(UPDATED) - President Rodrigo Duterte has signed a proclamation declaring the communist insurgents as "terrorists," Malacañang said on Tuesday, December 5.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said Duterte signed the proclamation following Duterte's command conference with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police held in Malacañang.
Roque, however, clarified that the classification of terrorist applies only to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA).
The CPP's political wing, the National Democratic Front (NDF), is exempt from being labeled as a terrorist organization.
"It's a proclamation (signed by Duterte) declaring the Communisty Party of the Philippines, New People's Army as a designated, identified terrorist organization," Roque said.
"So as the President has stated before, he has finally classified the CPP-NPA as a terrorist organization within the purview of the Human Security Act," he added.
READ: Proclamation 374 signed by President Duterte, declaring CPP-NPA as a terrorist organization. @sunstaronline pic.twitter.com/p7Ghh8MNAN
— Ruth Abbey Gita (@RuthAbbey) December 6, 2017
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