(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday directed the military and the police to “wage war” against the New People’s Army rebels after they killed four policemen who were not even combatants but were merely responding to a call to investigate a murder in the area.
The President said there is no peace talks as of now.
“Wala pang peace talks. It’s totally absent. So, in the meantime, I will also ask the Armed Forces to go ahead and wage a war against them. I’ll allow police and military to use all available assets,” Duterte said in an interview in Davao del Sur with reporters.
The ambush by the NPA was apparently staged in advance as the cops apparently fell into a trap, after responding to a call from an alleged barangay official that a murder happened in the area of Bansalan, Davao del Sur.
Those killed in the ambush were PO1 Rolly Benelayo, PO1 Joe Narvaza, PO1 Saro Mangutara, all members of Bansalan Municipal Police Station, and PO3 Jayden May Rabor, a member of the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) in Digos City.
Duterte said he has already directed the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to “use everything”, including the government’s air assets against the NPA.
“I’m sorry this gory incident (ambush) had to happen. But I can assure everybody that the Armed Forces and the PNP would respond. This time, I’m using everything. I’ve encouraged the police to call in the air assets,” Duterte said.
“I will allow the police and the military this time to use all available assets … airplanes, jets, use them … rockets. Collateral damage, pasencia,” he added.
-NPA ambush will affect peace talks
Malacañang also noted the NPA ambush will have an effect on efforts to revive peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the National Democratic Front.
The CPP-NDF leadership had been asking the Philippine government to revive the stalled peace talks as it had earlier ordered the NPA to release its prisoners of war.
Backchanelling talks are supposedly under way.
But this latest incident showed the CPP-NDF leadership has no control over its people on the ground, noted Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said.
“In other words that they should also cease action, that they should in fact take it upon themselves to be responsible for their own people, and also to release prisoners. So this is part of the expectations of the President regarding the matter. How it would affect? It would provide some sort of influence, however there is the bigger thing which is the pursuit of peace,” Abella said in a news conference.
“I cannot quantify but I am sure quality wise it will influence, it will influence the talks… I suppose the conversation will be that… should be firmer, firmer action from the (communists’ -CPP NPA NDF) side, on the people on the ground.”
The President said the communist rebels are engaging in “ideological cannibalism” because they are killing fellow Filipinos.
“It’s not an overkill actually. It’s a question of honor… We fight war and as revolutionary ideology would put it, it’s a kind of ideological cannibalism because you devour your own kind, you kill your own brothers and sisters in thy name, on the altar of revolution,” he said.
-NPA ambush, a “well laid trap”
He said the ambush on the policemen involved a “well-laid trap” that led to the deaths of members of the police’s SOCO team,
“SOCO fundamentally is police organization or agency under the police organization but they are not combatants. They don’t bother to bring firearms,” the President said.
Duterte rued that the NPA attacks against soldiers and policemen came even during a supposed ceasefire, prompting him to say that there was no good faith on the communists’ part.
“They better choose. I’m ready for all-out war, another 50 years…fine…So, what you receive, you give also,” he said.
President Duterte had said previously that before negotiations can resume, communist rebels must cease from attacking government troops and stop collecting so-called revolutionary taxes.