Duterte labels CPP-NPA a terrorist group
President Rodrigo Duterte signed a proclamation stating that the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) as a terrorist group on Tuesday.
Photo from Rappler
Under Proclamation No. 374, CPP-NPA is declared as a “designated/identified terrorist organization” under Republic Act (RA) 10168, or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act, which provided provisions on these terrorist groups’ financing issues.
This was announced by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in a press briefing in Malacanang. "It's a proclamation declaring the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army a designated, identified terrorist organization under Republic Act 10168," Roque said.
Roque said, the proclamation is due to “continued violent acts of the CPP-NPA which sow and create a condition of widespread and extraordinary fear and panic among the populace.”
Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea instructed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to track charges against these rebels. Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II instructed to filed a petition before the Regional Trial court (RTC) in Manila to categorize the CPP-NPA as terrorist organizations.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Major General Restituto Padilla said in a statement last November 19 that AFP agreed to Duterte that these communist rebels should be marked as terrorists.
“Government has done its part and negotiated with sincerity. We totally agree with the Commander-in-Chief in calling the NPAs terrorists because it is clearly reflected in the numerous criminal / lawless / terrorist acts that they have been committing against defenseless and innocent civilians," Padilla said. Following the declaration, Padilla said that the military will "fully execute and perform its mandate without reservation and restrictions."
"This proclamation clearly classifies and labels the group for what they really are. We can now address without any hesitation and with all the means and resources available to us the increasing criminal and economic sabotage activities of these terrorists," Padilla said.
In the declaration, there was no mention of the National Democratic Font of the Philippines (NDFP), which earlier Duterte had declared that his administration will no longer push the peace talk with.
