MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte warned mining companies against giving revolutionary taxes to the communist rebels or risk legal action from the government.
Duterte said mining companies and business firms found guilty of paying the New People’s Army (NPA) would be charged for money laundering apart from having their permits cancelled.
Duterte said the act of paying the so-called revolutionary taxes to the NPA is akin to financing a terrorist organization.
Duterte earlier declared the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NPA as a terrorist organization, citing bad faith from the communists in negotiating peace with the government.
“So my next step really is I will look into your transaction on the possibility that there is money laundering,” Duterte said, referring to the mining firms.
“I will be frank with you. If you are caught giving to the NPA I will give you a hell of a time. More particularly on the mining sector, I’ll just cancel your permits,” he said.
Duterte said he will direct Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to look into the mining firms who are paying the rebels.
“I’ll tell Secretary Cimatu to cancel it. You are funding an organization which is bent on destroying my country, our country,” he said.
Following the failure of the peace talks with the communist rebels, Duterte said he has ordered security forces to destroy the NPA at all costs.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), on the other hand, declared it is winning the war against the NPA, saying government troops have already killed 18 insurgents this month alone.
Just recently, two top NPA leaders were killed during a raid on a rebel safehouse in Tarlac.
However, an Army officer was also killed and two other soldiers were wounded as government troops clashed with NPA rebels in Paquibato district in Davao City on Thursday.
“The AFP has been recording its gains in the fight against the communist terrorists since the termination of the peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front last year, where a total of 163 rebels were killed in various operations nationwide,” the AFP statement said.
“The AFP assures the public that the offensives against the NPAs will continue in order to protect the people and vulnerable communities from terrorist action and atrocities,” the military statement said. – With Jaime Laude