National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon has informed the United National Security Council that the Philippines has been taking bold steps to combat terrorism in the country, including the threat of the Communist movement which he described as a dangerous local terrorist group.
In his speech before Heads of Counter Terrorism Agencies of Member States at the UN Headquarters in New York City on Friday (Saturday in Manila), Esperon said the Philippine government was vigorously and relentlessly fighting terrorism consistent with the UN Global Counter-terrorism Strategy.
In related developments:
• The Communist Party of the Philippines on Saturday cast doubt that President Rodrigo Duterte would finish his term, which ends in 2022.
“In less than two years, he has become isolated domestically and internationally. Thus, there is a high probability that Duterte will not be able to complete his six-year term of office and will be forced out of Malacañang by way of a surge in anti-fascist protest actions or some other means,” the CPP said in a statement sent to reporters on the day Duterte marked his second year in office.
“Far weaker than the Marcos dictatorship, the US-Duterte regime will likely be ousted in a shorter period of time,” the CPP warned, referring to the years 1972 until 1981 when martial law was imposed in the Philippines by President Ferdinand Marcos.
• Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Edgard Arevalo has said the number of New People’s Army forces continues to dwindle nationwide.
Arevalo said around 7,531 rebels had been neutralized from January 1 to June 28 this year: 71 killed, 114 captured and 7,346 voluntarily surrendered.
Among those who surrendered were three rebel leaders from the NPA’s Sentro De Grabidad from Guerilla Front 30, North Eastern Mindanao Regional Committee.
Esperon included the Communist Party of the Philippines and its military arm New People’s Army which he dubbed as dangerous local terrorists that continued to wreck havoc in the countryside, waging desperate attacks on military and police forces and innocent civilians.
“The CPP-NPA has been committing the same brutal atrocities like the Daesh. CPP-NPA terrorists killed more than 10,000 soldiers, policemen, and civilians in one of the longest-running insurgencies in the history of the world,” Esperon told UN security experts.
“It had entrenched itself in international organizations through its international solidarity networks,” he stressed.
On Thursday, the CPP through its founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison, had opted to close its door to the ongoing peace talks with the government after the scheduled June 21 resumption of talks was unilaterally postponed by President Duterte.
Esperon also raised the threat of the CPP/NPA as an equally dangerous local terrorist group fueled by foreign ideology and its atrocities must be exposed in the community of nations similar to the brutal presence of the Daesh.
“I hope that by locally proscribing the CPP/NPA as a terrorist organization, the true nature of the group will be exposed to the community of nations as an equally brutal and dangerous presence as the Daesh in a peaceful democratic state,” Esperon said.
He also told the UN that following the Marawi City siege brought by the attack by Daesh-inspired Maute Group, extensive efforts at the domestic front were focused to strengthen the country’s anti-terrorism law, investigation, and prosecution of personalities in the UN sanctions and national list.
Esperon also revealed that the government was implementing a national action plan to prevent and counter violent extremism, and the fast-tracking of rehabilitation and rebuilding of Marawi City.
During his presentation, Esperon said the Philippine government was strengthening engagements with local and international bodies relative to anti-money laundering and terrorism financing.
It is also implementing the conventions related to chemical and biological weapons, and strengthening its partnership with the International Police (Interpol), Esperon added.
The two-day conference was organized by the UN Office of Counter Terrorism to provide an opportunity for the UN and member states to forge a new partnership in addressing the complex and transnational threat of terrorism.
Other members of the Philippine delegation were National Intelligence Coordinating Agency Director General Alex Paul Monteagudo, Anti-terrorism Council Officer-in-charge Atty. Florentino Manalastas, Department of Foreign Affairs-office of Civilian Security and Consular Concerns Undersecretary Jose Luis Montales, the Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Teodoro Locsin Jr., and the Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Kira Christianne Azucena.
Earlier, Sison said they were withdrawing from the peace negotiations following the government’s decision to suspend the scheduled peace talks June 28 to 30.
The government decided to suspend the talks to give way to public participation in the peace process.
The CPP founder earlier claimed they were focused now on efforts to oust the present administration as it would be much easier to talk peace with the next leadership.
Arevalo added this desire for peace by the rebels was an indication that they were being hit hard by the ongoing military operations and in dire need of a reprieve.
“In the present state of their battle against the AFP, they have to ask for ‘time out’ for them to rest, beef up their weaponry and manpower and continue with the armed struggle. This a fake desire for peace,” the AFP spokesperson stressed. With PNA