Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Friday the military may not be able to end the insurgency within the next three years, but they will be able to reduce them into a ''simple peace and order problem''.

“We’ll see. Too soon for him to talk. He is underestimating this President. We may not be able to finish them off completely to the last man but we will reduce them into purely police problem -a simple peace and order problem of running after robbers, criminals and extortionists,” he said.

Lorenzana made his statement after Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Maria Sison said the government's scheme to end the New People’s Army (NPA) by three years will surely fail.

It can be recalled that during an interview after the New Year’s Call in Camp Aguinaldo last Tuesday, Lorenzana said the government is targeting to end the insurgency within the term of the present administration after he admitted their goal is not attainable within this year.

Lorenzana emphasized that Sison should accept that the communist “insurgency is a total failure”.

“They did not win in 50 years, what makes them think they could win within his remaining short time on this earth?,” he said.

“He should accept the fact that his communist-inspired rebellion and insurgency is a total failure. The blood of thousands of Filipinos who were sacrifices in the altar of his discredited ideology is in his hands,” he added. Robina Asido/DMS