Military vows to use all resources in all-out war vs NPA
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it will use all available assets on its all-out war against the New People’s Army (NPA).
“When you talk about all-out war it only means, we are going to make use of all available assets of our armed forces to accomplish our mission, by all-out war,” Col. Edgard Arevalo, AFP Public Affairs Chief, told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo Wednesday.
Arevalo said all-out war does not mean the military will be “indiscriminate” in the conduct of its operations against the rebel group.
“Our operations will always and has always been focused and determined but we are not going to be indiscriminate,” he said.
The all-out war against the New People’s Army was declared after President Rodrigo Duterte terminated the unilateral ceasefire of the government forces as well as the peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front (NDF) last week.
Duterte then ordered security forces to arrest NDF consultants who were released to participate in the peace negotiation.
With the directives by Duterte, Arevalo emphasized those NDF members who were not covered by Joint Agreement on Security and Immunity Guarantee (Jasig) should turn themselves to the court as they will be arrested by authorities.
“With the declaration of the president terminating the peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF, it effectively informed the negotiators from both sides of the table to wind up activities and come home immediately. The NDF negotiators should comply forthwith especially those who are on bail because the ground for the grant of bail that is for negotiation has ceased to exist,” Arevalo said.
“The negotiators therefore should surrender themselves to the courts where they have, we submit, have taken judicial notice of the pronouncement of the president terminating the talks, failing to that the negotiators are deemed to have jumped bail and therefore susceptible and can be validly arrested,” he added.
Arevalo said those who are covered by the Jasig are the NDF consultants who were not released from detention because of the peace talks.
“On the invocation of JASIG, the NDF negotiator cannot validly invoke the joint agreement on security and immunity guarantee. That agreement applies only to those who are in hiding whom the government invites to participate in the peace talks and to encourage them to go out and provide them safety conduct pass, meaning they are in hiding, they are being invited to join the peace talks,” Arevalo said. Robina Asido/DMS
