Warning of a “very radical change” that would lead to “a little trouble” in the coming months, President Rodrigo Duterte urged the military to end the communist insurgency, saying the government could not afford to pass the problem on to the next generation of Filipinos.
“I do not think that we can afford to wage a war another 53 years. So I am telling the military to kindly end it now,” President Duterte said Tuesday night in a speech in Quezon City. “We cannot afford to pass it on to the next generation. They might not be able to handle it. It has to be now.”
“I’m serving notice to everybody that in the coming months, it will be not really bloody, but there will be at least, a little trouble for our country,” he added.
Speaking at the 31st anniversary of the Department of Agrarian Reform before flying to China for a five-day visit, Duterte said such challenges made the government a “magnet for criticism,” with his critics waiting for him “to commit a wrong.”
“Revolution is no longer a vogue. You cannot win a fight for social justice or for a better life in your country if you go to revolution. It won’t work. You can’t even occupy one village. And in the coming days, there will be a very, very radical change in the behavior of government,” Duterte said in a mix of English and Filipino.
“You know, I am not challenging. You might win or you may lose. That is something to be seen but I intend to call the attention of the military guys here,” he added.
Duterte had previously said the New People’s Army and the Communist Party of the Philippines had crossed the line by torturing and killing four police officers in Negros island, after a spate of killings in the province.
The President has offered millions of pesos in reward money to anyone who can pinpoint those responsible for the murders of the four police officers in Ayungon town.
His administration has also tried to entice armed communist rebels to surrender and go back into mainstream society by providing housing, livelihood, and educational assistance.
Recently, security officials also alleged that university campuses have become a hub for communist recruitment.
Addressing the communist rebels Tuesday, Duterte said: “We do not have that hatred in our heart. But for me, it’s about time that you stop this revolution. If you want changes, it has to be through evolution. We should do it slowly.”
The President also emphasized that the country would never prosper if social ills such as the communist insurgency, criminality, and corruption are not curbed.
“I will not stay forever in this world, but these are two things which you must remember. If we cannot have law and order in this country and if we cannot stop corruption in government, there can be no—never will we rise to the next step as a nation,” Duterte said.
Aside from communist insurgency and corruption, Duterte also cited the need to put a stop to illegal drugs.
“We have to finish it, even drugs. And this will make us a magnet for all criticisms that are—they’re waiting…for us to do and commit a wrong,” Duterte said.
In March, Duterte officially announced the permanent termination of peace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front in favor of localized peace engagements.
READ: Duterte signs proclamation terminating peace negotiations with Reds
He has also repeatedly urged communist rebels to “choose a better fight in life,” assuring them that the government will provide them with livelihood assistance as long as they laid down their arms.
Earlier, Duterte issued Executive Order 70 directing the creation of a national task force to end the communist armed conflict, and the adoption of a national peace framework that will contain policies addressing the root causes of insurgencies. With PNA