The Armed Forces of the Philippines will “exhaust all means available” to end the country’s five decades-long problem on communist insurgency as soon as possible, its spokesperson has assured, after President Duterte declared that the government cannot afford to fight the war for another 50 years.
Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesperson, said they have articulated their commitment to end communist insurgency to the President before and his recent remarks only underscored his “firm resolve to stop the menace” that the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army brings.
“The AFP, being in the forefront in the campaign to end local communist armed conflict, is devoted to attaining that ardent desire of the President and Commander-in-Chief,” he said.
“We will exhaust all means available, lethal and non-lethal, to hit the enemy and hit them hard. We will employ the different lines of efforts with other agencies of government (to) address or help alleviate the identified social issues that the NPA capitalizes,” he added. (Martin Sadongdong)