Duterte to communist rebels: Stop use of landmines

DAVAO CITY—President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday called on communist rebels to immediately stop the use of landmines saying he was invoking the Geneva Convention.

Mr. Duterte said if a single landmine incident would be reported after Sunday, then he will call off the peace process and order the government peace panel to come home.
He said he would also order the Armed Forces of the Philippines to use anti-personnel explosives against the rebels and that he was even willing to buy “a shipload” of them.

“You stop and we talk or you continue and we fight,” he said, adding that he did not care if the fight with the communists would drag for another 45 years.

Mr. Duterte said if the fight with the communists would continue, he will approve the request of the Department of National Defense to recruit 20,000 additional troops. TVJ