Duterte warns he can order military to kill 5 Reds if NPAs kill one soldier daily

February 8, 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte has warned he could order the military to kill five communist rebels if the New People's Army ( NPA) would kill one soldier a day.

Duterte was reacting to the threat of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison that the NPA could kill one soldier a day to pressure the Philippine government to return to the negotiating table.

"If I order the killing? One soldier a day...kill five if they (rebels) kill one," Duterte said in a speech Wednesday night during his meeting with over 200 former NPA members in Malacanang.

He added that the military could even kill amazons.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte was just trying to tell Sison not to threaten the government.

"We are the state. If we haven’t eradicated you, it’s because we opted not to eradicate you as Filipinos. But if you want war, we are ready to go to war," he said.

He clarified that Duterte's statement was not an indication he would declare an all-out war against the leftist rebels.

But he added that the Armed Forces of the Philippines is ready if the NPA wants war.

Duterte formally terminated the peace talks last November and later declared the CPP-NPA as terrorist organizations due to the atrocities that they continue to commit. Celerina Monte/DMS