A DAY after Malacañang claimed that the Philippine government wants "permanent" ceasefire with the communist insurgents, President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday, December 5, that he was no longer bent on pursuing peace talks with the guerilla group.
Speaking at the Palace's Heroes Hall, Duterte publicly addressed Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairperson Jose Maria Sison and told him not to return home since his administration has given up on the peace negotiations.
Duterte also threatened to "slap" Sison just in case the communist leader decides to go back to the Philippines.
"Itong komunista (To the communists), I'm no longer ready to talk to you. I've done it before. Mag-mukha lang tayong gago (We'll just both look stupid). You insult me, I insult you," the President said.
"Huwag ka na lang umuwi dito (Just don't return home). I promise you, I'll slap you. Kapag pinilit mo sa airport bumalik, p***** i** mo, sampalin kita. Pakain ko sa'yo yung pustiso mo, leche ka (If you tried going back, son of a b****, I'll slap you. I'll force you to eat your dentures)," he added.
Duterte made the remark more than a week after he expressed his intent to create a hit squad that would kill the communists.
On November 27, the President revealed his intent to create a "Duterte Death Squad" that would go after the Sparrow Unit, the infamous urban hit squad of the communists' armed wing New People's Army (NPA).
Despite Duterte's pronouncement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Tuesday, December 4, that the current administration is seeking to end the feud "among Filipinos" by looking into a possible "permanent" truce with the communist rebels.
Sison, who has been on self-exile in the Netherlands since 1987, also announced on December 3 that the CPP would observe a holiday truce to allow its members to "freely enjoy" the party's founding anniversary celebration on December 26.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, however, said in a television interview on Tuesday that he would not recommend the holiday truce with the communist group as doing so would only allow it to reinforce its members.
In November 2017, the President signed Proclamation 360 and 374 formally terminating the peace talks and classifying the CPP and the NPA as terrorist organizations. (SunStar Philippines)