President Rodrigo Duterte. (File photo by ARMAN BAYLON / Presidential Photographers Division)
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the government not to extend any assistance to New People’s Army (NPA) members who are affected by the powerful 6.5-magnitude quake that hit Visayas on Tuesday.
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Deputy Director Bartolome Bautista on Tuesday night briefed Duterte about the Eastern Samar quake during a situational conference on the Luzon earthquake in San Fernando City, Pampanga.
After the presentation, Duterte remarked: “Pagka ang NPA nabaon doon, huwag mong tulungan. Gagastos lang ako sa mga p***** i**!”
The Eastern Samar quake took place a day after a 6.1-magnitude temblor jolted parts of Luzon and left at least 16 people dead.
READ: Eastern Samar also hit by major temblor / Luzon quake: Frantic search for survivors
“Sabi na may nabaon doon na sampu o 20 NPAs there, just tell them that Duterte does not like to spend one centavo of fuel for the equipment to retrieve your comrades. He’s angry at you,” Duterte added.
The President had repeatedly criticized the communist rebels in his public speeches.
He previously asked the communist group to “talk to the next President” as he claimed that his administration will no longer pursue peace negotiations with them.
READ: Duterte shuts door on peace talks: Talk to the next President
During the same situation briefing in Pampanga, Duterte also thanked God because the earthquake that hit parts of Luzon on Monday did not kill many people and disrupt the local economy.
“I’m not trying to belittle the problem. To me, it’s just maybe a few towns hard hit. Thank God that we have the barest minimum of deaths,” he said.
“I think that the local economy can very well be controlled. There’s no panic about the people except for those who are in the hospitals and ‘yung namatayan,” the President added. /kga