NDF hits Lorenzana, calls on CPP to reconsider intensified NPA attacks

Jose Maria Sison, Communist Party of the
Philippines founder (INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)

National Democratic Front (NDF) chief political consultant Jose Maria “Joma” Sison on Friday said they support the government’s fight against the ISIS-affiliated group but that the military should not target the New People’s Army (NPA).

“As chief political consultant of the NDFP, I deplore the reported statement of DND (Department of National Defense) Secretary (Delfin) Lorenzana that the NPA is also a target of Mindanao-wide martial law,” he said in a statement sent to Inquirer.

The NPA is the military arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), which has been waging the longest running communist insurgency in Asia. The NDF, its political arm, is the group directly dealing with the government for the peace talks.

Lorenzana reportedly said that the NPA are among the targets of the martial law declaration in Mindanao, which is supposed to help the government go after the Maute terror group after it took over and burned down several establishments in Marawi.

After the declaration of martial law, the CPP ordered the NPA to launch more attacks in Mindanao.

But Sison said the NDF has already “recommended to the National Executive Committee of the NDFP and in effect the Central Committee of the CPP to reconsider the order to the NPA to intensify tactical offensives as response to the Lorenzana statement that the NPA is a target of martial law.”

READ: CPP orders NPA to launch more attacks in Mindanao, other regions

“The GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) side has clarified that the NPA is not a target,” Sison said.

He claimed that Duterte told NDF peace panel chair Fidel Agcaoili that the two parties should unite against terrorist groups like the Maute group and the Abu Sayyaf.

“We in the NDFP condemn the attack by Maute group in Marawi City,” he said. “Earlier NDFP-Mindanao condemned this attack and expressed the deepest concern and solidarity for the people of Marawi City.”

Sison said the actions of the Maute group should not hinder the fifth round of peace talks between the government and the NDF. Instead, he said it should “be an incentive to the GRP and NDFP to meet and agree to fight groups that are terrorists because they target, terrorize and harm civilians, solely or mainly.” JPV/rga