Duterte says ceasefire with Reds "dead"
By Celerina Monte
President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday that ceasefire with the communist rebels is "dead."
In a taped televised message, Duterte said that the truce with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front would no longer be feasible under his administration.
"There will be no ceasefire ever again under my term as president for all intents and purposes. The ceasefire is dead," he said.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines earlier said that it would recommend to the President not to declare a holiday truce with the Reds.
Duterte recalled that his administration aborted the peace talks "because we cannot understand each other may be we are talking in different dialect."
"I simply cannot understand how it is being played by the other side," he said.
In 2017, Duterte terminated the peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF and even declared them as terrorists.
Duterte also reiterated that he could not allow a coalition government being espoused by the CPP-NPA-NDF.
"No stupid president will allow it. He will get impeached. You are not supposed to share that power...I cannot compromise anything in this government. It's either I'm impeached or the police and military will shoot me...because you are a traitor of your country. If you give power sharing, that is a very, very serious thing. You can get assassianted," he said.
Duterte also stressed that he has to "destroy" the legal fronts of the communist group.
"I am identifying all of you because I have set the record, you are communists. Taken in all narrratives of whatever, the JASIG (Joint Agreement on Safe and Immunity Guarantees), under the law you are out to share power. So, I have to destroy you," he said.
While there is no anti-subversion law anymore, he said the communist rebels continue with their criminal activities, such as murder, arson and rape, among others.
He accused the members of the legal fronts and the communist rebels of conspiracy.
"There's no more subversion law, but you're committing arson, murder, rape, these are serious offenses under the Revised Penal Code...the act of one is the act of all...the act of the NPA is the act of (Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos) Zarate," he said.
"So, what do we do? I'm trying to sort out what we will do to you because you are criminals. We are not only tagging you. We are indentifying you and we will identify you anytime I want. Before my term ends, I will identify all of you, including the NDF," he said.
Duterte, in his previous televised message, branded the progressive party-list groups, including Zarate, as communists.
Zarate and the Makabayan bloc composed of the progressive groups in the House of Representatives, however, denied that they were communists.
The administration reportedly would seek for the disqualification of the Makabayan bloc before the Commission on Elections. Celerina Monte/DMS
