Duterte firm ‘no ceasefire,’ tells troops to ‘destroy’ communist rebelsPRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday refused to reciprocate the unilateral ceasefire declared by the New People’s Army (NPA), ordering the military to “destroy” the communist rebels. In his speech during the Christmas gift-giving at Camp General Manuel T. Yan, Mawab, Compostela Valley, Duterte said the Philippines would never improve unless the government destroyed the communist rebels. “Law and order means you have to destroy — not really fight, but destroy the Communist Party of the Philippines, including its legal fronts and infrastructure,” he said. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said, however, that the military did not recommend a holiday truce with the communists. Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo, in a statement on Friday, accused the communist rebels of declaring a holiday truce to catch the military off guard when they attack.

Source: Manila Times December 22, 2018 12:56 UTC