MALACAÑANG on Monday, February 5, shrugged off Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison’s call for intensified attacks against the military.
In a press conference, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said the government was not intimidated by Sison’s threat, which he claimed was “nothing new.”
“There’s nothing new with the NPA’s position. While we were conducting peace talks, they’re targeting the soldiers. So what’s new with that? There’s nothing new,” Roque said.
“So go ahead. Make all the threats you want,” the presidential spokesman told Sison.
Roque’s statement came after Sison called on the NPA, armed wing of the CPP, to intensify attacks to compel the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte to revive the peace talks.
In a statement, Sison bragged that the NPA has the capacity to kill a soldier a day in every region.
Sison made the call following the arrest of Rafael Baylosis, a consultant to the communist’s political wing National Democratic Front of the Philippines, last January 31.
The CPP founder described Baylosis’ apprehension as “extremely provocative.” Baylosis was the first NDFP consultant rearrested after Duterte terminated the peace talks with the communists in December 2017.
“The NPA in 17 regions has actually the capacity of knocking out at least one AFP soldier every day per region. That eliminates at least 510 enemy troops or some five companies every month,” Sison said Sunday, February 4.
“That translates to the elimination of some 60 companies or 20 basic battalions every year,” he added.
Roque downplayed Sison’s pronouncement and emphasized that the communist guerillas should not underestimate the government troops’ capacity to flush them out.
He added that President Duterte would not allow Sison to further threaten his government.
“Why would we kneel? What does he (Sison) think of the armed forces, we can’t fight them?” he said.
“You watch. The President does not want a bloodbath but he (Sison) should not threaten the government as if he is controlling the Philippine territory,” he added. (SunStar Philippines)