Show sincerity, Palace tells Reds amid attacks

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang expressed disappointment yesterday over the recent attacks of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas in Mindanao that cast doubt on the rebels’ sincerity towards the peace process. 

Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said the NPA offensive operations “disrupt the conducive and enabling environment indispensable in peace making and peace building.”

“Several recent serious offensives in Mindanao and elsewhere in the country allegedly committed by the CPP-NPA-NDFP (Communist Party of the Philippines- New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines) forces further fueled the public’s doubts on whether it is still worthwhile to continue the peace negotiations with them,” Abella said. 

“We are disturbed by the recent NPA attacks considering that their leaders in Europe issued a statement condemning the incident in Marawi, even offering to refrain from undertaking offensive operations in Mindanao to enable our government forces to deal with focus on the rebellion still happening,” he added. 

Abella said the government would undertake corresponding and appropriate steps to deal decisively with the development.

The government suspended the fifth round of negotiations with the NDF after the CPP had directed the NPA to intensify offensives against government forces implementing martial law in Mindanao.

Last week, the NDF asked the NPA to refrain from attacking government forces in Mindanao so they could focus on clearing Marawi City of Maute terrorists. The government reciprocated the declaration, welcoming it as a positive development for the peace talks. 

But hours after the government reciprocated the NDF’s gesture, about 50 NPA members raided last Sunday the police station in Maasin, Iloilo and took away firearms, a laptop, a base radio, cash and jewelry.

While the attack did not happen in Mindanao, the government labeled it as “opportunistic.”

Army troops and NPA rebes also figured in a series of clashes in the Davao region last week.

The military claimed that rebels fired upon members of the 67th Infantry Battalion who were conducting patrols in Cateel, Davao Oriental last June 17. The attack led to an hour-long gun battle that left three rebels dead.

Another clash happened on the same day between the 66th Infantry Battalion and NPA guerillas in Pantukan, Compostela Valley. Two rebels were killed and two soldiers were wounded during the firefight.

Some senators have asked the Duterte administration to defer the conduct of negotiations with the communists, saying the rebels do not seem to have control over their ground troops.

The Army condemned the NPA ambush of two civilians last Thursday in Calatrava, Negros Occidental.   

Norberto Lumayno, a sugar planter, and his driver Danilo Braga died of gunshot wounds after they were ambushed by about nine suspected NPA rebels in Barangay Minapasok, Calatrava, the police said. – With Gilbert Bayoran