Police planning to retaliate against NPAs which ambushed police chief, cops: Dela Rosa

July 24, 2017

Philippine National Police Director General Ronald Dela Rosa said the PNP is "planning something" against communist rebels who ambushed a police chief and five of his men in Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental last week. "We can do this by all means, at all cost. We have to fight them , no retreat no surrender", Dela Rosa said. Dela Rosa said he supports President Rodrigo Duterte's pronouncement of abandoning the peace talks with the National Democratic Front (NDF), the political arm of the New People’s Army, last July 21. He said the NDF are taking advantage of the peace talks to recruit more members. "While having peace talks, they are free to roam around barangays... The youth are being recruited so when it’s time to fight, they will have more members to fight the government...but if there is no peace talk, they cannot just do that easily", Dela Rosa said. Duterte said in an interview in Davao he decided to stop peace talks with the NDF after continuous attacks of the NPA to the government officials. Dela Rosa said there are 2800 rifles from China given to police officers and 100 to the Armed Forces of the Philippines to be tested. "We sent it. We rushed it because our people really need it", he said. Dela Rosa expressed his gratitude to Congress for approving the martial law extension in Mindanao on Saturday. "I'm very thankful to the Congress that they approved ( the extension) because that will be additional powers to enforce the law  here in the troubled land of Marawi and the whole Mindanao. It would be easier to enforce the law", he said. People residing in Mindanao showed positive response to the Congress' decision, he said. (Alanna Ambi/DMS)