No truce for word war between PH military, communist rebels
Philippines Chief of Staff General Emmanuel Bautista and the New People’s Army (NPA). FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—After separately declaring a holiday truce, the military and the communist rebels have engaged in a different kind of warfare.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Monday hit back at the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) for describing as “moronic” the unsolicited advice of AFP chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista for the communist insurgents to declare cessation of hostilities “forever.”
Maj. Gen. Domingo Tutaan, AFP spokesperson, lambasted the CPP and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), for claiming that peace would be impossible to achieve under the current political system, which the communist group described as “a system that exploits and oppresses the workers, peasants and the downtrodden.”
Tutaan told reporters the insurgents were using the issues of injustice and corruption in government “to launch extortion activities.”
“The CPP-NPA is clearly deceiving the people, using all flowery words to justify their criminal activities,” the military spokesperson said.
“Instead of name-calling, why can’t the CPP-NPA explain to the people why they cannot have a prolonged ceasefire?” he asked.
Tutaan also assailed the insurgents for their failure to help victims of typhoons, earthquakes and other calamities. Marlon Ramos
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