lucena City, Quezon on Thursday afternoon, Duterte said he called a leftist congressman and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, chairman of the negotiating panel of the government, to demand an explanation from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on the incident in Davao del Norte.
The president said in tagalog: “Sabi ko, ‘Ano ba ito, are we in into these truce or are we not?’ Sabi ko sa kanila, Give me an answer by tonight because kapag tomorrow, wala, tatanggalin ko, balik tayo sa away."
(Translation: "I said, what's this, are we in into this truce or are we not? I said to them, give me an answer by tonight because when tomorrow, nothing would be done, I will cancel, we return to the fray or fight)".
"If you do not honor or you kill a single soldier or a CAFGU, which is also a soldier of the Republic, eh sabi ko kalimutan na natin ito (eh I said let's forget this). Fight na lang (just fight). I am demanding an explanation from the Communist Party of the Philippines,” he said.
According to Duterte, disciplinary action will also be taken against those responsible on the government side.
“Kung nagkasala kami rito (If we have wronged), we punish our men and women sa serbisyo (in the service). Expect the same and I demand an answer na kung sino ang nagkasala (that who are guilty), they must also put under disciplinary action. Otherwise, wala tayong pinag-usapan (we have not discussed). That is my deal,” he said.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines had earlier suspended its military operations against the CPP-NPA-National Democratic Front (NDF) effective Tuesday following Duterte's declaration of a unilateral ceasefire during his first State of the Nation Address on Monday.
In the SONA, Duterte also said he aims for a "permanent and lasting peace" before his term ends in 2022.
On the other hand, the CPP welcomed the ceasefire declaration, describing it as a positive boost to the peace talks scheduled on August 20 to 27 in Norway, but adding that the release of political prisoners should follow immediately. But has yet to declare its own ceasefire.
On Thursday, Peace Process Jesus Dureza announced that negotiators between the government and communist rebels will resume in Oslo, Norway on August 20, after a decade-long lull.
The warning came a day after the ambush of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) staged by the New People's Army (NPA) on Wednesday in Barangay (village) Gupitan in Kapalong, Davao del Norte. The attack killed a government militiaman and injured four others.
In a televised speech before hundreds of troops of the Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM) in Lucena City, Quezon on Thursday afternoon, Duterte said he called a leftist congressman and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, chairman of the negotiating panel of the government, to demand an explanation from the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on the incident in Davao del Norte.
The president said in tagalog: “Sabi ko, ‘Ano ba ito, are we in into these truce or are we not?’ Sabi ko sa kanila, Give me an answer by tonight because kapag tomorrow, wala, tatanggalin ko, balik tayo sa away."
(Translation: "I said, what's this, are we in into this truce or are we not? I said to them, give me an answer by tonight because when tomorrow, nothing would be done, I will cancel, we return to the fray or fight)".
"If you do not honor or you kill a single soldier or a CAFGU, which is also a soldier of the Republic, eh sabi ko kalimutan na natin ito (eh I said let's forget this). Fight na lang (just fight). I am demanding an explanation from the Communist Party of the Philippines,” he said.
According to Duterte, disciplinary action will also be taken against those responsible on the government side.
“Kung nagkasala kami rito (If we have wronged), we punish our men and women sa serbisyo (in the service). Expect the same and I demand an answer na kung sino ang nagkasala (that who are guilty), they must also put under disciplinary action. Otherwise, wala tayong pinag-usapan (we have not discussed). That is my deal,” he said.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines had earlier suspended its military operations against the CPP-NPA-National Democratic Front (NDF) effective Tuesday following Duterte's declaration of a unilateral ceasefire during his first State of the Nation Address on Monday.
In the SONA, Duterte also said he aims for a "permanent and lasting peace" before his term ends in 2022.
On the other hand, the CPP welcomed the ceasefire declaration, describing it as a positive boost to the peace talks scheduled on August 20 to 27 in Norway, but adding that the release of political prisoners should follow immediately. But has yet to declare its own ceasefire.
On Thursday, Peace Process Jesus Dureza announced that negotiators between the government and communist rebels will resume in Oslo, Norway on August 20, after a decade-long lull.
Dureza told reporters in Manila that there was no immediate commitment from the government to release communist party members who are facing criminal charges.
"The resumption was postponed to next month from late July to make sure that all negotiators are available," Dureza said. MGP News
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