President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday appealed to communist rebels to make good their vow for a ceasefire and stop their tactical offensives against government forces.
“Can you just stop fighting for a while because your leaders in Europe said that there will be a ceasefire,” the President said in a speech at Tagum City.
Duterte said that state forces are still fighting extremist forces in Mindanao, reiterating that there will never be any “political, social, economic space for you communists if it is terrorism that prevails.”
On Friday, the Communist Party of the Philippines called on its armed wing, the New People’s Army, 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.”
Describing Duterte’s first year as being marked by “worsening crisis, death and destruction,” the CPP said that this only gave the rebels “no other choice but to intensify tactical offensives nationwide.”
In the same speech, the President told the communists not to give him “a double face.”
“We used to talk, we were friends but that was the time when I was mayor. I was not then burdened with the responsibility of running the country,” he said.
“But now, the situation has already changed. [Kapag] kinalaban mo ang pulis ko, kinalaban mo ang sundalo magkalaban talaga tayo. Magbarilan tayo,” [If you attack my policemen and my soldiers then we’re enemies. Let’s fight each other],'' he added.
In a related development, an intelligence report obtained by the Manila Standard had indicated that the legal communist fronts have stepped up their campaigns on social issues to arouse and organize farmers and stakeholders of development projects perceived to be anti-people in several identified areas in the country.
The report said these fronts and the NPA will capitalize on issues of alleged military abuses under martial law in Mindanao and landlessness and development aggression against farmers, indigenous peoples and urban dwellers.
Issues on political prisoners and human rights violations are other forms of tactics used by legal fronts to rally public support, the military said.
The warning against plans of tactical offensives of the NPA was divulged Friday in Davao City by Malacanang through Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella.
Abella did not give details about the NPA’s plans but nevertheless urged government forces and the public for vigilance following the CCP statement.
Abella said such posturing was just another challenge for the government how it handles the sincerity of the rebel movement to talk peace.
In the report, the intelligence sector identified areas of concerns based on their threat assessments as Davao region, Caraga region and Palawan.
Particularly in Palawan, the NPA will allegedly conduct “tactical offensives” through arson and raids against economic establishments “to threaten targets to comply with their extortion demands.”
The report said legal fronts are using land issues to attract and recruit from the peasant sector to become Red fighters.
“Considering the abundant natural resources in the province, [these fronts] will persist to oppose developmental projects to continuously deny the people from the government/private institution’s social services which are the root causes of insurgency,” it said.
The report said the NPA is yet to launch a major attack in the province.
In Davao region, the military was closely monitoring movements of the NPA especially in the hinterlands of Davao City and Compostela Valley.
Based on a threat assessment, the Southern Mindanao Regional Committee has ordered all its fighters to launch tactical offensives against government forces and government and private business installations particularly in Davao City’s Marilog, Calinan and Paquibato districts.
In Compostela Valley, the areas of immediate concerns are Mabini, Pantukan, Maragusan, Maco, and Laak.
The military said the NPA will employ guerrilla tactics such as ambushes, improvised explosive device attacks, and sparrow-like attack against individual targets.
It said the rebels have in their plan of arson and raids economic targets such as Sumifru, Banana Highland Corp., Coca-Cola, and Cowboy Trucking Service, all in Davao City. In Compostela Valley, the targets are Dole Philippines, Apex Mining Corp., ANFLO/TADECO, and Sumufru.
In Caraga region, the military said the NPA’s primary targets are military and police detachments in Agusan del Sur especially in San Lusi, Talacogon and Lapaz; in Agusan del Norte are Butuan City, Nasipit, Carmen, and Kitcharao; and in Surigao del Norte are Alegria and Gigaquit.
The targets are agri-plantations, construction companies, mining firms, businessmen, and moneyed individuals.
Also included in the plan was the abduction of military and police personnel, and government officials.
Malacañang called on the public to be alert and on the lookout against the reported planned attacks.
“We wish to forewarn the public of reported planned attacks of the NPA on people-oriented programs and infrastructure projects and request the citizenry of Mindanao and everyone else in the country to be on the alert and on the lookout,” Abella said.
“We also appeal to everyone to share information with authorities on suspicious persons and activities in their communities. Sabi nga po nila, if we can work together, we can prevent these extortion-related activities,” he said.
Abella, meanwhile, provided the updates on the government’s operations in Marawi, saying that civilians killed are at 39 or lower than what was previously reported.
“According to Scene of the Crime—SOCO report’s correction, ‘yung ni-report po na, for the previous 17 cadavers recovered 17 days ago is actually po, actually 12 lang po pala upon full examination. So ‘yung verified are only 12 cadavers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Abella said civilians rescued are at 1,713. Terrorists killed, meanwhile, are at 317 while government casualties are at 82.
In the same radio briefing, the Palace official dispelled allegations made by Senator Risa Hontiveros that President Rodrigo Duterte’s first year in office is allegedly a year of misogyny.
Abella reiterated the Duterte administration’s commitment for women’s rights, which he said, extends to action initiated by the President when he was still mayor of Davao City.
“We hope that Senator Hontiveros should judge the President not by the word that he says, but for what he stands for, tsaka po ‘yung talagang tinatayuan niya,” Abella said.
Abella noted that among the projects and programs made by then Mayor Duterte for women include the local version of the Reproductive Health Bill in Davao City; the passage of the Women’s Code by the Davao City Council in 1997; as well as the creation of the Davao City’s Council for Women, which enables the monitoring of reports of violence against women in 182 barangays in the city.
Abella also said it was under Duterte’s watch as mayor of Davao when the Women and Children Protection Unit was established at the Southern Philippines Medical Center to provide psychological support, as well as the Davao’s version of the 911 for emergencies.
“If only the Senator would really look and not just make comments based on prejudgments and kneejerk reactions, I would say that … we would be in a better place,” Abella said. With PNA