MALACAÑANG on Friday warned the public against more attacks in Mindanao by the communist New People’s Army after their leaders ordered them to carry out more attacks against the Duterte administration.
“We also wish to forewarn the public of the reported planned attacks of the NPA on people-oriented programs and infrastructure projects and we request the citizenry of Mindanao and everyone else in the country to be on the alert and on the lookout,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella told reporters in Davao City.
“We also appeal to everyone to share information with the authorities on suspicious persons and activities in their communities.
“We don’t have details about the planned attacks except the warning is that we should be vigilant and careful about our surroundings.”
On Friday, the Communist Party of the Philippines described Duterte’s first year as one of “worsening crisis, death and destruction” and called on its fighters to “continue to seize the initiative and carry out more and more tactical offensives nationwide in order to derail and blunt” the “Duterte regime’s all-out war,” which gave the rebels “no other choice but to intensify tactical offensives nationwide.”
“The crisis of the ruling system continues to worsen in the first year under the Duterte regime as it fails to fulfill its promises of change,” the CPP said in a statement on Friday.
“It has unleashed wars of death and destruction as it adopts iron-fisted tactics and fascist methods to secure its rule and serve the interests of the ruling exploitative classes and foreign big capitalists.”
Over the weekend, Abella said the NPA’s recent “serious offensives” cast doubt on the sincerity of the communists to talk peace with the government.
The CPP also denounced the administration’s failure to implement “serious policy reform in the social, economic and political fields.”
“Rodrigo Duterte has zero to show to buttress his claims of being a Leftist and socialist… He has turned his back on his promise of sweeping changes made during the 2016 elections. He has continued the neo-liberal policies of the past three decades which perpetuates the exploitation and oppression of the people,” the group said.