MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday gave communist guerrillas an ultimatum to declare their readiness to match his truce declaration following a rebel attack that killed a government militiaman.
Duterte said he would scuttle his cease-fire order, which he issued Monday, if New People’s Army guerrillas would not declare their readiness to match it with their own truce by 5 p.m. Saturday. He initially threatened to withdraw his cease-fire order by Friday but extended his deadline after the rebels said they were investigating the guerrilla attack.
“Are you ready to declare a cease-fire or not? Duterte asked during a news briefing, visibly upset after visiting the militiaman’s wake in southern Davao del Norte province.
“If I don’t get the word from you, then I will lift the order of cease-fire,” the president said, adding he was rejecting rebel demands for him to withdraw government troops and policemen from certain rural areas.
Rebel leaders have asked Duterte to give them more time to study his truce declaration.
The president announced the new deadline after expressing outrage over the killing of the militiaman and the wounding of four others in a rebel ambush Wednesday in southern Davao del Norte province. The militiamen have been recalled from a security mission following Duterte’s truce declaration and were traveling back to their patrol base when they came under rebel attack, the military said.
Duterte had made friendly overtures to the Maoist guerrillas, then became more critical after they ambushed the government militiamen.
“I have dealt with everybody in good faith. I’ve never posited a lie,” Duterte said of his truce declaration but added the rebels’ reaction to study his cease-fire “is not a good response.”
“How many Filipinos have died and who killed them? Fellow Filipinos,” he said. “The problem with you (is) you carry the element of hate.”
Displaying a document that outlined the amount of government money to be given to the families of the dead and wounded militiamen, Duterte blamed the guerrillas for the costs. “You don’t pay taxes, you’re actually the one exacting (taxes) from all of them here, let’s not fool each other,” from banana, pineapple plantations, he said.
The decades-long communist insurgency, one of Asia’s longest-running, has left about 150,000 combatants and civilians dead since it broke out in the late 1960s. It also has stunted economic development, especially in the countryside, where the Maoist insurgents are active.
It remains unclear if the emerging differences between Duterte, who was sworn in on June 30, and the insurgents could affect a scheduled resumption of peace talks from Aug. 20 to 27 in the Norwegian capital of Oslo after stalling during the time of his predecessor.
Duterte said he would scuttle his cease-fire order, which he issued Monday, if New People’s Army guerrillas would not declare their readiness to match it with their own truce by 5 p.m. Saturday. He initially threatened to withdraw his cease-fire order by Friday but extended his deadline after the rebels said they were investigating the guerrilla attack.
“Are you ready to declare a cease-fire or not? Duterte asked during a news briefing, visibly upset after visiting the militiaman’s wake in southern Davao del Norte province.
“If I don’t get the word from you, then I will lift the order of cease-fire,” the president said, adding he was rejecting rebel demands for him to withdraw government troops and policemen from certain rural areas.
Rebel leaders have asked Duterte to give them more time to study his truce declaration.
The president announced the new deadline after expressing outrage over the killing of the militiaman and the wounding of four others in a rebel ambush Wednesday in southern Davao del Norte province. The militiamen have been recalled from a security mission following Duterte’s truce declaration and were traveling back to their patrol base when they came under rebel attack, the military said.
Duterte had made friendly overtures to the Maoist guerrillas, then became more critical after they ambushed the government militiamen.
“I have dealt with everybody in good faith. I’ve never posited a lie,” Duterte said of his truce declaration but added the rebels’ reaction to study his cease-fire “is not a good response.”
“How many Filipinos have died and who killed them? Fellow Filipinos,” he said. “The problem with you (is) you carry the element of hate.”
Displaying a document that outlined the amount of government money to be given to the families of the dead and wounded militiamen, Duterte blamed the guerrillas for the costs. “You don’t pay taxes, you’re actually the one exacting (taxes) from all of them here, let’s not fool each other,” from banana, pineapple plantations, he said.
The decades-long communist insurgency, one of Asia’s longest-running, has left about 150,000 combatants and civilians dead since it broke out in the late 1960s. It also has stunted economic development, especially in the countryside, where the Maoist insurgents are active.
It remains unclear if the emerging differences between Duterte, who was sworn in on June 30, and the insurgents could affect a scheduled resumption of peace talks from Aug. 20 to 27 in the Norwegian capital of Oslo after stalling during the time of his predecessor.
