The Philippine National Police (PNP) would continue its normal combat patrol and anti-insurgency operations, following President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncement that there would be no ceasefire with the communists this Christmas season, its spokesperson declared on Wednesday.
PNP spokesperson Senior Supt. Dionardo Carlos said: “We will focus on maintaining peace and order in the area. Now, with the [PNP] as support agency to the [Armed Forces of the Philippines] in the implementation dito sa [here in the] counter-insurgency part, we will do our role, we will still perform our role.”
“Kasi yun nga, yung practice before, wala tayong, pag meron tayong ceasefire, hindi tayo nagte-take (As in the practice before, when we have ceasefire, we do not take) ng offensive actions. So this time, we will continue our normal combat patrol and anti-insurgency operations,” he added.
On Tuesday, Mr. Duterte said he would not declare ceasefire with the New People’s Army (NPA) this Christmas season, as he is inclined to declare the communist armed group as “terrorist” any time soon.
Duterte said that the death of a four-month old baby, who was hit by a stray bullet in an NPA ambush in Talakag, Bukidnon, was the last straw for him in his dealings with the communist rebels. /kga