“Law to be enforced uniformly,” says AFP spokesperson
(Eagle News) — The Philippine military said it will “enforce the law uniformly” if the New People’s Army would continue its unlawful activities.
In a press conference in Davao City on Friday, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Brigadier General Restituto Padilla urged the other side to reconsider its decision after receiving news about this amid the ongoing terror threat of the Islamist militants in Mindanao.
“On the part of the Armed Forces, we sadly received news of this. And we still highly encourage the other group to reconsider what their announcement was,” Padilla said.
The military spokesperson said that the AFP’s desire in the declaration of martial law was “aimed at restoring the rule of law and order specifically in those areas affected by the presence of terrorist elements both local and foreign.”
He said that the AFP would want to focus as much as possible on stopping the Islamist militants, especially now that it has been confirmed that foreign elements had joined the Maute’s forces.
As of Friday, government forces have killed 31 from the Maute rebels. But the military and the police suffered losses too — 11 soldiers and two policemen.
“As much as we would like to focus on this (the Maute situation), if the NPA will insist to do what they want…, we will enforce the law uniformly no matter who these groups are,” he said.
“So if the NPA continues to violate our laws, and with impunity if they will attack our forces, then we will deal with that accordingly.
The AFP spokesperson said it would be good if the communist leaders would “reconsider” their announcement, since they are supposedly formally talking about peace with the government.
Violation of preconditions
He cited preconditions set in the talks that the communist rebels would be violating.
“I will surmise that it is good to express here tthat they should reconsider that announcement, since we are in formal talks with them. And we have set some preconditions that have been mentioned by the President that they should cooperate with such as attacks on agricultural areas, the burning of equipment, which are also violations of the law,” Padilla said.
Government negotiating panel chair Silvestre Bello III said the order “betrays the absence of sincerity of the CPP in the negotiating table” and called on the CPP leadership to “correct its error and recall its senseless order.”
“At the very least, it was an insult to the candor and genuineness displayed by the President and the GRP Panel in talking peace.,” he said in a statement.
Bello to CPP: Recall “senseless order”
“At worse, it betrays the absence of sincerity of the CPP in the negotiating table. Lest it be construed as abetting the criminal and terror acts of the Maute group and a gang of Moro bandits, we put the CPP to task to correct its error and recall its senseless order,” Bello said.
Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella also cited Bello’s statement during a presscon on Friday in Davao City.
Abella said Secretary Bello’s statement was worth repeating.
Bello had earlier expressed his worry and disappointment with the communist leadership’s order to the NPA.
“We are deeply disturbed that the Communist Party of the Philippines made a false reading of the intents of President Duterte in placing Mindanao under Martial Law,” Bello said in a statement.