Military in North rejects CPP's calls for peace talks

BAGUIO CITY— The military stationed in the northern provinces rejected calls by the Communist Party of the Philippines to resume the stalled peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

Army Major Rigor Pamittan, spokesman of the Isabela- based 5th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, instead called on the remaining communist rebels to abandon the armed struggle.

 “Kung kapayapaan ang nais ng mga ito ay ibaba na ang kanilang armas at magbalik-loob na sa pamahalaan," Pamittan said.

(If they want peace, they should lay down their arms and return to the government)

Pamittan claimed that the communist movement resurfaced its calls for government and FOR the rebels to go back to negotiations at the heels of the thinning ranks of the NPA in the northern provinces. It also came after last week’s debacle of the Ilocos Cordillera Regional Committee of the CPP-NPA when a huge bomb-making camp was overran in Pilar, Abra after a fierce gunbattle with some 30 communist guerillas along the borders of Sta Maria, Ilocos Sur and Pilar, Abra.

The spokesman stressed that they cannot bite into the resurging supposed propaganda of the rebels for peace talks while the numbers and influence of the latter has tremendously thinned in the northern provinces.

Major General Audrey Pasia, Commander of the 5th Infantry Division, earlier ordered government troopers "to drive the final nail into the coffin of  the communist insurgency in the northern provinces to sustain government’s gains." 

"My instructions to my soldiers is nothing but to go and destroy the armed group should they decide to fight the government. Pasensiya na pero ito ang trabaho ko. Ipagpatawad niyo, pero ito ang trabaho ng armed forces ninyo (Sorry, but this is my work. Forgive me, but this is the work of the armed forces)," Pasia said.

Pasia, however, assured civilians safety during military operations, saying that they are determined to end the communist insurgency in Northern Luzon. He also said they are ready to sacrifice their own blood for peace and to serve the Filipino people.

“Kaligtasan ng sibilyan ang pangunahin nilang isinaalang-alang sa bawat operasyon,” he said in Filipino, assuring, “your security is our paramount concern. Hindi po namin papayagan na ang mga armado ay salingin kayo.”

Over a hundred families from Pilar, Abra and Sta Maria, Ilocos fled to safety during last week’s fierce gunbattles but had since returned home after the military certified to the Pilar, Abra loca government it has driven the rebels away.