Duterte warns legal fronts helping NPA

November 22, 2017

President Rodrigo Duterte warned on Wednesday authorities will arrest the members of the legal fronts aiding the communist New People's Army in ousting the government.

Duterte made the statement during his visit to the Fort Magsaysay military camp in Nueva Ecija.

"And your (NPA) legal fronts, I know, let's not fool each other, I came there. You are helping each other conspiring to topple (the government) or whatever, to sow terror. We will treat you as a criminal, period. And we will arrest everybody connected with their legal fronts," he said.

In an interview with reporters last Saturday in Davao City, Duterte said the government would also go after the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), a left-leaning organization, for allegedly conspiring with the leftist rebels.

"Now it's a great conspiracy between this Bayan-- they are in conspiracy with the rebellion going on," he has said.

Duterte earlier said that he would issue a proclamation declaring the NPA as a terrorist organization. Celerina Monte/DMS