AFP strongly subscribes to President Duterte's description of NPA as terrorist group

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 7): AFP strongly subscribes to President Duterte's description of NPA as terrorist group

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) strongly subscribed to President Rodrigo Duterte tagging the New People's Army (NPA) as a terrorist group.

"We subscribe to PRRD's (President Duterte) declaration of the NPA as a terrorist group. Their actions manifest no less than acts of terrorism," said AFP public affairs office chief Col. Edgard Arevalo on Tuesday.

Arevalo said the NPA has proven this tag by extorting money from individuals, private businesses, and corporations; burning of buses, public conveyances and farm implements; in driving away indigenous people from their communities; of laying of improvised explosive devices (IED) that victimizes non-combatants.

"(These) are definitely acts of terrorism," he stressed.

As this develops, military operations against the NPA after the President's lifting of the ceasefire and peace talks have yielded positive reports so far.

"There were a total of six armed engagements in various parts of the country since the President lifted the ceasefire and the peace talks on Feb. 4. We were able to effect two arrests together with the PNP (Philippine National Police), and received seven surrenderees who have yielded high-powered firearms and an IED. Some of them used their aliases because they requested to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal," the military official stated.

Also killed while resisting arrest on Feb. 6 in a joint operation between Task Force Davao, Intelligence Service AFP, and other local intelligence unit, backed by Criminal Investigation Detection Group-11 and Special Weapons and Action Team was Glen Ramos alias "Berdan".

Arevalo said the latter was military hardware liason officer of Southern Mindanao Regional Committee.

The incident happened in Maa, Davao City. He has a warrant of arrest with Criminal Case No. M-DVO-1501538-CR at 11 Judicial Region Branch 6.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=961725