PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday, December 22, renewed his call on the Philippine troops to not just fight but "destroy" the communist movement, as well as its legal fronts.
Duterte gave the directive as he floated the idea anew about the plan of the communist guerillas, in connivance with their legal fronts, to topple his administration.
"Law and order means you have to destroy, not really fight but destroy the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), including its legal fronts and infrastructure," the Commander-in-Chief said before the soldiers at Camp General Manuel Tan in Compostela Valley.
"There will be a time when their legal fronts will be really pretty obvious to us that it is a conspiracy to just fight and overthrow this government. That is the avowed claim of all," he added.
Following the supposedly failed destabilization plot against Duterte in October, the military earlier claimed that the communists were planning another ouster moves, in time for the golden anniversary of the CPP on December 26.
CPP founding leader Jose Maria Sison, however, had denied allegations that the communist rebels are plotting to oust Duterte.
On December 3, Sison even announced that the communist insurgents would observe a holiday truce even to allow them to "freely enjoy" the celebration of their 50th founding anniversary.
The communists group's truce with the government forces will take effect 12:01 a.m. of December 24 to 11:59 p.m. of December 26. Another ceasefire is scheduled at 12:01 a.m. of December 31 to 11:59 p.m. of January 1, 2019.
Despite the communists' declaration of holiday truce, Duterte advised the government troops to be attentive at all times, especially if they feel the potential presence of Sparrow unit, an urban hit squad of the communists' armed wing New People's Army.
"Self-preservation iyan. We live in abnormal time. Huwag na tayong maglokohan kaya galit ako diyan sa mga Sparrow. Huwag kayong magpakumpiyansa diyan (Do not fool each other. I'm infuriated by the Sparrow. Don't be too confident that they will not attack)," he said.
"Unless we are able to destroy everyone of them, ang ating mga anak o apo ninyo, ganoon pa rin ang haharapin (our children or grandchildren will still witness communism). And many of them will be soldiers, and many of them will die without seeing the outcome of what would eventually be the Republic of the Philippines," he added.
The President, nevertheless, urged the communists to abandon "extremist activities and return to the fold of the law."
"[Discard] the outmoded ideology that has led you astray and reintegrate into society so you can lead more dignified lives," he said. (SunStar Philippines)