26 June 2017

News Story: Show sincerity, Palace tells Reds amid attacks

New People’s Army (NPA) rebels
By Alexis Romero

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.

Read the full story at PhilStar