President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday scored the communist New People’s Army (NPA) for invoking the Geneva Conventions — the international rules that protect noncombatants during armed conflict — whenever they were cornered. Saying the Geneva Conventions were passé, the President vowed to take “harsh measures” against the communist insurgents. “I’ll be forced to take harsh measures … It could be something like, ‘I’ll do what you do to me,’” Mr. Duterte said in a speech in Malacañang. However, the President also ordered the military and the police to “give no quarter” in their new offensive against the communist rebels. Mr. Duterte also denounced the NPA for ambushing soldiers who were helping and providing relief to victims of Tropical Storm “Urduja” in Northern Samar.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 19, 2017 23:03 UTC