PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Friday asked the New People’s Army (NPA) to stop bombing transmission towers.
Duterte made the call at the groundbreaking of the Pulanai 10.6 megawatts (MW) hydroelectric power plant in Valencia, Bukidnon.
“The style of the NPA is that if you can’t give [what they want], they will bomb [power transmission towers]. Listen to me, do not intrude the people’s [transmission towers] – energy, communications, everything. Lay off. Lay off,” the President said.
The NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), have bombed several power transmission towers and cell sites.
Currently, the government is now having talks with the CPP’s political wing, the National Democratic Front, to patch their differences and sign a peace deal that will resolve the longstanding communist insurgency in the country.
In his speech, Duterte also reiterated that he could not release the political prisoners because he had already given “so much too soon,” adding that he would allow the release if the bilateral ceasefire agreement has been signed.
“You (Communist rebels) are demanding the release of 120 political prisoners. I denied it. I declined to do it because I have given so much too soon. So I said to them, produce to me a document, which says that you have agreed to indefinite ceasefire,” the President said.
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