Malacañang said Friday that the government will not halt offensives against New People’s Army rebels despite the promise of Communist Party of the Philippines founder Joma Sison that they will release two Army soldiers and 12 members of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit seized in Agusan del Sur.
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said that they welcome Sison’s gesture but said this will not stop the government from going after the NPA.
“Well, we welcome that, but it doesn’t mean that we will stop the assault on those forces that are going to ambush our troops,” Panelo said.
Panelo said that the hostage incident should serve as a lesson to the soldiers not to believe in the communist rebels.
“Ang problema is they have been declaring that they will have this truce. So siguro naniwala ‘yung mga tao natin sa ground na merong truce so they did not anticipate those attacks,” he said.
“And now it seems to me now na they’re using the truce para to have our soldiers on the ground off guard. They’re taking advantage of that,” he added.
Meanwhile, retired Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. on Thursday formally assumed the position as new presidential peace adviser during the handover rites at the main office of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process in Ortigas, Pasig City.
Galvez said his experiences in armed conflict have made him more determined to choose peace in trying to solve political disputes in the country.
“Have you seen the tears of a dying man? I did many times… It is very painful,” Galvez said. “We cannot go back to war anymore,” he added.
Galvez said some critics “have pointed out that I come from an institution that manufactures war machines.”
“But let me tell you, having been in the military for decades made me see the ugly head of armed conflict. In my early days in the military service, I was wounded in a battle somewhere in the Davao area. That experience has made me choose the path of peace,” he said.
Galvez’s predecessor Jesus Dureza said he has “great confidence” that he is handing over the reins of OPAPP ‘to someone I have known… for a long time.” (Argyll Geducos and Francis Wakefield)