Duterte: Gov’t now switching to civilian-led tactic to address insurgency

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said the government is now shifting to a civilian-led approach in addressing communism in the country.

In his speech during the change of command rites at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Duterte said his Executive Order No. 70 will tap government agencies and the private sector to bring basic services to the countryside and address the root causes of rebellion

READ: Duterte forms nat’l task force to end local communism

“From the military-centric approach that gave us our recent successes against the communist movement, we now shift to a new civilian-led approach that will tap other government agencies and other private sector in bringing basic services and other development interventions that will address the root cause of the communist movement,” he said.

Under EO No. 70, Duterte created a national task force to end local communist armed conflict in the Philippines.

Duterte, through the EO, also directed the adoption of a national peace framework and institutionalizing the whole-of-nation approach in attaining to attain “inclusive and sustainable peace” in the country.

According to Duterte, “there is a need to create a national task force that will provide an efficient mechanism and structure for the implementation of the whole-of-nation approach to aid in the realization of the collective aspiration of the Filipino people to attain inclusive and sustainable peace.” /kga