Ambush on FDA convoy shows futility of talks with NPAs – DILG

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año. INQUIRER FILE / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

The killing of three policemen in the ambush by New People’s Army (NPA) in Camarines Sur last week showed the “futility” of talking peace with communist rebel groups, said Secretary Eduardo Año, officer-in-charge of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

In a statement, Año said the attack on the lawmen who were “just doing their jobs was a pure act of terrorism that shows the futility of talking to Joma Sison,” founder of the NPA-allied Communist Party of the Philippines.

The three policemen were in a convoy escorting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director-General Nela Charade Puno when waylaid.

“How can Joma expect to have meaningful peace negotiations when they are killing our police officers and ambushing government officials, including the FDA head who was just there to attend a government event?” he added.

READ: FDA chief’s convoy ambushed; 3 cops killed / Sison hopes for resumption of peace talks after elections

Año said peace talks were useless if government forces and civilians were being killed and rebel groups were contining to commit lawlessness and acts of terrorism.

“When you offer peace with your left hand but shoot with your right hand like what they did to our policemen in Camarines Sur, that’s the height of duplicity,” he said.

“Peace requires confidence-building measures, and the CPP/New People’s Army/National Democratic Front have failed in this respect. They have only themselves to blame,” he added.

Año said Sison’s new offer to resume peace talks was only an attempt to divert the public’s attention from the foiled “Red October” plot to oust President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Sison wants to take the Filipino people for another ride. Now that their Red October plot has fizzled out, now that they realize that there is no hope to oust this administration, they now suddenly want to go back to the negotiating table,” he said.

In September, an angry Sison boasted that Duterte would no longer last long in power and would be “ousted between now and the middle of next year.”

READ: Sison: Duterte to be ousted ‘between now and middle of 2019’ / Joma Sison sees Duterte’s downfall soon

The DILG secretary said that the government would now pursue localized peace talks as directed by the President.

“We in government are working double time to ensure peace and order in the country. Instead of talking to Joma, we will instead pursue localized peace talks as mentioned by the President because we will never give up on peace,” he said.

“We will pursue localized peace talks in every region where there are communist rebels. Peace and order is our top priority and we will uphold these local peace talks until the last rebel lays down his arms,” Año said. /cbb