The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Thursday vowed they will not let communist rebels oust President Rodrigo Duterte, and maintained they could end insurgency by mid-2019.
“The AFP will ensure that they will not succeed,” said AFP spokesperson Col. Edgard Arevalo in a statement.
The AFP was responding to claims of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison that Mr. Duterte was “delusional” in claiming that the government is on track in defeating the rebels and the insurgency would end by second quarter of 2019.
“The number of NPA regulars and supporters surrendering in droves with their firearms is phenomenal. Their Guerrilla Fronts were either dismantled or downgraded one after the other. High-ranking leaders of this terrorist group are neutralized in succession,” Arevalo said.
“These are what the CPP-NPA continues to ignore or refuses accept. It’s more like them whistling in the dark,” he added.
The AFP spokesperson maintained the military is “on the right track in our campaign to decimate the terrorists” by middle of next year.
“Given the resolve of the current administration, and the cooperation of other agencies of government, the AFP is confident that it will succeed,” Arevalo said. /kga